Dick van Gasteren

Dick van Gasteren started his musical education as a cellist at the age of nine. He continued his study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Anner Bijlsma and finished his studies and took his certificate in 1988. As a cellist he gave many recitals, among others in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Already at the age of fourteen conducting got his attention. He followed his study orchestra conducting with the conductor Jan Stulen en took his certificate in 1990. In the summer of that same year, van Gasteren was Laureate with the famous Conductors-master class in Siena with Ferdinand Leitner. At this occasion he was selected to conduct the final concert for Italian television. One year later he was laureate again, this time with the Vienna master class.

After his study at the Royal Conservatory, van Gasteren received a special scholarship of the Dutch ministry of Culture to attend lessons with Bernard Haitink. Later he became his assistant, among others with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra during the great Amsterdam Mahler festival where he was allowed to conduct the Fern-orchestra. This production is a part of the great Mahler-television-documentary.

In the Netherlands van Gasteren conducted among others the Limburgs Symphony Orchestra and the Noord-Hollands Philharmonic Orchestra. In Germany he conducted many opera productions at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater. These productions received most positive critiques in the press. In the autumn of 2000 his interpretation of Stravinsky’s Firebird was so successful that he was asked back and within a few months he conducted there again. Ever since he is a very frequently seen guest. In following seasons van Gasteren had many invitations amongst others from the Nurnberger Symfoniker.

In November 2003 Dick van Gasteren performed, with the Viotta Orchestra, in two episodes of “Klokhuis” a Dutch television program for children, in which the profession of conductor was portrayed.

Last summer van Gasteren conducts the Viotta Orchestra in the Goldener Saal of the Musikverein. The orchestra got the first place with excellent success in the ‘Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival’.