Andover Concert Series

Tim Kliphuis Trio

The Tim Kliphuis Trio is one of the world’s top string groups, combining jaw- dropping virtuosity and mesmerising improvisations with a beautifully varied repertoire sourced from classical, gypsy jazz and North-European folk music. Award-winning violinist Tim Kliphuis (Netherlands) and Scotsmen Nigel Clark (guitar) and Roy Percy (double bass) celebrate their 19th year of touring together in 2025.

The Trio’s new, 11-movement suite Pictures at an Exhibition takes Musorgsky’s 150-year-old masterpiece and brings it into our own age. The best-known movements are updated to reflect the bustle of everyday life, the plight of the animals and the eternal cheekiness of the Gnome. Four new pieces, written by Tim himself, bring some truly great works by Van Gogh, Hokusai, Klimt and Georgia O’Keeffe to life.

After the break, expect the gypsy jazz music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, who inspired Tim, Nigel and Roy to become improvising musicians; contemporary re-interpretations of Vivaldi and Bach’s masterpieces from their SONY Classical releases Reflecting the Seasons and Brandenburg, and some movements from The Five Elements which looks at our future on this planet.

The Trio’s stellar performances have brought them highlights such as the Richard Strauss Festival, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, Starlight Classics Cape Town and the Amsterdam Prinsengracht Concert, as well as collaborations with the Netherlands and Tallinn Chamber Orchestras and the Cape Town Philharmonic.

Tim Kliphuis Trio

The Tim Kliphuis Trio was founded in 2006, after the three met at a concert in Glasgow. Starting out with the gypsy jazz of Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, the musicians were inspired to include repertoire from classical and folk music on their first Scottish Highland tour, which gave them a new and personal sound.

The Trio’s first CD, Live in Glasgow, came out in 2007. Tours quickly intensified, taking in festivals such as Baltimore Fiddle Festival, Shetland Folk Festival, Edinburgh Jazz and Glasgow’s Celtic Connections. Outside the UK, tours and festivals were booked in Europe and South Africa.

Career highlights have been their DVD release Live at Iford Manor (2011), appearances for 10,000 listeners at the Amsterdam Canals Concert and Starlight Classics in Cape Town, as well as the King’s concert in the Netherlands, a royal State visit to Sweden and the Tchaikovsky Festival in Estonia.

Their ongoing collaboration with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra produced premieres of the Trio’s ground-breaking Reflecting the Seasons and Brandenburg, both recorded for Sony. The Trio won the Scottish Jazz Award and South African Woordfees trophy.

Tim Kliphuis

During his classical studies at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, Dutch violinist and composer Tim Kliphuis discovered his improvisational voice working with the fiery European guitar gypsies Fapy Lafertin, Angelo Debarre and Stochelo Rosenberg. Tim is widely regarded as the heir to French jazz master Stéphane Grappelli, because of the beauty in his tone and free-flowing improvisations.

Tim has shared the stage with legends Frankie Gavin, Richard Galliano, Roby Lakatos and Les Paul and has been lauded for his musical genius by Nigel Kennedy. Recent classical collaborations include Omsk Philharmonic (Russia), the Hague Philharmonic (Netherlands) and violinist Daniel Hope. Tim was presented the Polish Jazz Award in 2021.

As a composer, Kliphuis has written for the Trio, but also for orchestras, including his Violin Concerto (2018) and Triple Concerto (2021, commissioned by the prestigious Zaterdagmatinee). He has written two best-selling jazz violin books and his workshops have been featured at festivals, conservatoires and summer courses all over the world. Tim is a professor of string improvisation at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam and hosts the annual sell-out Gypsy Jazz violin camp in the Netherlands every August. He is a Pirastro and DPA artist.

Nigel Clark

Nigel Clark (guitar) is one of the world’s top acoustic guitarists. Born in Scotland, and residing in Dublin, he began his professional career at the age of 18 in London. In the late 1980s, Nigel joined the Glasgow band Hue & Cry. He recorded and toured with them in the UK, Europe and the USA, and contributed arrangements to the band’s top ten singles and albums. High profile collaborations followed with Moya Brennan (lead singer with Clannad) and soul superstar Gloria Gaynor, for BBC TV.His first recording as a leader, Worldwide Sound, included multi award-winning pianist Brian Kellock and Chick Corea’s saxophonist Tim Garland, reaching the top ten in the UK jazz charts. Nigel appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival at the invitation of guitarist Jan Akkerman, and featured in a guitar ensemble with him and Terje Rypdal. Since then, he has shared the stage with a host of jazz stars including Carla Bley, Steve Swallow and guitarist Philip Catherine.

A lasting musical connection was formed with legendary Scottish vocalist Carol Kidd, including many albums and extensive tours of the Far East. Nigel was a driving force behind the Scottish Guitar Quartet, worked with folk trio Koshka and the Nordic Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Maria Eklund, and has released a solo guitar album Under the Stars.

Roy Percy

Roy Percy (double bass) brings the driving rhythms of New Orleans to the Trio; his unique slap bass techniques are unrivalled in Europe. Roy has been a dynamic force in many bands since the 1980s, including the Classic Jazz Orchestra and Scotland’s leading gypsy jazz group.

He has collaborated with legendary American jazz artists Al Casey, Slim Gaillard and Marty Grosz, as well as top UK musicians Forrie Cairns, Alan Barnes and David Newton. Early visits to the Ascona Jazz Festival led to tours of Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Roy has also been a frequent transatlantic visitor, appearing at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, LA’s Sweet and Hot Festival and Canada’s Victoria Jazz Festival. Nearer home, at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, he has worked with many visiting international stars including Lillian Boutté, Fapy Lafertin, Duke Heitger and Evan Christopher.