Thies Roorda studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Paul Verhey and in the United States with the renowned Geoffrey Gilbert. He is emeritus flautist of the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and a prolific player of chamber music in various kinds and styles.

He recorded CD’s for several labels, among others: ‘Flute Music from the Harlequin Years’, and the complete works for Flute by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, both for the NAXOS label. (A full list of recordings can be found on his website: www.thiesroorda.nl)

Several Dutch composers dedicated works to him, a/o.: Maarten Bon, Joep Straesser, Konrad Boehmer and most recently, Martijn Padding. But foreign composers wrote for him as well, amongst whom Isang Yun and Jean Françaix. With the latter, he recorded the Divertimento for flute and piano, accompanied on the piano by the composer in person (BRILLIANT).

As a teacher, he is especially known for the way he teaches the expressive qualities of the flute sound in all its aspects. His successful approach that allows his students to find their own ‘voice’ on the flute, resulted in a much sought after course on - as he likes to call it - the ‘Blow How’ of the flute. A course which acknowledges the role of the breathing apparatus in all motoric functions of the human body and approaches breath control in an integrated way.

He taught master classes in Holland, and internationally in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Russia (St. Petersburg), Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.