Luuk Lenders

musical whizz from the netherlands
dutch & celtic folk music as never seen before!

musical whizz from the Netherlands

Dutch & Celtic folk music as never seen before!






Nico van Ganzewinkel
Jeroen Rood
Nico van Ganzewinkel

What happens when you mix deep-rooted traditional music with the boundary-pushing energy of a musical jack-of-all-trades? You get Luuk Lenders: a Dutch multi-instrumentalist virtuoso who turns the stage into a captivating, high-energy world of Dutch and Celtic folk music. By playing three or four instruments simultaneously, Luuk creates a spectacular, never-before-seen stage presence and a surprisingly rich soundscape. He effortlessly weaves together accordion, whistles, pan flutes, ocarinas, shruti box, spoons, hand bells, foot percussion and even pingpongballs into a seamless performance.

Growing up in Limburg, a southern region of the Netherlands steeped in vibrant musical traditions, Luuk spent years touring with various folk bands across Europe before launching his solo journey. His lifelong love for folk music was sparked by icons like The Dubliners and The Chieftains, deeply inspired by the legendary playing of Ciarán Bourke, Paddy Moloney, and Matt Molloy.

During his first trip to West-Ireland in his early twenties, Luuk simply pulled out his tin whistle and joined a local folk band on stage in Lisdoonvarna. He turned heads immediately and was invited by the hotel to return next summer, to perform there all summer long! Not bad for a Dutchman!

Today, Luuk’s extraordinary talent has earned him the respect of international folk greats. He has opened for The Dubliners and the Tommy Sands Trio, shared the stage with The Dublin Legends, and featured folk giants like Seán Cannon (The Dubliners), Kevin Conneff (The Chieftains), and Kevin Burke (The Bothy Band) on his acclaimed albums 'Het Groene Woud' (The Green Forest) and 'De Eilandroute' (The Island Route).

This latest album, 'De Eilandroute', is a deeply passionate project tracking a musical voyage across Dutch, German, Scandinavian, Scottish, Irish, and English islands. Luuk’s remarkable talent as a visual artist shines through here as well, in the stunning, hand-drawn artwork he created for the album.

Luuk masterfully guides his audience from a spellbinding, intimate slow air to high-energy tunes that get everyone laughing, singing and dancing in the aisles. His humorous anecdotes about the music, the instruments, and just life itself make the entire experience complete!

Deeply authentic, uniquely creative, and visually jaw-dropping, Luuk Lenders is the ultimate addition to any folk festival, theater, or folk club lineup across the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe!


Click here to book Luuk Lenders or get in touch for festival and venue availability.



Scootshoot
Kenm
Roeleke
Sebastiaan Denzel
Roy Thuyns
Iris Schram
Lisanne Koopmans

For photos in BIG format: CLICK on the photo!

The photos on this page are free to download and use. Please do include the photographer's name. Thank you!





Videos & Reviews

Dawning of the Day / 2025
piano accordion, tin whistle, foot percussion (TV Omroep Venlo)


aankondiging / Meulebèèk / As de Sterre dao Baove Straole / 2025
low whistle, piano accordion, audience


Baloo Baleerie / O when the Saints / Lord of the Dance / 2025
tin whistle, piano accordion, table bells


International Island Medley: Wieringen (Netherlands) / St. Kilda Wedding Dance (Scotland) / Leitir Móir Polka (Ireland) / 2026
whistle, piano accordion, shruti box, foot percussion
(regional TV: Omroep Flevoland)

Folk Club 'Rocking Good Folk'

What an experience. Sometimes serious, sometimes hilarious, sometimes moving, sometimes serene beauty or down-to-earth humor, sometimes soaring and sometimes with his feet firmly on the ground. A captivating program from start to finish. The place went wild! Luuk Lenders ... the man is a musical experience! - organisation Rocking Good Folk, Winsum

Theatre de Garage, Venlo

Thanks again so much for the super concert! This is quality for an entire band. Luuk left a crushing impression with a well-deserved standing ovation. Bravo. 5 STARS. - Puck, programmer Theater de Garage and Bel-Arte

...Luuk Lenders creates musical magic with flutes, ping-pong balls, and toy pigs... - De Limburger (regional newspaper)

Pocket Theater 't Pakhuis

Luuk's show at 't Pakhuis was a breath of fresh air. Musical brilliance, individuality, humor. The audience was greatly entertained for two full hours. Highly recommended. - Frank, programmer 't Pakhuis, Vianen

Open-air theater, Nispen

With all kinds of flutes, an accordion, and other small instruments, he managed to surprise and amaze the visitors as a multi-instrumentalist. Playing on two flutes simultaneously, unique melodies, whether self-written or not, the audience watched and listened captivated. - Roosendaalse Bode (regional newspaper)

Amphitheater Het Lommerrijk

Luuk Lenders Concert A SUPER SUCCESS! A full house enjoyed the surprising, humorous musical performance by this contemporary troubadour. Music with accordion, flutes from all over the world, and fun toys. Pure enjoyment! - Amphitheater Het Lommerrijk, Luttenberg


Theater Fazant

With a comical mix ranging from campfire ballads to fiery polkas, solo artist Luuk Lenders, with his twenty or so instruments, captivated the packed Theater de Fazant this afternoon - Het Deventer Nieuws (city news outlet)

