Van Brel tot Bennet

Thomas Oliemans celebrates triumphs all over the world in operas and concerts, from the Metropolitan Opera New York, Teatro Real in Madrid and from Tokyo to Theater Carré in Amsterdam and in repertoire that ranges from classical opera to jazz, Dutch cabaret and French chansons.

Now he is spreading his musical wings with two powerhouses behind him on two grand pianos! Grandmasters Cor Bakker and Bert van den Brink have both accompanied almost everyone who matters and has mattered over the past decades. Both nationally and internationally.

Together, on two grand pianos, they can create a musical world that can sound like a full symphony orchestra for one song and have the intimacy of a small jazz combo for the next! Music by Michel Legrand, Barbara, Gershwin and Cole Porter and titles such as ‘La Chanson des Vieux Amants’, ‘Windmills of your mind’ but also ‘De trein naar het Noorden’ or ‘Als je overmorgen oud bent’ will pass in review.

Thomas Oliemans
The Dutch baritone Thomas Oliemans is one of the leading singers of his generation and has performed at, among others, the Metropolitan Opera New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Staatsoper Berlin, De Nationale Opera Amsterdam and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jaap van Zweden. In addition, he is a much sought-after lieder singer, including at Wigmore Hall, New York, Tokyo and Paris. Oliemans also accompanies himself on the piano, including in Schubert’s Winterreise, and created the chanson programme Formidable! with Amsterdam Sinfonietta. He was also curator of the Delft Chamber Music Festival and a jury member at the Internationaal Vocalisten Concours ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Cor Bakker
Cor Bakker is one of the Netherlands’ best-known pianists and musical accompanists in light music and the entertainment world. He graduated cum laude from the conservatory in 1984 and continued his studies in Los Angeles with composer and pianist Clare Fischer. Afterwards, he was a principal subject teacher at the Utrechts Conservatorium and for eleven years the regular pianist of the Metropole Orkest. He became known to the general public through radio and television programmes, including as an accompanist for Paul de Leeuw, and later with his own programmes such as Cor & Co and Cor op Reis. On stage, Bakker moves effortlessly between light classical, evergreens, chansons, jazz, cabaret and Dutch-language repertoire.

Bert van den Brink
Bert van den Brink was born on 24 July 1958 and received his first piano lessons at the age of five. He studied classical piano at the Utrechts Conservatorium, where he graduated cum laude in 1982 and became a teacher of light music piano that same year. In addition to his classical foundation, he developed as an autodidact in improvisation on piano and organ. His work later shifted more and more towards improvised music. In 2007, he received the VPRO/Boy Edgarprijs. Van den Brink is active as a pianist, organist, accordionist, arranger and producer, and has worked with musicians such as Gino Vannelli, Richard Bona, Toots Thielemans, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Miranda van Kralingen.