Duo Gaitar - Rutger Mathys and Marijn van der Linden

The duo Gaitar consists of Belgian Rutger Mathys and Marijn van der Linden (from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Through the Duo Gaitar, they combine their shared passion for chanson, jazz, and Brazilian music. This takes the two young musicians on an exciting journey that leads their audience through landscapes of colorful sounds, cheerful melodies, and deafening silence.

Rutger Mathys studied chromatic harmonica at the Rotterdam Conservatory, where he played jazz, tango, and Latin American music. Marijn van der Linden completed his studies as a jazz guitarist in 2005. He shares a love of Brazilian music with Rutger. This led him to take up the cavaquinho and the acoustic seven-string guitar. A seven-string guitar has all the warm qualities of a classical guitar, but thanks to the extra string, it also has plenty of power and groove, just as Brazilian music demands.

In the duo Gaitar, they experiment with Latin and tango music, but also incorporate Rutgers’ musical roots, which lie in the worlds of jazz, chanson, and cabaret. The harmonica is a gateway to fresh, unexplored sounds within these genres.

• The concert takes place in the run-up to the HARMONICA FEN FESTIVAL May 29–31, 2026, Berlin