Henk Neven - Biography

Henk Neven received support from BBT between 2009 and 2011. For an up-to-date biography go to www.keynoteartistmanagement.com

Dutch baritone Henk Neven is one of the most exciting song interpreters of his generation, having made regular appearances at the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw and the BBC Proms, whilst being equally at home on the operatic stage. A recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, he has an ongoing recording contract with Onyx and his discs have received critical praise. Neven was a member of the prestigious BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme and in 2011 received the Dutch Music Prize, the highest honour that the Netherlands Ministry of Culture awards to a classical musician.

In opera he has appeared at the Opera National de Paris, La Monnaie, Berlin Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien and De Nederlandse Opera and most recently worked with George Benjamin on his Lessons in Love and Violence at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. With the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra he sang Stravinsky’s Pulcinella and with the Residentieorkest performed arias by Mozart. Recent successes include Die schöne Müllerin with Imogen Cooper, at London’s Wigmore Hall, and performances with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. He has worked with Marin Alsop and the Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment at the BBC Proms, and the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchestra amongst many others and with some of the world’s most distinguished conductors including Simon Rattle, Jaap van Zweden and Daniel Barenboim.

He records regularly, with repertoire including works by Debussy, Faure and Schubert and a Russian album including Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

Last updated: October 2018

In the first place it was a big surprise to have been awarded the BBT Fellowship. In the second place a big honour and excitement. I knew about the trust, but not what it could and would mean for me. After having been awarded I spoke to a ‘BBtrust-awarded’ friend, who told me the most beautiful things about the BBtrust and the people working for it. This is an absolute truth. It’s a generous, warm, music-loving and caring group of people – who care for music, careers and human beings! With the help of the BBTrust I found my very good UK management, Intermusica. And indirectly it led to being invited to join the New Generation Artists Scheme of BBC Radio 3. With these exciting happenings one should almost forget that there is this great amount of money to be spent on one’s career. This will make it possible to make my first solo CD, with repertoire I really love to sing.

BBTrust is love for music!

Photographs by Marco Borggreve