TIJN BERENDS
TRAD MUSICIAN · CLIMATE SCIENTIST
B I O G R A P H Y
My name is Tijn Berends. I lead the exciting double life of a climate scientist slash musician. I play what's nowadays called "modern traditional folk music": instrumental tunes that are rooted in the traditional Irish dance music, but with some exciting new spices added to the sound. My instruments of choice are the harmonica and the Irish bouzouki (I'm one of the few people in the world who can play both of them at the same time - an ability I'm modestly proud of), but I've been known to dabble with the guitar, concertina, and several other instruments that have accumulated in my house. I also enjoy writing new tunes; in 2021 I published my first tunebook, "Hands Up Or I'll Play" (available in the webshop), which has now sold almost two hundred copies.
At the moment, I'm involved in three different bands and one theater ensemble. Itchy Fingers is a duo I formed over a decade ago (oof, that makes me sound old!) with accordionist Erik de Jong. The two of us play a mix of songs and instrumental tunes, aimed at ceili's and small listening audiences. Four of a Kind consists of uillean piper Michael Boere, bodhran player Suzanne Leeuw, and myself. Our music consists entirely of self-composed tunes with an energetic, clean-cut sound. Withershins is a four-piece formation that encompasses a broad range of folky sounds, experimenting with arrangements and compositions to create new expressions for old ideas - though we've also been known to sing a rowdy pub ballad from time to time. Lastly, Celtic Sparks is a combined music and dancing group that puts on a complete theatrical performance. With 9 musicians and 12 dancers, this is my biggest project by far.
When I'm not busy playing music, I work as a climate scientist at Utrecht University. My area of expertise is palaeoglaciology: the study of ice sheets in the (distant) past. I use computer models to simulate how ice sheets responded to past changes in climate, and use the results to try and say something useful about how they will behave in the near future. It's a fascinating job, and one that combines very well with a musician's life.
V I D E O
B A N D S
ITCHY FINGERS
Over a decade ago, when I still lived in the wonderful city of Groningen, multi-instrumentalist Erik de Jong and I teamed up to form this little pocket-sized band. We've done a lot of gigs together, ranging from tiny acoustic concerts to enormous festival stages. Our speciality is playing for dancers, both at Irish and Scottish ceilis and at balfolk dances.
So far, Itchy Fingers has released threealbums: the eponymous debut album "Itchy Fingers" (2014), "Scratching the Surface" (2017), and "Rash" (2023), which are available in the webshop.
FOUR OF A KIND
Four of a Kind combines the mean, mean pipes of Michael Boere and the rolling, rocking, roaring bodhrán of Suzanne Leeuw with the lonesome sniffle of my harmonica. Our music is what you'd call "modern traditional" - self-composed tunes that could still conceivably be played at a session, but which have been spiced up to add a little bit more zing and oomph. We were once described as "yet another one of those bands that just sits around all evening playing instrumentals as fast as they can", and we're proud of it too.
Our debut album "Hops & Stops" (2020) is available in the webshop.
WITHERSHINS
Withershins has managed to expand upon the foundation of Irish music, including sounds from all over the world, without losing the characteristic energetic drive of a good session. The combination of piano (Erwin Tuijl) and guitar (Philip Steenbergen) creates a lively, dynamic sound that really stands out, without drowning out the lovely melodies on the flute and voice of Annelies Berends, and on the concertina and harmonica of yours truly. While our repertoire encompasses everything from ankle-twisting Balkan rhythms to medieval Scots ballads, it's still firmly based in Irish music. There might even be room for a rowdy pub song...
Our debut album "Withershins" (2020) is available in the webshop.
CELTIC SPARKS
Celtic Sparks is an evening-filling theatre show of Irish music and dancing. I created this project together with dancing mistress extraordinaire Rosalie Wagenaar, founder of the Rose Irish Dance School, in late 2021. I wrote and arranged the music for the show, including many of the tunes from my little tunebook "Hands Up Or I'll Play" (which is available from the webshop)., while Rosalie... wrote? choreographed? directed? all of the dances, including such masterpieces as the Early-Morning Pyjama Polka.
The '23/'24 theatrical tour is currently underway, and the '24/'25 season is being booked as we speak.
C O N T A C T
For questions about bookings, music, climatology, or anything else, please contact me by e-mail at:
info@tijnberends.com