Theater Pepijn

I saw a really skilled musician with humor who made an audience laugh out loud seven times. Very nice! - Mariette van Solingen, Theater Pepijn, The Hague

Scagon Theater

Musical jack-of-all-trades Luuk Lenders creates an unforgettable experience for his audience with concert ’Het Groene Woud’! - Schager Dagblad (city newspaper)

Willibrordus Church

Truly, very beautifully played. I have also never laughed so much during a concert. You have exceeded all our expectations! - organization concert series Willibrordus Church, Deurne

Last Sunday, with Luuk Lenders' performance, the church was packed... - Weekblad voor Deurne (city newspaper)

...truly a musical gem from Dutch soil... - BredaVandaag (city newspaper)

Kapel De Locht, Melderslo

A concert by Lenders cannot be called an average folk music concert. His unique creativity, humor, and versatility amaze the audience, and there is much laughter and participation. - Nieuwsblad Peel en Maas Venray (regional newspaper)

Walkart Church, Zeist

...a full church thoroughly enjoyed the musical artistry of Luuk Lenders. He made many people very happy!... - Walkart Church organisation

...impressive, humorous, quirky and virtuosic... - Nieuwsblad De Kaap (regional newspaper)

Zalm Podium, Millingen a/d Rijn

You were with us for the last time a few years ago. Even then, the reactions were extraordinary. Today you have surpassed that again! It's so nice how involved the audience get. We enjoyed it immensely and it was amazing! - Gerard and Ineke, Zalmpodium organisers


Folk Medley: Drunken Sailor / My Bonnie / Dutch Sheep Lullaby / Drunken Sailor
Theater Fazant, Deventer / 2026

piano accordion


Famous Dutch folk song: Land van Maas en Waal / Willibrordus Church, Deurne / 2024
piano accordion, table bells, foot percussion


Irish Rover / Theater Fazant, Deventer / 2025
piano accordion, ping pong ball, kazoo, foot percussion


--- FULL CONCERT RECORDING ---
LUUK LIVE at a sold-out chapel ZALMKERKJE in MILLINGEN AAN DE RIJN

Including announcements & audience interaction

(in Dutch)


Luuk / Open-air concert Summer at the Fort / 2020
photo: Fototeam KenM

Luuk with two whistles / Open-air concert at Fort Jutphaas, Nieuwegein / 2025
foto: Jan Donders

Luuk with audience / Open-air concert at Fort Jutphaas, Nieuwegein / 2025
photo: Jan Donders


Luuk and ping pong / 2025
photo: Roy Thuyns





Audience Reviews!

What a wonderful atmosphere you create with your words, your drawings, but above all with your music! 🎵 Truly a musical jack-of-all-trades!🍀😃 - Annette, audience

I really enjoyed your performance. Beautiful accordion and flute rhythms with virtuoso improvisation. Definitely worth repeating...!! 😃 - Hans, audience

We watched and listened with admiration to a special performance! What a gift to play multiple instruments at the same time, and with each having its own melody too! A feast for the eyes and ears! - Sylvia, audience

Thank you for a magnificently beautiful Sunday afternoon! - Mariëtte, audience

Always fun with Luuk ! A top artist !!! - Max, audience

It was a great performance by Luuk, full of surprises, beautiful melodies, and witticisms, à la Luuk. What amazing variety. What talent. - Rikie, audience

We enjoyed this immensely, what a top performance this was! 👏 - Leonie, audience

What a talented, special, and driven man! All by himself, with countless instruments (some of which I had never even heard!), he managed to captivate the audience present from the first to the last second. Luuk is a special bird that is on the red list, one that the Netherlands must cherish. Thank you, Luuk, it was amazing!🙏❤️ - audience reaction Gé Pijpers, music and bird lover

This was an incredibly good concert. What a star he is. And truly a musical jack-of-all-trades. I enjoyed it, laughed, and sang along; what a party this was on a Sunday afternoon. - Corrie, audience





Press about Albums




De Eilandroute, 2026

...It is incredible, but Luuk Lenders plays no fewer than fifty instruments here: a selection from the range of flutes, keyboards, drums, small percussion, not to mention what he can achieve with his voice. All this results in a particularly cheerful collection that you can keep listening to. Everything was mixed and mastered by the master himself, together with Silvia Vermeulen at Studio Moskou in Utrecht. In short, a fine double album full of Irish and Dutch gems... - Folk Magazine, Belgium

Het Groene Woud, 2023

Cheerful, dreamy, imaginative and playful. Luuk's flute playing in particular is particularly well cared for. Several guest musicians contributed to Het Groene Woud. And not the least! Luuk Lenders' own worldly compositions forge it into one whole. That can certainly be called impressive. - New Folk Sounds Magazine

From a young age, The Dubliners were a source of inspiration for Lenders. The Irish musical instruments, including the tin whistles and low whistles, can therefore be heard frequently in Het Groene Woud. Nature is audibly present, yet virtually no use has been made of natural sounds. The approximately 50 instruments are almost all played by Luuk himself. Natural sounds and effects are also created using, for example, a whistling kettle, a drainpipe, or a putty knife. - Radio program Concertzender

See full discography here







Would you like to book Luuk for your theatre, festival, or stage?
Click here for contact details.