Organ concert Ben de Rooij in Sint-Jan Waalwijk on Oct. 12

The impressive sounds of the monumental organ of the Sint-Jan in Waalwijk can be heard again next weekend. On Saturday, October 12 at 3:45 pm, organist Ben de Rooij will give a beautiful concert in the church. It promises to be a varied performance. You are welcome to attend. The performance is organized by the Friends of St. John the Baptist.

Organist Ben de Rooij
Ben received his first lessons at the Waalwijkse Muziekschool. He received piano lessons from Frans Wilmont and organ lessons from Anton van Kalmthout. After studying at the Catholic University of Tilburg, Ben moved to Nieuwegein. In 2001 he returned to Waalwijk. Ben studied organ with Gonny van der Maten and improvisation with Johan Luimes. In 1997 he passed the Staatsexamen Orgel. Ben is currently taking improvisation lessons with Gerben Mourik with whom he also followed a Master Class in improvisation in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Ben is organist at the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Heusden and the Kerk aan de Haven in Waalwijk. Since 2023, on behalf of the Friends of Sint Jan de Doper Foundation Ben has coordinated the monthly organ performances in the Waalwijk Sint Jan.

Everyone welcome
At this concert, the monumental organ of the Sint Jan will again be shown to its best advantage. On October 12, Ben will play a program with music that was not originally written for the organ but can be performed on it, which we call a 'transcription'. The program includes compositions by Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and John Williams. Parts from the well-known film "Lord of the Rings" (Howard Shore) will also be played. The program will conclude with an arrangement of Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre, music known from the Spookslot in the Efteling.
Everyone is most welcome in St. John's this afternoon and admission is, as always, free. The concert begins at 3:45 pm. Afterwards, a free donation is requested to cover the costs of this activity.