Kaat & Tijhuis Orgelmakers

Jobs

Photoshoot Company: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcn2VOe_y_4

Kaat & Tijhuis Organ Builders is formed by a strong team of passionate professionals. We have the right mix of experience and young, willingness to learn. In organbuilding years of experience is required forthisa complex instrument. In addition, we train people to be able to contribute in the future to the maintenance of the organ culture.

We invite you to become acquainted with our people:

Menno Kaat (1961) | Director/Owner since 1993

Menno began in 1978 as an apprentice builder. He was educated by his father Marinus Kaat and Levinus Tijhuis, who continued the Fonteijn company in 1979 together under their own name.
Menno has a wealth of experience in domestic and abroad, including in America, Canada, China and Australia. Next to his creativity he can solve complicated technical problems.
Menno has overall charge of the company. His interest goes mainly to the creation of an organ as team performance. Menno gives people space and confidence to their individual tasks and their responsibilities within the team to fill. Control is good, trust is better. Having fun at work is an important motive.


Henk Heideveld (1956) | Organbuilder and manager, employed since 2008

Henk has worked since 1975 by some wellknown organ builders. He has extensive experience in various organs in the netherlands - and abroad. His specialty is construction of new and restoration of the mechanical organ. Henk has extensive experience in historical organs of Arp Schnitger, Witte, van Dam and van Oeckelen. Since 1990 he is involved in the design and technical construction of the instruments. In his current role Henk provides design, drawings, quotes, planning and technical coordination. The daily management of our company is in good hands with Henk. With his broad expertise and personality, he is a good support for all members of the team. Besides the organ, Henk has tasks in the church and local politics.




Harrie Zwanepol (1966) | Organbuilder, employed since 1993.

Harry is already involved since his fifteenth within the company. He likes the work of making organcases, consoles and mechanics. Since 2003 he also makes drawings, as evidenced by the organs in Apeldoorn and IJsselmuiden. For Harry the best is nearly good enough. From case to console Harrie is a perfectionist to the core

Gerjan Bastiaan (1983) | Organbuilder, employed since 1999

Already at the age of 13 Gerjan came after school to the company for hand-and-span services. From his 16th he is permanently employed by the company and he has completed his training as a specialized carpenter.
Gerjan likes the work making windchetst and organcases.

Alwin Looman (1986) | Organbuilder, employed since 2006.

Alwin did during his education  two internships at our company. After finishing his education he was offered a permanent contract. With his boundless energy Alwin makes fast progress, but he keeps the required quality in sight.
He prefers making bellows and casework. Alwin loves making a joke in the workplace. In his spare time he is involved in a multitude of sports.

André Bolhuis Organbuilder, employed since 2010.

Andre is our newest joiner.
After a break of three years, where he worked in making custom cabinets and beds, he reunited with his old love: organbuilding.
Andre is very passionate to deliver a perfect product. His preference is making consoles, from drawing to the smallest parts. He works with great affinity to detail and history.
In addition, he likes to have an oversight of a project to create the right conditions: layout of the environment and managing stocks.
Passion for the job, a good dose of patience, some  'Grunniger' sobriety have ensured that he was quickly accepted as a valued colleague of the team.

Henk van der Luyt (1946) | Draftsmen, designer, painter en allround artist.

Bob Thijs (1950) | Voicer/pipemaker,employed since 1999.

Bob began his career in 1966 as an apprentice organ builder at Fa. Fonteijn and Gaal. From 1968 he was assistant voicer and also built mechanisms.
In 1973 he joined Karl Schuke in West Berlin as a voicer . Here he got his training in making organpipes. He did the voicing of 50 organs in West Berlin including the organ in the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche. He was involved in the renovation and revoicing of numerous organs in Germany and abroad, including restoration to the pipes for the Jacobi Kirche in Lübeck and the Moritzkirche in Coburg.
Bob is responsible for all the work done for organpipes.
He will, in all humility and with his boundless energy done his utmost to let the pipes "speak" in the correct way.
Bob is organist at the Lutheran Church in Kampen.

Sander van den Houten (1987) | Voicer/assistant intonator, employed since 2008.

Oeds Brandsma (1965) | Accountant en assistant organbuilder, employed since 2005.

This unique combination ensures that he is the troubleshooter within the company. He can be used anywhere, is involved in the bids, has always a good mood and is responsible for the money. He is a binding factor in our team.
Oeds has deep respect and admiration for the builders of the organ.
Making a beautiful instrument needs cooperation, a collection of specialized knowledge and skills in the fields of history, art, music and craft. There are particularly high demands on the skills of builders, both individually, as well as within the team. Since the arrival of Henk Heideveld he can concentrate more on his support tasks. Trust is good, control is better. Unfortunately for him, but we find him more and more back at his desk, and less on organbuilding.