Louis van Dijk, also spelled Louis van Dyke (27 November 1941 – 12 April 2020), was a beloved Dutch pianist. Born as Arnold Ludwig van Dijk in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, he studied solo piano at the Amsterdam Conservatorium. Louis van Dijk became well-known for his improvisational talent in the classical genre. He played with Pim Jacobs and

Pieter van Vollenhoven Pieter van Vollenhoven Jr. (born April 30, 1939) is the husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and a member, by marriage, of the Dutch Royal House. Early life and career Van Vollenhoven was born in Schiedam, he is the second son of ...

under the name ''Gevleugelde Vrienden'' ("Winged Friends"). In September 2005, he played at a charity concert at the

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls in ...

to raise funds for

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

after the city was hit by Hurricane Katrina. For his accomplishments as a musician, he was awarded the honorary title of Knight of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

. He died in Laren, aged 78.

References

External links

http://www.louisvandijk.nl
* Dutch jazz pianists 1941 births 2020 deaths Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Musicians from Amsterdam Dutch classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists {{Netherlands-musician-stub