Arjen Anthony Lucassen

Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960, Hilversum) is a composer and musician from the Netherlands and is most widely known for his albums released under the name Ayreon. Lucassen plays a wide variety of instruments, chiefly guitars and synthesizers, but also less commonly others such as the flute and mellotron. He claims that the greatest instrument is the Hammond organ. He also occasionally uses his voice in his music. Although Lucassen cann... more

Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960, Hilversum) is a composer and musician from the Netherlands and is most widely known for his albums released under the name Ayreon. Lucassen plays a wide variety of instruments, chiefly guitars and synthesizers, but also less commonly others such as the flute and mellotron. He claims that the greatest instrument is the Hammond organ. He also occasionally uses his voice in his music. Although Lucassen cannot read or write sheet music, he is a proficient musician and adept in technical aspects. He has a penchant for directing talent, characterized by the successful Ayreon albums, in almost all of which he pools together many separate vocalists and musicians who record their performances individually. This makes arranging live performances very difficult, and thus Lucassen is rarely seen in a live performance, although it has happened (such as during his Star One and Stream of Passion tours). Lucassen is known for answering e-mails from his fans... less