Gerwin Hoekstra

Gerwin Hoekstra (22 November 1992 – 27 November 2022) was a Dutch organist.

Hoekstra started playing organ in Eenrum when he was eight years old. He earned a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in Organ Performance at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen where he studied with Erwin Wiersinga and Theo Jellema. Hoekstra moved to the United States and studied organ at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, with James David Christie and harpsichord Mark Edwards. Hoekstra was in Oberlin organist at Congregational Church of Christ. 

After moving back to the Netherlands, he became the permanent organist of the  of the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk in Leeuwarden in 2019. This is a historic church organ, that is considered one of the most important (baroque) organs in the Netherlands.

Hoekstra won prizes at various music competitions in the Netherlands and abroad.

In 2020 Sander Zwiep of NPO Radio 4 visited Hoekstra for his podcast Voor het orgel de Kerk in. In September 2020 Hoekstra was a guest in the NPO Radio 4 programm Maatwerk. In this programm he paid tribute to the organ of the Grote of Jacobijnerkerk.

Hoekstra died on 27 November 2022 from a serious illness at the age of 30. The NPO Radio 4 programm Maatwerk payed attention to his death, and played in tribute to him one of his recordings.

References

Category:Dutch organists
Category:1992 births
Category:2022 deaths
Category:Place of death missing