Notable Alumni of Amsterdam School of the Arts [Sorted List]

1. Eddy van der Maarel

1934-2021 (aged 87)

botanist writer translator university teacher pianist

Evert "Eddy" van der Maarel was a Dutch ecologist. He spent most of his career as professor of ecological botany at Uppsala University in Sweden.

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2. Peter Bree

1949-. (aged 77)

radio personality oboist

Peter Bree is a Dutch oboist and broadcaster. He was born in Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands.

3. Jason Alder

music educator audio engineer musician

Jason Alder is an American-born clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and saxophonist. He is best known for his work in contemporary music, free improvisation, and electro-acoustic music.

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4. Henri Albers

1866-1926 (aged 60)

opera singer

Henri Albers, born Johan Hendrik Albers, was a Dutch-born opera singer who later became a French citizen. He sang leading baritone roles in an international career that spanned 37 years and was a prominent singer at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and the Opéra-Comique in Paris, which was his base from 1900 until his death. He also sang...

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5. Signe Tollefsen

1981-. (aged 45)

songwriter singer-songwriter guitarist singer

Signe Tollefsen /ˈsɪɡnə ˈtɒləfsən/ is an American–Dutch singer-songwriter, settled in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her music has been described as folk rock.

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6. Benedict Silberman

1901-1971 (aged 70)

composer conductor

Benedict Silberman, originally Boruch Hirsch-Benedigton Silberman, was a Dutch composer and conductor of Austrian Jewish descent.

7. Evrim Demirel

1977-. (aged 49)

composer pianist

Evrim Demirel is a Turkish composer and jazz pianist.

8. Bertha Frensel Wegener

1874-1953 (aged 79)

singer music educator composer

Bertha Frensel Wegener-Koopman was a Dutch composer and music educator.

9. Anna Cramer

1873-1968 (aged 95)

composer pianist

Anna M. Cramer was a Dutch composer.

10. Danniel Danniel

1950-2017 (aged 67)

screenwriter film director film editor

Danniel Danniel was an Israeli film director, screenwriter and film editor. He lived in the Netherlands since 1980. He died in the morning of 4 May 2017 in Amsterdam.

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11. Jan Mul

1911-1971 (aged 60)

composer organist

Jan Mul was a Dutch composer, mainly of church music. He was born in Haarlem and studied with Sem Dresden at the Amsterdam Conservatory; Mul orchestrated Dresden's opera Francois Villon after the composer's death.

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12. Esra Dalfidan

1975-. (aged 51)

singer jazz musician

Esra Dalfidan is a Turkish-German jazz singer.

13. Aapo Häkkinen

1976-. (aged 50)

conductor harpsichordist musician

Aapo Häkkinen is a Finnish harpsichordist and conductor.

14. Robert Heppener

1925-2009 (aged 84)

composer

Robert Heppener, also known as Bob Heppener, was a Dutch composer. He was among the most important Dutch composers of the 20th century.

15. Jan Tomasz Adamus

1968-. (aged 58)

conductor

Jan Tomasz Adamus is a Polish conductor, organist, chamber musician, recording artist and music administrator. At present, Adamus serves as general and artistic director of the Kraków early music orchestra and mixed symphonic choir Capella Cracoviensis (since 2008). Adamus recorded a number of solo CD's including as conductor; with Baroque, Classical and Romantic church music – also playing different historical...

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16. Arthur Arnold

1967-. (aged 59)

conductor

Arthur Arnold is a Dutch orchestra conductor, currently based in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada.

17. Phia Berghout

1909-1993 (aged 84)

harpist musician

Sophia Rosa Berghout was a Dutch harpist. Her obituary in The Independent called her "arguably the most influential harpist this century".

18. Marco Blaauw

1965-. (aged 61)

performing artist trumpeter musician

Marco Blaauw is a Dutch trumpet soloist known for his work in the field of new music and with Cologne-based contemporary music group Ensemble Musikfabrik. He plays a double bell trumpet, an invention that has allowed for numerous new compositions for trumpet, including those by Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winner, Rebecca Saunders. Blaauw is a consistent faculty member at...

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19. Tobias Delius

1964-. (aged 62)

saxophonist composer jazz musician

Tobias Delius is a British/German tenor saxophonist and clarinettist.

