Amsterdam based tablaplayer whose playing is marked by enthousiasm and energy, depth of knowledge and rhythmic poetry! Call for any Indian event, with music and/or dance, from Sitar or Flute to collaborations with classical string quartet or African music, or Electronic set with DJ. Times of India: ‘Heiko Dijker is a global ambassador of classical Indian music’ The Hindu: ‘Heiko Dijker is a Tabla player whose fingers can do a magic’ ‘The music made its way into everyone's soul’ Trouw: ‘It’s amazing how Heiko Dijker plays tabla: as if his hands make them speak.’ Radio Zes: ‘...Breathtakingly beautiful......’ Heiko Dijker left Holland at a young age to find true soulfulness in music and life. Hitch-hiking around the world on his own, Heiko was drawn into classical Indian music and the beauty of India. After years of traditional training with Shri Bhaswaraj Bhendigeri in India, living in a small clay hut and doing saintly practice in the Himalaya, he continued to learn with grandmaster Faiyaz Khan in the Guru-Shisya (Master-Disciple) system. For over 10 years, he was totally absorbed in his Sadhana (severe studies), practicing and listening only classical Indian acoustic music. Heiko has joined his traditional skills with composing & music- production, and has created several albums. Heiko has recorded artists like Shankar Mahadevan, Meeta Pandit, Saskia Laroo and Ravichandra Kulur for his productions. Holding a Masters-degree in classical Tabla of the Rotterdam Conservatory, Heiko has been working with great Indian classical and not so classical musicians and dancers, as well as with fusions of traditional and innovative music and dance. Just to name a few: Shankar Mahadevan, Matangi Quartet, Pandit Birju Maharaj(legendary Kathak dancer), Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Bahauddin Dagar, Meeta Pandit, Scapino Ballet, composer Jacob ter Veldhuis, Amine and Hamza M'raihi(Tunesian Oud and Kanoun), Melissa Etheridge, Kailash Ensemble, Sandhya Sanjana (Indian vocal), Praful, Het Nieuw Ensemble, Lenneke van Staalen, Sharat Srivastava, Taal Vadya(South-Indian master- percussionists), Shinske Ishihara(Marimba virtuoso), and many more. Next to enjoying his performances, he has been an accompanist of great masters like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pandit Buddhadhitya Mukherjee at the Rotterdam Conservatory, is a teacher at the SKVR music school in Rotterdam, and has given lecture-demonstrations/ workshops for Conservatories and institutes all over the world.