Niek KleinJan (Almelo, 1988) is an internationally renowned percussionist, based in Rotterdam. He performs in venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and De Doelen in Rotterdam and can be heard and seen on many different radio and TV stations, including Radio 4 and Stingray Brava. In 2013 he obtained his Master's degree cum laude  at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle, in a year in which he also studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold with, among others, Peter Prommel, Sven Pollkötter and Fumito Nunoya. Niek can regularly be seen as a substitute for top orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, Niek has performed all over the world on stages in, for example, Russia, China, the United States and South America. Niek  was a finalist in the Dutch Classical Talent Award 2013, organized by the Royal Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. With The Percussion Canon Niek tries to put percussion on the map by creating cool video clips of the most challenging compositions for solo percussion. He is also a teacher and conductor and the artistic leader of the Rotterdam percussion collective Havelok.