Ruud Huijbregts

Organist, harpsichordist and conductor Ruud Huijbregts studied organ, harpsichord and choral conducting at the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg.

He has been conductor/organist of the Catharinakerk in Eindhoven since 1991 and city organist of Eindhoven since 2011. In 2015, he was appointed principal study teacher of organ and theory subjects at the Fontys Academy of the Arts in Tilburg.

In addition to his work as organist and harpsichordist/continuo player, Ruud Huijbregts is also conductor of Collegium Vocale Eindhoven. From 1995 to 2019 he was conductor of student choir Vokollage. In addition, as artistic director, he is co-responsible for the programming of the concert series Music in the Cathrien in Eindhoven.

Ruud Huijbregts studied organ with Hub Houët and Bram Beekman and harpsichord with Gerard Dekker. He sees organ and harpsichord as perfect complements to each other, after all, in the 17th and 18th centuries people always played both keyboard instruments.

As an organist and harpsichordist, Ruud Huijbregts is involved with various styles. He has a great fondness for early Italian music by Frescobaldi and his contemporaries. Very inspiring was the study with Luigi F. Tagliavini in Italy and his acquaintance with historic Italian organs. Naturally, the music of Bach also occupies an important place on the organ and harpsichord and is regularly heard in organ concerts.

On harpsichord, Ruud Huijbregts played the complete Goldberg Variations several times. Because of the possibilities of the organ in the Stadskerk St.Cathrien, the symphonic repertoire is also regularly addressed in works by Mendelssohn, Franck, Reger, Widor, Vierne, Duruflé and Langlais. A special place is occupied by Olivier Messiaen, whose "La Nativité du Seigneur" and "L'Ascension," among others, are regularly performed.

In 2011, he was appointed City Organist of the Municipality of Eindhoven.

Already during his studies at the Brabants Conservatory Ruud Huijbregts founded the Eindhovens Vocal Ensemble, now called Collegium Vocale Eindhoven. With this ensemble he performed many choral works. In 1987 he also performed as final exam choral conducting a Bach program including Cantata 21. A milestone was the first performance in 1988 of Bach's St John Passion with EVE and baroque orchestra Florilegium Musicum. Many more great works by Bach were to follow: Hone Messe, Magnificat, Weihnachts-Oratorium and in 2001 the St. Matthew Passion. Lately, they have mostly collaborated with the baroque orchestra Babantsch Muzyk Collegie (since 2012 called Collegium Instrumentale Eindhoven) and the Catharina Consort.

Early music also occupies an important place with Ruud Huijbregts and the EVE. The Mariavespers of Claudio Monteverdi have already been performed several times and the soloist ensemble of the Brabantsch Muzyk Collegie made an integral CD recording of the works of Herman Hollanders, a composer who was organist of the Catharinakerk in Eindhoven from 1618 to 1623. Also performed in the series 'Music in the Cathrine' were many works by other early composers including the complete 'Das Jüngste Gericht' by Dietrich Buxtehude, the Musikalische Exequien by Schütz, and many works by Purcell, Blow, Gibbons and Charpentier, among others.

Very special was the series with masses by Joseph Haydn: between 1996 and 2008, respectively, all major masses were performed by the EVE under the direction of Ruud Huijbregts. Of course, other important choral works are also repertoire: the Requiem, several motets and the Krönungsmesse by Mozart were performed as well as works by Mendelssohn, Brahms (including Fest- und Gedenksprüche and motets) Rheinberger (Cantus Missae). From the modern era works were performed by Daan Manneke, Arvo Pärt (Johannes Passion and Miserere), Ton de Leeuw (Cinq Hymnes), Gorecky, Lauridson, Louis Toebosch (including premiere of Cantate Europeum), Gésa Frid, Howard Goodall (In memoriam Anne Franck and Missa Aedis Christi) and Rutter (Gloria).

From 1995 to 2019, Ruud Huijbregts was also conductor of the choir Vokollage of the Eindhoven Student Music Society Quadrivium. With this enthusiastic choir, consisting of students and ex-students of the TU/e and Fontys-hogeschool he performed very varied programs singing works by Purcell, Britten, Rutter, Shearing and P.D.Q.Bach (Liebeslieder-Polkas). During the 7th anniversary in 2004, a special work composed by Jos van den Dungen was performed. work "Keerkring" was performed under his direction, with the participation of chamber orchestra Ensuite and recorder ensemble Sambuca. In 2005, at Quadrivium's first sQratch conducted by Ruud Huijbregts, Vivaldi's Gloria and the Messa di Gloria by Puccini were performed. The latter work was also performed on the occasion of his farewell.

