Ellen van der Sar (*1963) is self-employed in the cultural sector. Good instrumental and vocal church music were brought up on her at an early age. The Reformed harmonium made way for pipe organs in churches in Nagele, Deventer, Wageningen and The Hague. There she accompanied congregational singing. Her literature playing included many works by Bach.
The youth choir with its varied repertoire was succeeded by several chamber choirs. With the Residentie Kamerkoor from The Hague, she has performed almost 150 different Bach cantatas in the services at the Kloosterkerk since 1989. In 2017 she published ‘Als Bach weerklinkt’, an overview of 55 years of cantata services in The Hague.
From a young age she has enjoyed making lists and sharing the knowledge they contain with as many people as possible. In 2013 she published ‘Wegwijzer voor het Liedboek 2013‘, a publication and website of the same name with registers by, from and to the Dutch hymnal ‘Liedboek’ (2013). Together with Lydia Vroegindeweij, she subsequently developed the Kerkliedwiki, which makes it possible to share her knowledge of hymnological sources in a sustainable way.
Ellen is editorial secretary and magazine manager of Laetare, magazine for liturgy and church music.
Lydia Vroegindeweij (*1960) is an all-round publisher and has focused for many years on all possible forms of education through various media. Curiosity about people’s religious needs led her to study theology in 2001, combining her insights with her interest in music. In 2020, she received her doctorate from Utrecht University for a multidisciplinary study (theology and musicology) on the theme of ‘Consolation with Luther and Bach’. Her supervisor was Prof. Dr. Albert Clement. Her research into the comforting value of Luther’s songs from 1524/25, and their significance for Bach’s chorale cantatas from 1724/25, shed new light on the text and music of this second cycle of cantatas in Leipzig. She is now working on an extensive inventory of hymnological sources from the beginning of the 18th century and their relation to each of these 40 chorale cantatas.
Lydia is the initiator of the informative website on church songs in the Netherlands, Kerkliedwiki.nl and the educational project Orgelkids, which actively introduces children worldwide to the pipe organ.