Bernardus Johannes Berkhout, born on April 18, 1961, in Santpoort, the Netherlands, is a family physician and jazz clarinetist. He studied medicine at Leiden University and has been working as a family physician in Dordrecht since 2002.  In addition to his medical career, Berkhout has built an impressive musical career. In the 1980s, he was discovered by pianist Pim Jacobs, who introduced him as a soloist with the Metropole Orchestra under the direction of Rogier van Otterloo, alongside clarinetist Eddie Daniels. He subsequently founded the successful quintet “The Swingmates” with vibraphonist Frits Landesbergen.

In 2008, he founded “Doctor Bernard and His Swing Orchestra,” a big band that focuses on swing music from the 1930s and 1940s, inspired by greats such as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. With this orchestra, he performed both at home and abroad and released the album “Let’s Dance” in 2011.