The Choir
About us
Christian Choir Jigdaljahu
We are the Christian Choir Jigdaljahu, a diverse group of enthusiastic singers with a passion for singing. We want to use this passion in the highest possible musical way to touch each other and our audience with the rich content of our music. We perform a broad music repertoire under the guidance of skilled musicians.
Our name ‘Jigdaljahu’ is based on the Hebrew word יגדליהו (pronounced Yigdal-Yahu) – it is a compound word that can be literally translated as ‘May God be glorified’ or ‘God will be glorified’. It is often used as an expression of praise and worship towards God in Jewish tradition.
Become a friend and receive
exclusive benefits
Become a friend and support Jigdaljahu’s mission to reach as many people as possible with a sung message of hope, comfort, and encouragement. Friends, of course, receive exclusive extras.
Faces of Jigdaljahu
“our” musicians
Conductor
Arjan Wouters
Since April 2024, Arjan is the conductor of Jigdaljahu. As a passionate conductor, he gives leadership to the choir and the musical direction and lets song and music merge together in a beautiful hymn of praise to the Lord. Arjan has as his mission to use his musical talent for the glory of God. His vision is that through song and music together we can worship God and can reach more people with the Gospel.
From a young age Arjan experimented with music. He received organ lessons from Leen Schippers, Frank Segers and Aart Bergwerff. From 2014 to 2019 he studied Music Teaching at the Codarts in Rotterdam. He took piano lessons with Walter Bertram and followed in the meantime coaching from Jan Willem van Delft in Hilversum. Since 2016 Arjan has been the conductor and co-founder of Mannenensemble Espressione (Men’s Expression Ensemble).
Alongside his musical activities Arjan works part-time as a supervisor in a residential group and with daytime activities at the intensive care cluster at Siloah in Bodegraven.
Organist
Sander van den Houten
Mark, together with Sander, is one of the inspiring musical leaders of Jigdaljahu.
At the age of eight he began his musical journey with piano and organ studies with Paul Kieviet. Sander completed his bachelors study in organ study at the Rotterdam conservatory with Bas de Vroome. In 2013 he graduated with a masters degree in the organ from ArTEZ conservatory in Zwolle under Theo Jellema. Then he followed a study in church music and did private lessons on choral conducting with Wiecher Mandemaker.
In October 2023 Sander passed his masters degree with flying colours with Christiaan de Winter and Tommy van Doorn at the Beiaardschool in Amersfoort. As a conductor he has led various choirs and oratorio societies and he is the permanent accompanist of, among others, Capella Campen, the Kampens Boys Choir and the Roder Boys Choir.
Sander gives annually many concerts as a soloist, accompanist and continuo player and he also has a private teaching practice.
Organist
Mark Brandwijk
Mark, together with Sander, is one of the inspiring musical leaders of Jigdaljahu.
At the age of six Mark had his first organ lesson with Jaap den Besten. Then he studied with Everhard Zwart (organ) and Mrijam Ijsseldijk (Piano). Mark alsotook piano lessons with Jan-Willem van Delft, Bert van der Brink and Willem Brons. In 2019 he did a training in choral conducting at the Multi Year Conductor Training Course in Utrecht. Mark is also the conductor of various choirs.
Mark has had lots of experience in recent years as a composer and arranger. Mark has had lots of experience in recent years as a composer and arranger. He is often in demand as a choir director for concerts and recordings. Together with organist Reinier Korver, he has formed the ‘Duo Virtuoso’.
Pianist and composer
Lennart Moree
As an exceptionally talented musician, Lennart uses his gifts and talents for Jigdaljahu. He has been actively involved in music since he was six years old. His passion for playing the piano and composing is tangible in his beautiful performances.
Lennart’s musical journey started with lessons from the renowned musician Andre Keijzer. He subsequently further developed his skills under the guidance of Mila Baslawskaja, Bernard Winsemius and Jan Bonefaas, among others. Lennart’s dedication to his craft was evident from his participation in several competitions at a young age. He won several (major) prizes.
In addition to his impressive performances on stage, Lennart also has a successful academic background. He studied piano at the Rotterdam Conservatory with Stephane De May and graduated with distinction from his Bachelor of Music in 2010. The final proof of his excellence came on 12 October 2012 when he completed his Master of Music with the score of 10.
Lennart is not only a delicate pianist with a unique sense of nuance, but he is also a fantastic composer. He understands that every piece of Jigdaljahu’s music can be original. With his compositions, Lennart constantly challenges choir members and musicians to get the best out of themselves. His musical interpretations convey a profound sense of beauty to the listener.
Mission and vision
Why Jigdaljahu?
For a quarter of a century Jigdaljahu has been singing spiritual and revival songs, psalms, spirituals and classical works out of a desire to honour God. Based on our mission and vision, the singers and volunteers in Jigdaljahu commit themselves regularly and selflessly in an atmosphere of friendship.
Mission
Our mission as a Christian choir arises from the principal tenet of our faith, namely: to love God above all else and our neighbours as ourselves. Our mission is to use our musical talents for the honour and glory of the Eternal. Anyone who agrees with Psalm 84’s ‘How I burn with desire to come to Your Sanctuary’ is not purely singing out their own desire for God, but is encouraging their own soul to seek this higher desire that belonged to the psalmist. Only this ‘stronger’ desire can provide a counterbalance to secularisation . Our mission is to continue to testify through song that there is a God who ‘out of the abundance of His Majesty will supply every need of yours’ (Philippians 4:19).
Vision
As a choir association, we want to connect through our singing, promote a sense of community and build each other and our listeners up in the faith through our singing. Singing out of longing for God, a God whom we do not naturally seek but who first seeks connection with us. It is our vision that we as an amateur choir can and must strive for the highest in a field of quality music within our music genre. We want to touch people during our concerts through the beauty of the human voice, the musical talents and inspiration of the composers, conductor and accompanists, and through the harmony between spoken word and music woven together by the theme of our concert repertoire. We have the ambition to keep the quality permanently high through training and coaching and motivated choir members.
Christian Choir Jigdaljahu is a non-profit organisation founded in 1999. Arjan Wouters has been the conductor of the choir since 2024. Willem Arie den Hertog, Jeroen Bal and Bert Noteboom preceded him as conductor.
