Willem van Otterloo

Jan Willem van Otterloo (27 December 1907 – 27 July 1978) was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.

Biography

Van Otterloo was born in Winterswijk, Gelderland, in the Netherlands, the son of William Frederik van Otterloo, a railway inspector, and his wife Anna Catharina van Otterloo (née Enderlé). He qualified to study medicine at Utrecht University but switched to studying cello and composition at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. While playing as a cellist in the Utrecht Stedelijk Orkest, he won a composition prize from the Concertgebouw Orchestra for his Suite No. 3, which he presented in his 1932 conducting debut, also with that orchestra. He held posts with the Utrecht Stedelijk Orkest, before being appointed chief conductor of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague (1949–1973).

He spent his last 11 years in Australia. From 1967 to 1970 he was chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and in 1971 he was appointed chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Rogier van Otterloo

Willem Rogier van Otterloo (11 December 1941 - 29 January 1988) was a Dutch composer and conductor.

Biography

Van Otterloo was the eldest son of the conductor Willem van Otterloo. He composed several soundtracks for Dutch films and in 1980 became conductor of the Metropole Orkest for jazz music in Amsterdam. He conducted five songs in Eurovision Song Contests: "Amsterdam" (1980), "Het is een wonder" (1981), "Jij en ik" (1982), "Ik hou van jou" (1984) and "Rechtop in de wind" (1987). He has also composed jazz music.

Discography

Filmography

Metropole Orkest

The Metropole Orkest (or Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz big band and symphony orchestra. Comprising 52 musicians, it is versatile across many musical forms, and is equipped with a "double rhythm section“ - one for pop and rock, and one for jazz based music.

History

The Metropole Orkest was founded in 1945 by Dolf van der Linden at the urging of officials from Netherlands Public Broadcasting, which manages and subsidizes the orchestra. Since then, the Metropole has become a symbol of Dutch culture around the world. The name of the group was suggested by one of the musicians. Dolf van der Linden led the ensemble for 35 years until he stepped down in 1980. He was replaced by Rogier van Otterloo, who led the group until his sudden death in 1988. Dick Bakker held the baton until 2005 when Vince Mendoza took over. He gave the orchestra a more international character. Since August 2013 Jules Buckley took over the position of chief conductor from Vince Mendoza.