Jules van Hessen is a famously versatile and conceptually creative Dutch conductor whose repertoire, consequently, is extensive and diverse. Through his concerts, he communicates the power and beauty of music to as broad an audience as possible, using his impressive presentation skills, a wealth of creative ideas and a great sense of humor.
Van Hessen earned his academic credentials from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he studied with, amongst others Edward Downes, Lionel Friend, Peter Eötvös, Karl Oesterreicher and Gennadi Rozhdjestvensky. Since then, he has been awarded the Silver Flower at the San Remo International Competition, the Second Prize & Orchestra Prize at the Malko Competition in Copenhagen and the Laureate Prize for the Igor Stravinsky Conducting Competition in Austria. He was elected to conduct the final Gala Concert at the Dutch (NOS) International Conductors Course and has been the first Dutch conductor ever to be invited to the People’s Republic of China to lead their major orchestras.
Furthermore, he has worked in Italy, France, Denmark, Belgium, the U.K., Germany, Austria, the U.S.A., China, the Middle East and Mexico, Brazil, and Thailand, conducting alongside artists such as Frank Peter Zimmerman, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Jaap van Zweden, Pepe Romero, Nelson Freire, Behzod Abduraimov, Peter Donohoe, Lynne Dawson, and Irene Theorin. He has conducted most Dutch orchestras, including The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic and the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Van Hessen’s repertoire covers much of classical music history, from early classics to contemporary music. His critically acclaimed recordings include the complete works of Danish composer Bent Sörensen. Van Hessen equally excels at light music and has worked with artists such as Toots Tielemans, Caro Emerald, Johnny Logan, Alain Clark and Alessandro Safina.
Passionate about the classical works of all periods, he has made it his mission to share and reveal the beauty of classical music to as many people as possible. To help achieve this, he has created the concert formula “Maestro Jules Reveals”, conducting and explaining in his unique, knowledgeable, and entertaining way the genesis and structure of the orchestral masterpieces on the programme. The series is now performed in many concert halls (Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg Utrecht, Musis Sacrum in Arnhem, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven) by various Dutch and German orchestras. The success of his concept Maestro Jules Reveals has led to three prime-time broadcasts with the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra on Dutch Public Television (AVROTROS).
He is also the founder of his own orchestra “Maestro Jules Orchestra”, which was the first commercial or non-subsidized orchestra in the Netherlands, specialized in customizing its programmes to its clients’ wishes.
Van Hessen is an expert on, and an ambassador for Jewish music: he was both conductor of the PBS production "Cantors, a Faith in Song" and "The New York Cantors", which were recorded in the beautiful 17th-century Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam and broadcast nationwide in the United States of America.
As well as a conductor, Jules van Hessen is a talented media personality and an inspiring lecturer. He has formulated numerous innovative and entertaining lecture series for businesses, including "The conductor as manager, The manager as conductor". He has been a long-time host on Dutch Public Classical Radio (NTR). Recently, he was knighted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in the “Order of Orange-Nassau” for his achievements as Ambassador of Classical Music.
