Jelte worked as a performing musician for 35 years, 32 of which he spent as the bass clarinetist of the reed quintet Calefax, experiencing many wonderful adventures with the ensemble.
He has also had a deep fascination for the organ since childhood. Alongside his
conservatory studies in clarinet and bass clarinet, he studied organ as an additional subject. A hand injury made Calefax’s concert schedule too demanding, creating space for a new path.
The desire to combine his two great passions – the organ and
craftsmanship – led Jelte to Flentrop Orgelbouw. At Flentrop, he is learning the craft of tuning and voicing, and he is also very drawn to the restoration and maintenance of organs as well as to pipe making.
Jelte enjoys working with his hands. As a child, he preferred taking his clarinet apart rather than practicing it for long. In his free time, he renovates and restores his home: a listed Zaans monument dating from around 1730.
