Duo ‘Flor de Tilo’
Elske te Lindert (organ and soprano) and Johan van der Linden (saxophone) met through music and immediately felt a strong connection. From the very beginning, making music and teaching together came naturally. The couple is deeply happy in their relationship and feels a strong need to share this sense of harmony with their audience through music. Whenever they perform together, something unique happens in the music and among the listeners. Together, they bring the world into bloom. This is the inspiration behind their name: both their names are linked to the linden tree, which is in full bloom. ‘Flor de Tilo’ means ‘Linden Blossom.’

Elske te Lindert
Elske te Lindert (1980, conductor, soprano, and organist) studied organ with Gijs van Schoonhoven and Cor Ardesch and voice with Maarten Koningsberger. She also studied choral conducting in Maastricht with Ludo Claesen.
As an organist, she is active as a soloist and accompanist, making several recordings for the Netherlands Bach Society on their website allofbach.com. She is cantor-organist at the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem and was appointed city organist of Doetinchem in 2018. Her first organ CD, featuring Bach’s music on the Flentrop organ in the Catharinakerk, was released in 2021.
As a soprano, she has an extensive concert career, taking masterclasses with Margreet Honig and Paul Triepels and lessons with Johannette Zomer. She has performed as a soloist with major orchestras such as Het Orkest van het Oosten, the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra, and Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland. She is a member of the ensemble ‘Il Canto di Rame,’ with whom she recorded a CD in 2016. She has also worked for Consensus Vocalis and the Dutch Touring Opera.
Together with her husband, Johan van der Linden, she forms the duo ‘Flor de Tilo,’ performing as an organist, pianist, and singer, depending on the repertoire. She has been a conductor for 25 years and currently leads the Deventer Vocal Ensemble, Chamber Choir Decamerone, the Monteverdi Chamber Choir Utrecht, and the Catharinacantorij. In 2022, she graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in choral conducting at the Maastricht Conservatory.
www.elsketelindert.nl

Johan van der Linden
Johan van der Linden (1961) graduated in 1983 in Saxophone Performance from the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam under Ed Boogaard. He attended masterclasses with Iwan Roth, Daniel Deffayet, Frederick Hemke, and François Daneels. In 1982, he co-founded the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, which became one of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles. The quartet recorded nine CDs and toured extensively in countries such as Ireland, Germany, Canada, Indonesia, the United States, and Japan. In 2013, after 31 fruitful years, Johan left the quartet. From 1982 to 1990, he was a saxophonist in the Royal Military Band in The Hague.
Johan has been a principal teacher at various conservatories and continues to give masterclasses nationally and internationally. He is a core member of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and frequently freelances with major orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, The Hague Philharmonic, and Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Johan is also a composer and arranger, with many of his works published by Molenaar Edition, Donemus, Tierolff Music Center, and G.M.F.
He has a duo (Lind’n Kelder) with pianist Henry Kelder, focusing on contemporary music written for the duo.
Together with his wife, Elske te Lindert, he forms the duo ‘Flor de Tilo.’
Johan is an original member of Splendor, a space where artists and audiences inspire one another.
He is an endorser for Silverstein, LeFreque, and D’Addario.
www.johanvanderlinden.com