Jan Willem de Vriend

Jan Willem de Vriend is the principal conductor of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and an artistic partner of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. He frequently conducts orchestras such as the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Numerous recordings with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Residentie Orkest showcase his diverse work. In 1982, De Vriend founded the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, which specialises in historically informed performance practice. As the ensemble’s concertmaster, he performed repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Bach. He has also conducted opera productions in Switzerland, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lucerne, and Schwetzingen. In the Netherlands, De Vriend is well known to a broad audience through his appearances on television and radio programmes. In 2012, he received an award from Dutch radio station NPO Radio 4 for outstanding creative contributions to classical music.