20. Maarten Altena

1943-. (aged 83)

performing artist composer jazz musician

Maarten van Regteren Altena is a Dutch composer and contrabassist. Altena attended the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (he studied contrabass) and graduated in 1968. Between 1980 and 1985, he studied composition with Robert Heppener.

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21. Chiel Meijering

1954-. (aged 72)

composer pianist

Michael Maria "Chiel" Meijering is a Dutch composer. He studied composition with Ton de Leeuw, percussion with Jan Labordus and Jan Pustjens, and piano at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He composed over 1000 works.

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22. Haukur Tómasson

1960-. (aged 66)

composer

Haukur Tómasson is an Icelandic composer. He has a master's degree from the University of California, San Diego. He has also attended the Reykjavík College of Music, the Cologne University for Music and the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam.

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23. Sim Gokkes

1897-1943 (aged 46)

composer conductor

Simon Gokkes (21 March 1897 in Amsterdam – 5 February 1943 in Auschwitz) was a Dutch-Jewish composer.

24. Gerard Hengeveld

1910-2001 (aged 91)

composer pianist

Gerard Hengeveld was a Dutch classical pianist, music composer and educationalist. He is especially known for his compositions of study material for piano. Other compositions include two piano concertos, a violin sonata, and a sonata for cello. Hengeveld was an able interpreter and performer of the music of Bach for piano and harpsichord. He gave regular concerts in the Concertgebouw...

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25. Julia Culp

1880-1970 (aged 90)

opera singer

Julia Bertha Culp, the "Dutch nightingale", was an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano in the years 1901–1919.

26. Ralph van Raat

1978-. (aged 48)

musician pianist

Ralph van Raat is a Dutch classical pianist.

27. Ena Sendijarević

1987-. (aged 39)

executive producer screenwriter film director

Ena Sendijarević is a Bosnian-Dutch filmmaker and screenwriter known for her distinctive blend of surrealism, satire, and sharp social commentary and exploration of themes such as power, identity, sexuality and migration. Her notable works include Import (2016), which premiered at the Cannes Directors' Fortnight; Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019), winner of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Film;...

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28. Ali Cherri

1976-. (aged 50)

film producer cinematographer screenwriter film editor plastic artist

Ali Cherri is a Lebanese contemporary artist and film maker based in Paris. His practice incorporates video, installation, and mixed media, with a focus on themes related to archaeology, cultural heritage, and the natural environment in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.

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29. Uxía Martínez Botana

1988-. (aged 38)

musician

Uxía Martínez Botana is a Spanish double bass player.

30. Ilse Huizinga

1966-. (aged 60)

singer jazz musician

Ilse Huizinga is a Dutch jazz singer. She performs throughout Europe.

31. Maya Lavelle

1992-. (aged 34)

composer

Maya Lavelle is an international singer-songwriter, composer, record producer and music video producer. She grew up in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, she was born in Belgrade, Serbia and currently resides in London, United Kingdom.

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32. Merlijn Twaalfhoven

1976-. (aged 50)

composer politician

Merlijn Twaalfhoven is a Dutch composer, speaker, writer, and designer of music projects. In his works he explores latitude, imagination, and a role for art in social issues such as inequality, and the transition to a sustainable society. He has designed numerous unconventional music and theater projects and has worked in conflict areas and refugee camps. He also wrote the...

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33. Kees Bakels

1945-. (aged 81)

conductor

Kees Bakels is a Dutch conductor.

34. Tara Bouman

1970-. (aged 56)

clarinetist

Tara Bouman is a Dutch clarinetist.

35. Gied Jaspars

1939-1996 (aged 57)

television producer

Gied Jaspars was a Dutch television maker who gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s making progressive and controversial TV shows for the VPRO; he is well known for his collaboration with writer and director Wim T. Schippers. After he left the television and film industry he started a career as a business man; throughout his career he had a...

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36. Jasper Wolf

cinematographer

Jasper Wolf, NSC, is a Dutch cinematographer. He is best known for his work on Monos, Instinct, Paradise Drifters, and Code Blue.

37. Harry Sparnaay

1944-2017 (aged 73)

clarinetist musicologist composer music educator wind instrument player

Harry Sparnaay was a noted Dutch bass clarinetist, composer, and teacher.

