The Grote Kerk has three organs. The oldest organ currently in use is the Kam organ. This organ was produced by the Rotterdam organ builder, Willem Hendrik Kam and placed in the existing organ cases from an earlier organ.
The organ was inaugurated in 1859. The organists who have been employed by the Grote Kerk since then are mentioned here.
Gijsbert Isaäk de Vries
Gijsbert Isaäk de Vries was born in Nijmegen in 1822. He died in 1905 in Dordrecht.
He was appointed organist of the Grote Kerk in 1854. He was the initiator of the rebuilding of the main organ. Gijsbert Isaäk de Vries held the position for 51 years.
Johan Adriaan (Jan) de Vries
Gijsbert Isaäk de Vries was succeeded after his death by his son, Johan Adriaan (born in Dordrecht in 1859). He died in 1932 in Dordrecht.
In 1906 he was appointed organist of the Grote Kerk and the Augustijnenkerk. He held these positions until his death, 26 years later.
Cornelis Pieter (Cor) Visser
Cor Visser was born in Zwijndrecht in 1900. He died in 1987.
He was organist of the Grote Kerk from 1933 to 1975. Between 1953 and 1966 he was also a city carilloneur in Dordrecht.
Visser also enjoyed great fame as a music pedagogue and he was connected with Toonkunst Muziekschool (Dordrecht), among others.
Arie J. Keijzer
Arie J. Keijzer, born in Nieuwe Tonge in 1932, succeeded Cor Visser in 1976. Arie J. Keijzer remained the permanent organist of the Grote Kerk until 1998.
Besides being organist of the Grote Kerk, he was also principal study teacher at the Rotterdam Conservatory and organist of the Doelen Theater (Rotterdam).
Cor Ardesch
Born in Den Ham in 1959, Cor Ardesch succeeded Arie J. Keijzer in 1998. He has worked hard to create an organ suitable for repertoire from the 17th and 18th century. The organ, built by Verschueren, was inaugurated on 26 September 2007. On that occasion, Ardesch was appointed city organist.
