Christelijk Koor Jigdaljahu
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Welcome to Christian choir Jigdaljahu, a choir that shares its love for music and faith with a wide audience. We are a group of passionate singers who, under the guidance of professional musicians, want to touch people with a varied repertoire, including spiritual songs, classical works, psalms, revival music and spirituals. Our mission goes beyond just making music in a high-quality way; We strive to express our deepest convictions and connect with both churchgoers and people who are further away from the church.
The name Jigdaljahu comes from the Hebrew "יגדליהו" (pronounced 'Yigdal-Yahu'), which means "May God be glorified" or "God will be glorified". It is often used in Jewish tradition as an expression of praise and worship. In doing so, we connect our Judeo-Christian roots to our current Christian culture.
Why Jigdaljahu?
For 25 years, we have been committed to honoring God through our music. Apart from the choir members, only professional musicians participate in our concerts so that we can guarantee quality and at the same time offer talented composers and musicians a stage. New compositions and arrangements are given the chance to come to life. We want to do more than just offer a beautiful music experience; Our goal is to be a platform for both established and emerging talented musicians to collectively bring the rich message of our music to life for and with our audience.
Mission
Our mission as Christian choir Jigdaljahu stems from the core of our faith: to love God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves. We use our musical talents for the honor and glory of the Eternal. Whoever agrees with Psalm 84, "How I burn with desire to come into Your Sanctuary," does not sing out his own desire, but embraces the desire of the psalmist. This deeper longing offers a powerful counterpoint to the increasing secularization. Our mission is to testify in song to a God who, as Philippians 4:19 says, "will make up every deficiency out of the abundance of His majesty."
Vision
Our vision is to seek connection through song, both inside and outside the church. We want to foster a sense of community and build our listeners in faith. We strive for the highest quality within our music genre and want to touch people through the beauty of the human voice, the musical talents of the composers and musicians, and the harmony between word and music.
In the tradition of cantata services
Just as cantata services take place in the past and today, we shape our concerts within this tradition. We strive to bring music and Bible texts together in a fluid whole, alternating catchy pieces of music and original arrangements with spoken Word. In this way, we want to reinforce the message of the Bible passage and take the audience into a meaningful experience.
Goal: reach everyone
Our music is meant to appeal to people both inside and outside the church. We also want to touch marginalized churchmen and people who are further removed from the church, and open them up to the Message we want to convey through the beauty of music. Through music and song we seek connection and hope to bring people closer to God and faith.
Concert venues: a conscious choice
Our concerts preferably take place in historic churches – buildings that have been intended for worship for centuries and that lend themselves perfectly to music and Word. Although these places are often used for other purposes today, we see them as the ideal locations to bring the original function back to life. In this way, we not only support the atmosphere of our concerts, but we also complete the circle by uniting tradition and contemporary interpretation.
Jigdaljahu: Rooted in the Judeo-Christian Tradition
Our name reflects our deep connection to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Through the combination of these roots and our current Christian culture, we want to appeal to both the ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical listeners.
Jigdaljahu is a non-profit association founded in 1999. Since 2024, the choir has been led by conductor Arjan Wouters, who builds on the work of his predecessors Willem Arie den Hertog, Jeroen Bal and Bert Noteboom.
