Raymond Janssen – conductor (The Netherlands)
Dutch conductor and pianist Raymond Janssen is initiator and founder of Cadenza European Art Productions. Cadenza European Art Productions seeks to establish cooperation between East European musicians and performance venues in West European countries, based on the belief that Eastern Europe harbours enormous musical potential, born from a rich tradition. Partly because of the isolation of these countries, this cultural heritage has been able to survive and maintain its originality. Through Cadenza, Raymond Janssen wants to present this tradition, passed down through the ages, to West European countries. Cadenza’s highest priority is quality, and it hires top symphony orchestras and vocalists, bringing them to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy.
During the tours of 2007-2011, he performed with the 140 musicians of the Banatul Timisoara State Philharmonic in the major concert halls of the Netherlands and Belgium, such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Doelen in Rotterdam, the Mecc in Maastricht, the Koningin Elisabethzaal in Antwerp and the Luxembourg concert hall. In addition, in 2011, he took part in the ‘Queen Experience’ at the Gelredome in Arnhem, attracting an audience of 33,000 people. In November 2011, this was followed by a tour playing the original movie soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore, including two performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Filharmonie in Haarlem and the Vereeniging music theatre in Nijmegen.
In 2009, Raymond Janssen initiated the New Romanian Chamber Orchestra and Choir, a new orchestra consisting exclusively of young gifted musicians. Each year, the New Romanian Chamber Orchestra and Choir gives more than 18 Christmas concerts at Dutch historic locations and, every two years, it performs the Matthaüs Passion by J.S. Bach, also at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Raymond Janssen studied piano and song accompaniment with Professor Ulla Graf at the Musikhochschule Köln and interpretation of the French song repertoire at the Conservatoire Nationale in Paris, where he also continued his piano studies, with John Blot.
In Düsseldorf, he studied choral and orchestral conducting with Professor Wolfgang Trommer. Master classes with, amongst others, Bruno Leonard Gelber, Ralf Gothoni, Sarah Walker and Kurt Moll completed his education. He started his artistic career at the Stadttheater Aachen under Professor Klaus Schultz and was musical leader of the Kleine Opera en Opera Comique in the Netherlands. As a conductor, concert pianist and accompanist, Raymond Janssen is a welcome guest at European festivals and concerts. As accompanist of Eliana Cotrubas, Gail Gilmore, Eugene Holmes and Janice Baird, he performed on many major stages around the world, e.g., at the Schleswig Holstein Festival, Ljubliana Music Festival, in Reykjavik and at the Teatro Filharmonico in Verona. He accompanied Gail Gilmore at, amongst others, the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus (Brazil), followed by concerts in Rio de Janeiro.
In Germany, he performed as a guest in, for instance, the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt, the Meistersingerhalle in Nürnberg, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Kaisersaal in Würzburg, as well as in München and Hannover. He played in many concerts for the Hessische Rundfunk, Westdeutsche Rundfunk and Südwestrundfunk. In the Netherlands, he was a guest at the AVRO, playing, e.g., the Schumann sonata in g minor. He made a documentary for Romanian television about the 2008 concert tour with the Banatul Timisoara State Philharmonic in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, playing Verdi’s Requiem, Carmina Burana and Dvorak’s 9 symphony. Raymond Janssen conducts more than 40 concerts per year and, besides a conductor and pianist, he is also director of Cadenza European Art Productions. In addition, he is a hypnotherapist and NLP coach.