Pieter Heykoop
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Pieter Heykoop was born on October 11, 1960, in Dordrecht. At a young age, his musical talent and interest in the organ became apparent. At the age of 6, he began his first organ lessons with Bart van den Berg. He then studied with Cor Visser, the organist of the Grote Kerk in Dordrecht at the time. Jan Bonefaas, organist of the Grote Kerk in Gorinchem, and the internationally renowned organist Ben van Oosten were also among his mentors. At the age of 15, he was appointed as the regular organist of one of the Reformed Churches in his hometown.
Since 1986, Pieter Heykoop has been the organist of the Reformed Community in his hometown of Yerseke. He has been the regular accompanist of the Male Choir Ethan in Yerseke and later became the organist of the Male Choir Elim in 's-Gravenpolder.
Since 2009, he has been the regular organist of the Mixed Choir Yerseke. In January 2015, Heykoop was appointed as the organist of the Christian Urk Fishermen's Choir Crescendo, and in the same year, he became (again) the regular organist of the Male Choir Ethan in Yerseke. His 40th anniversary as an organist was celebrated with great interest on January 2, 2016, in the Grote or St. Laurenskerk in Rotterdam.
Pieter Heykoop is a highly sought-after organist for vocal and organ evenings both nationally and internationally. He has played numerous impressive organs in countries including France, England, Germany, Luxembourg, Scotland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Canada, the USA, Israel, and South Africa. Many CDs featuring his organ improvisations, congregational singing, and choir singing have been released.
A large number of organ arrangements, authored by Heykoop and published under his name, are available in sheet music format. His playing is often characterized by ingenuity and sensitivity.
