Piper in the Dutch Pipes and Drums, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
What kind of pipes and chanter do you play?
I play a 2009 set of Peter Henderson PH5. I use the Henderson blackwood chanter for solo performances. I also play an A/D combo set of smallpipes from Richard Evans.
Where do you hail from? Where do you live now?
I’m originally from Friesland, the Netherlands, and I now live in Drenthe, close to Assen, which is well known for its Dutch TT race track.
Tell us about your piping career. When did you start? What bands have you played with?
I’ve been playing other musical instruments since my 6th. I started playing the practice chanter in the end of 2002, I was 32 then, got my first set of pipes in July 2003. I have always been with the Dutch Pipes and Drums from Tilburg, the Netherlands, which is a regular guest on international tattoos and once in a while I’m a guest player in the Seaforth Highlanders of Holland.
What has been your proudest moment in piping so far?
The Netherlands Military Tattoo in 2005, our first big international tattoo that started it all. Massed pipes and drums were the Canadian Scottish, RAF Halton, Aberdeen University OTC and us.
What has been your most stressful moment?
A double ramp ceremony during my deployment in Afghanistan. I escorted two coffins that morning, one of them was for one of my own team comrades.
Who were you taught by?
Willie MacVean, a former P/S of Royal Scots DG, and his assistants, in the Dutch Pipes and Drums.
What do you do as a day job?
I serve in the Royal Netherlands Army as a WO2 of the Supply and Transport Regiment.
What other hobbies/pursuits/past times do you have?
I play smallpipes, guitars, keyboards and accordeon and I ride a motorcycle. And I study cultural sciences at the Dutch Open University.
Where is the most interesting place your piping travels have taken you?
Definitely Malta. We played at the Malta Military Tattoo a few years ago and we were lucky that there was time to explore Valletta, a very interesting place regarding the history of the Knights of Malta.
What would your most perfect piping event be?
I can’t choose between playing with a group at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace or Balmoral, or a performance on stage in a nice theatre, with our band’s ‘Steam Train Section’, playing tunes like ‘Steam train to Mallaig’, ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’, and ‘The gael’ in the version of RSDG’s ‘Parallel Tracks’ album.
