Mirella Klomp joins the Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Exchange Between Professional Groups

Klomp is enthusiastic about her new role and says she is “incredibly excited to work alongside the theologians at the PThU to also help train the conservatory’s organists to become skilled professionals in leading worship.” She is also looking forward to the opportunities for exchange and collaboration between two professional groups that, according to Klomp, can sometimes find themselves at odds when it comes to Sunday morning worship.

Klomp is regarded as an expert in this field. With more than twenty years of research at the intersection of liturgy and church music, as well as extensive experience teaching theology students the art of leading worship, she has built up an impressive track record in this area.

Church Music Is a Discipline in Its Own Right

“Organists are not automatically good church musicians: church music is a discipline in its own right, and it also requires liturgical expertise. Church musicians need to know about liturgy — how a service is structured, the history of liturgy, and how they can use their creativity in ways that contribute positively to the liturgical process.”

International Students

Klomp is also looking forward to meeting the international organ students. “With them, you also encounter a wide variety of liturgical practices. That ecumenical dimension makes it incredibly interesting.”