Jac van Steen

Jac van Steen was born in The Netherlands and studied orchestra and choir conducting at the Brabant Conservatory of Music.

Since participating in the BBC Conductors Seminar in 1985, he enjoys a very busy career and conducts the best orchestras in Europe, which included holding the posts of Music Director and Chief Conductor of the National Ballet of The Netherlands, the orchestras of Bochum, Nürenberg, the Staatskapelle Weimar, The Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra of Dortmund, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Principal Guest conductor at the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. At present he is Principal Guest conductor of the Ulster Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Jac van Steen has built up a large opera repertoire during his long association with the opera houses of Weimar and Dortmund where he served as chief conductor. In 2013, he made his debut with Opera North Leeds. In 2015 and 2016, he conducted again at Opera North (Vida Breve+Gianni Schicci and Suor Angelica + Il Tabarro) and made his debut at Garsington Opera (Strauss, Intermezzo) and in the following years a new productions of Pelleas and Melisande and Smetana's Verkaufte Braut. Due to the great success of the latter production, it was repeated again in 2023. He also works at the Volksoper in Vienna ((January 2017- Korngold, Das Wunder der Heliane and October 2017 - Verdi, Masnadieri and in the previous seasons with Boris Godounov and Forza del Destino. In 2018-19, he made his debut at Oslo Opera with two new productions of Puccini's Gianni Schicci, Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica. At the Nationale Reisopera in the Netherlands, he recently opened the 2023-24 season with Korngold's opera 'Das Wunder der Heliane,' orchestrated by himself.

Besides his activities as conductor, he is dedicated to teaching and is Professor for Conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague. He also regularly works with the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham School of Music (Manchester) as well as the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music (London). In May-June 2018 he lead the Jette Parker Young Artists showcase as organised by the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London.