Herman Bergink

Bergink, Herman

Herman Bergink. Carillonneur, organist, b Enschede, the Netherlands, 15 May 1924, d Victoria 6 Nov 1997; organ-and-choir-training diploma (Utrecht Cons) 1955. Herman Bergink studied organ with Adriaan Schuurman, piano and organ with Dick van Wilgenburg, and carillon with Leen 't Hart. In 1957 he emigrated to Canada, settling in Victoria where he was organist-choirmaster 1957-8 at Victoria West United Church, 1958-9 at First Baptist Church, and 1962-8 at the Church of St David-by-the-Sea, Cordova Bay; he resumed duties at the last-named church in 1977. Bergink was appointed British Columbia's provincial carillonneur in 1968, assigned to the Netherlands Centennial Carillon at Victoria, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. The carillon's bells were a gift from the province's Dutch community (see also Carillon). Bergink gave regular performances on the Victoria carillon, and appeared elsewhere as a guest performer, including a recital at the University of California at Riverside in 1979. In 1992 Herman Bergink was appointed to the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. He may be heard on The Sound of Victoria, a 1971 recording of his performances on the Netherlands Centennial Carillon, published by the Government of British Columbia. His pupils include Tobias Yenney and the US carillonneurs Randall Jay McCarty and John Barg. Bergink was a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.