FAIS, born in Rotterdam, is a singer and songwriter who felt embraced by music from a young age. From Stevie Wonder to Alicia Keys, his heroes inspired him to pursue his dreams. After a chance encounter with the Grammy-winning Afrojack, he broke through with hits such as “Hey”, “Used To Have It All” and solo debut single “Know You Better” that together account for almost half a billion streams and more than a quarter of a million views. He recently composed the soundtrack for the Hollywood film When It Rains in LA, which earned him international recognition, including an IndieFEST Award and a Rome International Movie Award. FAIS is currently working on his debut album and is preparing for a worldwide tour, with shows in the US and Japan, among others.

FAIS is looking forward to working with Matthijs van der Wilt: “Matthijs really challenges the organ and is unparalleled in improvisation. I’m looking forward to breathing a different kind of life into my pop music together with Matthijs and the organ.”

Matthijs van der Wilt has a broad musical interest, from classical music to light and experimental music. He studied organ with Bas de Vroome at the Codarts Conservatory of Rotterdam. He studied improvisation and church organ playing with Hayo Boerema and Aart Bergwerff, electronic composition with René Uijlenhoet. Matthijs is currently an organist at the Paradijskerk in Rotterdam and is studying for a master’s degree in ‘Screen Scoring’ with Paul M. van Brugge at Codarts. In addition to his work as an organist, he writes compositions in various genres, works on radio plays and composes music for films.

Laurenskerk Invites

This concert is part of the series Laurenskerk Invites. In this series we ask contemporary Rotterdam artists or ensembles to come and get acquainted with the organ in the Laurenskerk.