Matthias Havinga was born in the Netherlands in 1983 and studied organ at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Jacques van Oortmerssen, acquiring his Master of Music degree summa cum laude in 2008. He also became a professional pianist and church musician after following an education at, respectively, the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Matthias was awarded several prizes at international organ competitions, including the first prize at the Kotka International Organ Competition 2009. He subsequently performed solo recitals at prestigious venues across Europe and recorded for numerous radio broadcasts. His CD's, ‘J.S.Bach – Italian Concertos’ and ‘Passacaglia’, issued under the Brilliant Classics label in 2011, were widely received with acclaim. Matthias is active as a soloist and continuo player in combination with various choirs and orchestras, among which was The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He frequently works with the Netherlands Radio Choir and performed at renowned venues and festivals like the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the International Organfestival Haarlem, the Cathédrale of Bourges (France) and the Gaudeamus Muziekweek. With recorder player Hester Groenleer he established a duo which creates challenging programmes for the combination of the two instruments. At present Matthias is appointed organist titulaire of the 1830 Bätz-organ at the Ronde Lutherse kerk in Amsterdam, and Director of Music at the Lutheran Augustanakerk in Amsterdam.