As of 1 January 2018, Frank van Berkel is the new programmer at the BIMHUIS, the famous jazz club in Amsterdam. He will follow in the footsteps of former programmer / artistic director Huub van Riel, who retired recently. 'I am a great admirer of Huub. I want to build on his work and continue to offer new generations of top musicians a stage.'
The BIMHUIS is familiar territory for the new programmer. In the 80s and 90s he was regularly seen on stage, with band like the Nine Tobs, the Schismatics, Sumbur and his own Berkelband. 'The BIMHUIS started at the initiative of musicians', says Frank. 'It is important that musicians and audiences feel at home here.'
From 2006 until 2017 Frank has been programming for Jazz International Rotterdam, mainly in the Doelen and LantarenVenster. He coached young talented musicians and was the financial leader of the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. He also programmed for Lux Nijmegen. Frank will remain involved with the Jazz International Rotterdam festival.
