About our choir

Stijn Bruning (1992) began playing piano at age ten and studied with Wim Wijnen in Tiel. In 2010, he became pianist of the youth choir Chantiel, where his interest in choral music began.     From 2015, he was active with the Utrechts Studenten Koor en Orkest (USKO) as a singer, harpsichordist, organist, répétiteur, and double bassist, also conducting smaller projects. He attended the Kurt Thomas Course multiple times and completed the Modular Conductors’ Training in 2025. He currently studies orchestral conducting in Alphen aan den Rijn. Since 2022, he has been conductor of Chantiel.     He has worked as a pianist with various choirs and has sung with Ensemble Illustre since 2018. His focus is on medieval, Renaissance, and 20th-century music, especially Bach.

Jonathan Kooman is a talented organist and musician affiliated with the Protestant Church in Wageningen and St. Maartenskerk in Tiel. He studied organ with Bram Beekman and Henco de Berg, and piano with Frans van der Tak at the Brabants Conservatorium in Tilburg.    In addition to his work as a church musician, Kooman accompanies various choirs, such as the Tiels Vocal Ensemble and the Tiels Madrigal Choir, and organizes monthly organ concerts. He has performed solo in countries like Germany, France, and Austria, and regularly collaborates with other choirs, soloists, and ensembles, including the Sweelinck Ensemble.    For more information, visit his official website.