38. Bart Schneemann

1954-. (aged 72)

conductor oboist

Bart Schneemann is a Dutch oboist, conductor, teacher and artistic director for the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. In 1977 he graduated from the Conservatory in Amsterdam. From 1976 to 1996, he was the first chair oboist in the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He retired from playing in the orchestra to put all his time towards his solo...

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39. Kees Wieringa

1957-. (aged 69)

composer pianist

Kees Wieringa is a Dutch pianist, composer, writer and cultural entrepreneur. His mission is to inspire and connect people through art and culture. He came to prominence for his performances of the Dutch composers Jakob van Domselaer, Daniel Ruyneman and Simeon ten Holt.

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40. Willem Andriessen

1887-1964 (aged 77)

music educator conductor composer university teacher pianist

Willem Andriessen was a Dutch pianist and composer. His compositional output was small due to the demands of performance and teaching, but he was nonetheless awarded a number of compositional prizes in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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41. Richard Hol

1825-1904 (aged 79)

composer pianist organist conductor

Richard Hol (23 July 1825, in Amsterdam – 14 May 1904, in Utrecht) was a Dutch composer and conductor, based for most of his career at Utrecht. His conservative music showed the influence of Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann and the Leipzig school, though as a conductor he offered Dutch audiences the more revolutionary music of Hector...

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42. Erik Bosgraaf

1980-. (aged 46)

musicologist flautist

Erik Bosgraaf is a Dutch recorder player and musicologist.

43. Tineke Postma

1978-. (aged 48)

composer jazz saxophonist

Tineke Postma is a Dutch jazz saxophonist and composer.

44. Leo van Doeselaar

1954-. (aged 72)

pianist conductor organist

Leo van Doeselaar is a Dutch classical organist and conductor.

45. Piet Kee

1927-2018 (aged 91)

composer organist musicologist music educator

Pieter William Kee was a Dutch organist and composer.

46. Svitlana Azarova

1976-. (aged 50)

composer music teacher

Svitlana Azarova is a Ukrainian-Dutch composer of contemporary classical music, originally from the Ukrainian SSR.

47. Rudolf Jansen

1940-2024 (aged 84)

pianist organist musician

Rudolf Jansen was a Dutch pianist who focused on Lied accompaniment and chamber music, touring the world. He accompanied singers including Elly Ameling, Barbara Bonney, Peter Schreier and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Jansen taught at the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Musikhochschule Nürnberg, and gave masterclasses worldwide.

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48. Jean Dulieu

1921-2006 (aged 85)

comics artist violinist actor puppet designer writer

Jan van Oort was a Dutch children's book writer and comic strip cartoonist, working under the pseudonym of Jean Dulieu ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ dyljø]). He is known for his creation of Paulus the woodgnome.

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49. Theo Loevendie

1930-. (aged 96)

saxophonist composer jazz musician

Johan Theodorus Loevendie is a Dutch composer and clarinet player.

50. Philippe Giusiano

1973-. (aged 53)

composer pianist

Philippe Giusiano is a French classical pianist.

51. Paul van Kempen

1893-1955 (aged 62)

conductor

Paul van Kempen was a Dutch conductor.

52. Michelle Courtens

1981-. (aged 45)

singer cellist

Michelle Courtens, known professionally as Michelle, is a Dutch singer and cellist. She is best known for representing the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001.

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53. Sacha Polak

1982-. (aged 44)

film director screenwriter

Sacha Polak is a Dutch film director.

54. Stephen West

1989-. (aged 37)

knitter fashion designer

Stephen West is an American knitter, knitting pattern designer, and knitting teacher.

55. Noa Wildschut

2001-. (aged 25)

violinist

Noa Wildschut is a Dutch concert violinist.

56. Rudolf Koelman

1959-. (aged 67)

pedagogue performing artist professor music educator violinist

Rudolf Koelman is a Dutch violinist and is professor for violin at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) in Switzerland.

57. Willem van Otterloo

1907-1978 (aged 71)

cellist conductor composer

Jan Willem van Otterloo was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.

58. Liza Ferschtman

1979-. (aged 47)

violinist cellist

Liza Ferschtman is a Dutch classical violinist who appears internationally, both as a soloist with orchestra and in chamber music. She received the Nederlandse Muziekprijs in 2006 and has directed the Delft Chamber Music Festival since 2007.

