Hans Leenders studied percussion at Rotterdam Conservatoire, where he graduated as a performing musician in 1995. He also studied orchestral conducting with, among others, Jorma Panula. In the same year, he received a permanent appointment as percussionist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, where he later also became assistant conductor to Valery Gergiev. Since 1997, he has been teaching at Codarts, Rotterdam's conservatoire.

In 1998, Hans became a finalist in the prestigious international Kirill Kondrashin conducting competition, after which he conducted almost all Dutch professional orchestras. His debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra followed in 2004. A special moment was in 2008, when he conducted the National Liberation Concert with the students of the Codarts Symphony Orchestra, in the presence of Queen Beatrix.

After winning the ‘international conducting competition Cadaqués’, an International career also followed. These included conducting the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and the famous orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. One of his great passions is creating and performing musical theatre. In doing so, he conveys the beauty of (classical) music to young audiences in an accessible and creative way.

Programme:

- M. Mussorgsky Night on Bald mountain (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov) (1886)

- B. Bartók Concerto for Orchestra Sz. 116 (1943)

Length: 55 min.