The Dutch choral conductor and pianist, Bas van den Heuvel, studied piano at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnhem. He attended several master-classes in piano and Lied interpretation. Since 1986 he has accompanied various choirs, singing groups and both instrumental and vocal soloists. He completed his piano studies in 1991 and has been working as a piano teacher, accompanist and choir director ever since. In 2001 he graduated from Hogeschool Gorinchem with Joop Schets for the Practical Diploma in Choral Conducting and in 2007 for the Final Diploma in Choral Conducting. He also attended various choral and orchestral conducting courses. Between 1999 and now he has gained a lot of experience in conducting theater choirs, chamber choirs, ensembles and oratorio societies.
From April 2020 Bas van den Heuvel is conductor of Toonkunst Arnhem, Bachkoor Apeldoorn and since 2007 of C.O.V. IJsselstein. Besides the well-known works for oratorio choir, he also performed compositions by lesser-known contemporary composers such as Steve Dobrogosz, Petris Vasks, Ola Gjeilo and Eric Whitacre. He has collaborated with esteemed orchestras such as the Randstedelijk Begeleidingsorkest Sinfonia, Het Promenade Orkest, Il Concerto Barocco, Florilegium Musicum Rotterdam, Parnassus Ensemble and Nationaal Symfonisch Kamerorkest (NASKA).
As a répétiteur, Bas van den Heuvel was previously associated with Bachkoor Apeldoorn (from 1996 to 2001) and contributed as pianist in Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms in the performance for two pianos and in collaboration with Het Gelders Orkest in Saint Nicolas Cantata by Benjamin Britten, Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky, Carmina Burana by Orff, Canticum Simeonis by Helmut Barbe (celesta) and Requiem by Lloyd Webber's (synthesizer).
Bas van den Heuvel owes a great debt of gratitude to his teacher Joop Schets, whom he may succeed as conductor of Toonkunst Arnhem and Bachkoor Apeldoorn. He looks back with pleasure on a fantastic time with choirs he previously conducted: Oratoriumkoor De Lier, Toonkunst Amersfoort and Vocaal Ensemble Lochem.
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