Remarkable in Ruud Huijbregts' approach is the sense of style, attention to the text and content and much emphasis on passion and experience. Partly because of the special programming, this often results in fascinating concerts.

Many cities in the Netherlands had a city organist in earlier centuries. The best-known example is undoubtedly Haarlem, where this tradition continued into our time. A gratifying development is that several cities have reintroduced this function again. Such is the case in Eindhoven, where Ruud Huijbregts was appointed city organist on June 11, 2011.

At the age of 16, Ruud received his first appointment as church organist at the H.H. Hartenkerk on Brucknerplein in Eindhoven. In 1980 he became organist of the Thomas Church in Eindhoven and in 1986 also conductor of the Thomas Choir. Here a wide repertoire of church music was performed, besides classical masses and motets also many new works by Bernard Huibers and Antoine Oomen.

In 1991, succeeding his teacher Hub Houët, he was appointed organist of the City Church St. Cathrien and in 1996 he also became conductor here. Since 1996 the church choir 'the Singers of St. Catherine' consists of different sections sections: the Schola Catharina (Gregorian chant), and the Capella Catharina (polyphonic music).

After the formation of the Binnenstadsparochie (Catharinakerk and Paterskerk) in 2006, he was also conductor of the Gregorian schola of the Paterskerk until 2010. Currently the Catharinakerk belongs to the Sint Joris parish, Eindhoven-zuid.

Listen below to some recordings of organ works played by me.

Organ Works - Music Now Foundation

In 2021, Ruud Huijbregts had been city organist of Eindhoven for 10 years and organist of the Catharinakerk in Eindhoven for 30 years. Composers Arjan van Baest, Mark Hendriks, Evert van Merode and Maurick Reuser were commissioned by Stichting Music Now Foundation composed new works for the organs in the St. Catharinakerk in Eindhoven, dedicated to the city organist. The organs and the church in which the organs are located were the source of inspiration for writing the new compositions.

Soprano: Rianne Wilbers

In the footsteps of Herman Hollanders

Complete works of Herman Hollanders (1595-1640/50)

soprano: Marjon Strijk, Caroline Spanjaard and Hilde van Ruymbeke, counter-tenor: Wilfred Reneman, tenor: Paul van den Bemt and Jan van Elsakker, bass: Bas Ramselaar and Michiel Meijer.

Brabants Muzyk Collegie

led by Ruud Huijbregts

Planctus Cygni - Gerard Beljon

Concert by Collegium Vocale Eindhoven, with world premiere of the commissioned composition Planctus Cygni - composer Gerard Beljon. Beforehand, the Gregorian version of Planctus Cygni will be sung by Rianne Wilbers.

With the participation of: Raphaela Danksagmueller, duduk; Rianne Wilbers, soprano; Sabra El Bahri Khatri, Arabic vocalist; Beate Loonstra, harp. The whole ensemble is conducted by Ruud Huijbregts.

As a conductor, organist, harpsichordist or continuo player, Ruud has collaborated on the following CDs

CD: "Brabant Baroque Music."

Vocal soloists:

soprano: Ellen van Ham, Caroline Spanjaard

countertenor: Sytse Buwalda

tenor: Paul van den Bemt, Jan van Elsacker

bass: Mario Veldpape

Eindhovens Vocal Ensemble

Brabants Muzyk Collegie

led by Ruud Huijbregts

CD: "In the footsteps of Herman Hollanders"

Complete works of Herman Hollanders

soprano: Marjon Strijk, Caroline Spanjaard and Hilde van Ruymbeke

counter-tenor: Wilfred Reneman

tenor: Paul van den Bemt and Jan van Elsakker

bass: Bas Ramselaar and Michiel Meijer

Brabants Muzyk Collegie

led by Ruud Huijbregts

Camille Saint-Saëns

Symphonie no. 3 (Organ Symphony) opus 78

The Brabant Orchestra
conducted by Marc Soustrot

Ruud Huijbregts, organ

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