Gijs Idema (23) started playing the guitar when he was eleven. At first he chose for the music of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, but with a slight stop at classical music he arrived at beautiful world of jazz. After hearing guitarists like Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Jim Hall, Gijs was convinced that he wanted to be a jazz guitarist.

A few years later Gijs finished his bachelor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, after studying with Jesse van Ruller and Reinier Baas, with the highest honors possible. He then moved to New York to pursue his masters at the Manhattan School of Music where he got the chance to study with Jim McNeely, Ron Carter, Dave Liebman and Arturo O’Farill.

Nowadays Gijs spends most of his time working with his trio and exploring the collaboration with singer Anna Serierse. With who he will release the highly anticipated album ‘’MOTUS’’. In the past there was also the album ‘’SQUARES’’ by the Gijs Idema Trio. Apart from these recordings Gijs won the Prinses Christina Jazz Concours (2014), Leidse Jazz Award (2016), Expression of Art Award (2017) and the Keep an Eye Records (2019) as well as receiving financial support from the Prins Bernhard CultuurFonds, VandenEnde Foundation and VSB Fonds for his projects.