Heiko Dijker is an Amsterdam based tablaplayer/composer/producer whose playing is marked by enthousiasm and energy, depth of knowledge and rhythmic poetry. He tours around the world in wonderful collaborations with musicians of all varieties of musical styles. 

The press:

Times of India:

‘Heiko Dijker is a global ambassador of classical Indian music’

The Hindu:

‘Heiko Dijker is a Tabla player whose fingers can do a magic and who plays on the marks of Enthusiasm and Energy’

‘The music made its way into everyone's soul’

Trouw:

‘It’s amazing how Heiko Dijker plays tabla; as if his hands make them speak.’

Radio Zes:

‘...Breathtakingly beautiful......’

‘.....the classical Indian improvised music blends perfectly with the composed Western classical.....’

Rolling Stone magazine:

‘Also outstanding was Heiko Dijker on tabla; he clearly has mastery over the tabla and is well steeped in Hindustani classical music traditions.’

 

Heiko Dijker left Holland at a young age to find true soulfulness in music and life. Hitch-hiking around the world on his own, Heiko was drawn into classical Indian music and the beauty of India. 

After years of traditional training with Shri Bhaswaraj Bhendigeri in India, living in a small clay hut and doing saintly practice in the Himalaya, he continued to learn with grandmaster Faiyaz Khan in the Guru-Shisya (Master-Disciple) system. For over 10 years, he was totally absorbed in his Sadhana, practicing and listening only classical Indian acoustic music. 

Heiko has joined his traditional skills with composing & music-production, and has created several albums. Heiko has recorded artists like Shankar Mahadevan, Meeta Pandit, Saskia Laroo and Ravichandra Kulur for his productions.

Holding a Masters-degree in classical Tabla of the Rotterdam Conservatory, Heiko has been working with great Indian classical and not so classical musicians and dancers, as well as with fusions of traditional and innovative music and dance. Just to name a few: 

Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Birju Maharaj(legendary Kathak dancer), Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, Bahauddin Dagar, Meeta Pandit, Lavinia Meijer, Scapino Ballet, composer Jacob ter Veldhuis, Matangi Quartet, Ustad Sabir Khan, Amine and Hamza M'raihi(Tunesian Oud and Kanoun), Melissa Etheridge, Kailash Ensemble, Purbayan Chatterjee, Praful, Het Nieuw Ensemble, Lenneke van Staalen, Sharat Srivastava, Taal Vadya(South-Indian master-percussionists), Shinske Ishihara(Marimba virtuoso),Igor Bezget and many more. 

Next to enjoying his performances, he has been an accompanist of great masters like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pandit Buddhadhitya Mukherjee at the Rotterdam Conservatory, is a teacher at the SKVR music school in Rotterdam, and has given lecture-demonstrations/workshops for Conservatories and institutes all over the world.

Some of the major halls and festivals Heiko has played at:

 

Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam

De Doelen, Rotterdam

Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam

Barbican Centre, London

Festival Medina, Tunesia

Eurojazz Festival, Mexico City

Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

NCPA, Mumbai

International World Music Festival, Kolkata

Beishan Festival, China

Sfinks Festival, Belgium

Festival Mundial, Tilburg

Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam

Festival Limousine, Limoge, France

 

Heiko has received support for tours and projects from the Netherlands Performing Arts Fund,  the ICCR (Indian Council for International Relations), and a variety of fundings for his studies and masterclasses.