Elske became enthusiastic about the organ at a very young age. She was challenged by the organ lessons her mother received and, moreover, the weekly church visit (NH-kerk Aalten, with the beautiful Blank organ) contributed to the growing love for the organ.


On her ninth birthday she received her first organ book and since then the organ has been indispensable. Elske received organ and improvisation lessons from Anne-Mieke Tijselink and later from Wim Ruessink. She was initiated in all facets of organ playing in a very motivating and inspiring way. She regularly went to organ concerts and at the age of 15 Elske became second organist in the Reformed Zonnebrink Church in Winterswijk. In this way she was able to immediately put everything she had learned into practice, which meant that she was well prepared for her entrance exam at the conservatory in Enschede a few years later.


In 1998 she started studying organ and church music with Gijs van Schoonhoven. In June 2002 she concluded her bachelor study with a concert on the Metzler organ in the Jacobskerk in Winterswijk. She completed the bachelors with praise and with conviction and she was admitted to the Messiaen academy (master). In the master-study she studied with Gijs van Schoonhoven and Cor Ardesch and immersed herself in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The exam concert in May 2004 took place on the Blank organ in Aalten. With this concert Elske played Bach's 'Great Organ Mass'. This exam was also unanimously praised. Another year later, the study of church music was also completed.


During her studies, a close collaboration arose with Sophie Epping (recorder) with whom she formed the duo Con Vivo and who gave many concerts and followed masterclasses, including from Jan Wilbers, Marjolijn van Roon, Marcel Lecqeux (Belgium) and Jaap van Zweden.


During her studies she also served as assistant organist in the Reformed Church in Aalten for a number of years and, after a number of years in Dinxperlo, she became cantor-organist in the Protestant church of Dinxperlo in 2003. Until 2011 she worked here as an organist. After a short break, she was asked in the spring of 2013 as substitute cantor-organist for the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem. After two years of substitute work, she was appointed on June 1, 2015 as the new cantor-organist of this church.


Elske can be heard with some regularity during solo concerts, but also in collaboration with choirs or other instrumentalists. In recent years, for example, she has frequently accompanied the Ensemble Vocal Pierre Villette, including in Schubert's mass in C and Mozart's Krönungsmesse (both orchestral parts) and Duruflé's requiem. She is also regularly asked by other choirs.

Since 2023 she forms a duo with her partner Johan van der Linden (saxophone). They call themselves Duo ‘Flor de Tilo’.





Elske te Lindert - City organist Doetinchem


D.A. Flentrop organ - Catharinakerk - Doetinchem


Organ works Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)


- Eight small Preludien und Fugen and various chorale arrangements -


1 Praeludium and Fugue in C major (BWV 553)

2 Praeludium and Fugue in D minor (BWV 554)

3 Schmücke dich, o liebe seele (BWV 654)

4 Praeludium and Fugue in F major (BWV 555)

5 Praeludium and Fugue in E minor (BWV 556)

6 Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (BWV 663)

7 Praeludium and Fugue in G major (BWV 557)

8 Praeludium and Fugue in G minor (BWV 558)

9 Wer nur den lieben Gott (1) (BWV 691)

10 Wer nur den lieben Gott (2) (BWV 690)

11 Wer nur den lieben Gott (3) (BWV

12 Praeludium and Fugue in A minor (BWV 559)

13 Praeludium and Fugue in B flat (BWV 560)


Recording: November 4, 2019

Recording and editing: Sjoerd Punter


It's here: a CD with organ works, performed on the beautiful and monumental Flentrop organ from 1952 in the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem.


Organist is our cantor-organist and city organist of Doetinchem, Elske te Lindert.


She alternately plays the beautiful 'Acht kleine Praeludien und Fugen' by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and various chorale arrangements, also by Bach.


Although Bach composed them for the service of the church, they are also straight concert pieces.


By the way, Johann Sebastian Bach's organ compositions are a world in themselves. His organ works show that he understood the art of uniting independent, melodic voices into a beautiful whole (the so-called 'counterpoint' = melody against melody, lit. note against note).


The playing of, for example, the chorale arrangement 'Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele' is beautiful. [We sing our supper song 'Soul, my soul, accept my splendour', Song 376, to the melody of this chorale.] Elske knows how to capture exactly the right atmosphere through her subdued, but also joyful playing (and beautiful registration!). In a word: gorgeous!


The eight little preludes and fugues, which are often played in church services because of their length, are beautiful, valuable gems and wonderful to listen to. The beautifully sounding 'eight little ones' have been an instructive 'stepping stone' to the 'adult' preludes and fugues for many an organist. That they are still worth listening to, is proven by this CD, on which Elske plays them with conviction and with great pleasure.


Incidentally, nowadays it is increasingly assumed that the 'Eight Little Preludes and Fugues' were not written by Bach, but by one of his pupils (Johann Tobias Krebs, 1690-1762?). 


When I listened to the Joyful Prelude (& Fugue in F), BWV 556, I knew for 

sure: I was listening to this timeless organ playing in the Catharina Church. Kudos to Sjoerd Punter, the sound engineer!


Theo J. Rougoor 

To order?


Mail to etelindert@icloud.com 


€ 15,-