Rik Elings composer / arranger

Rik Elings plays his first melodies on the piano at the age of 5 and forms his first band 'Crash' at the age of 12 (with the then 10-year-old drum talent Henk Zomer). In his teens he becomes pianist of the regionally known band Trademark and plays the organ of the pop band Early Grave on one-manual Thomas organ.

Rik now owns a ripping white Hammond L100 and founds the Undergroundgroup Strange Power with Henk Zomer. In 1971 a first instrumental single was recorded in the Soundpushstudio in Blaricum (Spring/Tenderfoot). With singer Bert Vrieling (Barry Freeman) Strange Power scores a modest hit ( Mary in the Morning/Future).

From the age of eighteen everything became more professional and in 1972 Rik and his Fusionband SCOPE recorded an LP for the worldwide label WEA/ATLANTIC. Rik has been studying for a year at the conservatory in Zwolle. The main subject is classical piano with flute as a minor, because classical was the only option in those days.

In that same year, however, the legendary Frans Elsen was appointed as a teacher of arrang/composing light music on a trial basis.

Rik can't turn his back on the lessons of French, in fact he does two full-fledged studies and quickly gains a taste for composing and arranging for larger ensembles.

Playing in his pop/fusion band SCOPE, combined with a solid-classical and adventurous-light music study make Rik a versatile and broadly applicable musician.

In SCOPE Rik now also plays bass guitar and with the experienced pianist Rob Franken in the ranks a second LP will be recorded (again in Studio Maschen / Hamburg) for WEA/ATLANTIC.

In 1977 Rik succeeds Henk Meutgeert as leader of the Kamper Bigband Last Moment. Partly due to Rik's deviant rock-oriented compositions, the prestigious TROS big band Competition was won for a second time. A performance with Toots Thiemans TROS Sesjun (29-12-79) follows.

Rik plays en passant as a bass guitarist on the 1st LP of Herman Brood (Showbizz Blues) and does his final exam piano classical (final grade 9).

In 1978, Rik left for the Antilles for 3 years to work as a piano teacher on Aruba. On this sunny island, he gained a lot of experience in Latin styles and plays in hotels with South American musicians.

In 1981 Rik returned to the Netherlands and was hired as a teacher at the newly founded Light Music departments of the conservatories in Zwolle, Utrecht, Arnhem and Hilversum (later Amsterdam).

Soon Rik arranges for the Metropole Orchestra, Rogier van Otterloo, Willem Ruis Lottoshow, Skymasters and various other broadcasting orchestras.

In 1990 Rik became pianist at the AVLM in Hilversum. For many years he accompanies weekly on Saturdays vocalists in all genres at this Academy for Light Music, founded by John de Mol Sr. He works together with the American singing teacher Frank Freeman, with whom he will later write 'Eternity'.

Since 1999 Rik has been working as an arranger for the modernised Orchestra of the Air Force (conducted by Jos Pommer). He arranges many titles for the national theatre shows, including Tommy, Queen, Beatles and in 2004 his own large-scale musical 'Eternity' (together with Frank Freeman).

The 21st century arrives, Rik continues to play, write and teach. In 2010 he gets an inspiration. With his wife Cuun van der Eerden, Rik takes a daring step by buying - almost unseen - the restaurant ship Thor, which is in a deplorable state.

Cuun and Rik see creative opportunities for the proud former sea tugboat, who lies so sadly impoverished in the middle of the Zwolle city canal. The battered ship will be towed away and in six months time energetically transformed into a beautiful intimate concert venue.

Cultural ship Thor is becoming more and more a household name in Zwolle, as is the 'Cultural entrepreneurial couple' Rik & Cuun. More than 500 daily YouTube videos from Cuun's phone, featuring the inimitable strapats of Rik as an 'Outdoor pianist' are picked up by the media, both regionally and nationwide.

Rik accompanies countless vocalists, singer-songwriters on his own Thor stage and regularly jams along with the most diverse artists.

In 2017 Rik writes a symphonic suite 'Thor Fantasy', by youth symphony orchestra De Vuurvogel, with Rik as piano soloist, performed twice during New Year's concerts in theatre De Spiegel.

In 2018 Rik will once again venture into new territory and write a story for young and old about the adventures of a musical foundling called 'Maximilian P. Presto'. Famous instrumental masterpieces are arranged by Rik 'from the bowl' and provided with original Dutch-language texts. Rik finds in actors Ewout Ganzevoort and Yornik Onstenk two ideal performers. The family performance 'Classical Music Panic' is received so enthusiastically in 2018 that it will be repeated in 2020 (on 2, 3, 4 and 5 January) on Cultuurschip Thor.