Rutger Mathys

The Belgian-Dutch jazz scene hails Rutger Mathys as one of today’s most promising talents. A master of the chromatic harmonica, Rutger graduated Cum Laude in 2024 from the jazz department of the Conservatory of Rotterdam. He has performed with legends such as Philip Catherine and Bert Joris, played at major festivals like the Gent-, Brussels-, and North Sea Jazz Festivals, and won several prestigious awards, including the Toots Thielemans Challenge in 2022 and the Dinant Jazz Contest in 2023. In 2024, he was selected as one of the "Twintigers" by the Belgian radio station Klara, where his music is frequently featured. Internationally renowned conductor Dirk Brossé, with whom Rutger has also collaborated, describes him as "the jazz voice of his generation."

Following tours in Vietnam, Italy, and Germany, Rutger crossed the Atlantic in December 2024 to perform with jazz legend Kenny Werner in New York. In February 2025, he toured Brazil with his Duo Gaitar, performing in iconic venues, including the world’s most renowned choro clubs.

Rutger Mathys is a masterful musician crafting evocative landscapes, both within the borders of music as beyond. But most importantly: across them!

Awards

MUDA Jazz Laureate (2018)

Friends of Codarts Conservatory Stipendium (2022)

Toots Thielemans Challenge (2022)

Dinant Jazz Contest (2023)

Klara De Twintigers (2024)

Prima La Musica zkt Jong Talent (2024)

Gear

Rutger plays the Suzuki F-48C harmonica.

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