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59. Leo Smit

1900-1943 (aged 43)

composer pianist

Leopold "Leo" Smit was a Dutch composer, murdered during The Holocaust at the Sobibor extermination camp.

60. Edo de Waart

1941-. (aged 85)

pianist oboist conductor

Edo de Waart is a Dutch retired conductor. He is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. De Waart is the former music director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (2016-2019), chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic (2011-2016) and Artistic Partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2010-2014).

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61. Frans Weisz

1938-2025 (aged 87)

television director director film director theatrical director screenwriter

Frans Weisz was a Dutch film director. He directed more than 30 films since 1964. His 1975 film Red Sien was entered into the 9th Moscow International Film Festival. His film Havinck was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. His 1993 film The Betrayed was entered into the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.

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62. Lucie Horsch

1998-. (aged 28)

recorder player

Lucie Horsch is a Dutch recorder player.

63. Isabelle van Keulen

1966-. (aged 60)

violinist

Isabelle van Keulen is a Dutch violinist and violist, performing principally as a chamber musician but also as a concert violist. She founded the Isos Quartet in 1995. For more than 20 years, she collaborated with the pianist Ronald Brautigam and the mezzo-soprano singer Christianne Stotijn. In 2012, she became an educator at the Lucerne School of Music. Since 2017,...

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64. Horacio Franco

1963-. (aged 63)

musician conductor

Horacio Franco is a Mexican flautist and recorder player. Franco has performed many genres of music, from medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music—including Latin American colonial music—to contemporary, folkloric, and popular styles.

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65. Henriëtte Bosmans

1895-1952 (aged 57)

composer pianist

Henriëtte Hilda Bosmans was a Dutch composer and pianist.

66. Stephan Brenninkmeijer

1964-. (aged 62)

screenwriter film director film producer film editor

Stephan Brenninkmeijer is a Dutch film director, screenwriter and producer.

67. Frieda Belinfante

1904-1995 (aged 91)

cellist conductor resistance fighter

Frieda Belinfante was a Dutch cellist, philharmonic conductor, a prominent lesbian, and a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II. After the war, Belinfante emigrated to the United States and continued her career in music. She was the founding artistic director and conductor of the Orange County Philharmonic.

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68. Tol Hansse

1940-2002 (aged 62)

cabaret performer painter composer singer-songwriter singer

Tol Hansse was a Dutch singer and musician. He was the son of cabaret artist Jacques van Tol. Because of his father's history of collaboration during World War II he changed his name. Hansse played trumpet accompanying Tom Manders, and was in the rock band The Sharks with Clous van Mechelen. He had a modestly successful career as a singer-songwriter...

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69. Lena Kovačević

1982-. (aged 44)

composer singer

Lena Kovačević is a Serbian singer.

70. Pim de la Parra

1940-2024 (aged 84)

actor screenwriter film screenwriter film actor film director

Pim de la Parra was a Surinamese-Dutch film director.

71. Reinbert de Leeuw

1938-2020 (aged 82)

music educator conductor composer university teacher pianist

Lambertus Reiner "Reinbert" de Leeuw was a Dutch conductor, pianist and composer.

72. Cristina Deutekom

1931-2014 (aged 83)

opera singer

Cristina Deutekom was a Dutch operatic dramatic coloratura soprano.

73. Frans Brüggen

1934-2014 (aged 80)

conductor musicologist music educator university teacher

Franciscus Jozef Brüggen (30 October 1934 – 13 August 2014) was a Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist.

74. Robby Müller

1940-2018 (aged 78)

filmmaker cinematographer photographer

Robby Müller, NSC, BVK, was a Dutch cinematographer. Known for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German cinema through his acclaimed collaborations with Wim Wenders.

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75. Wibi Soerjadi

1970-. (aged 56)

composer pianist

Wibi Soerjadi is a Dutch concert pianist and composer.

76. Dick Maas

1951-. (aged 75)

television director composer film producer manufacturer film director

Dirk Herman Willem Maas is a Dutch film director, screenwriter, film producer and film composer.

77. Cox Habbema

1944-2016 (aged 72)

director television actor theatrical director television producer television presenter

Cornelia "Cox" Habbema was a Dutch film and television actress. From 1968 to 1984, she played in films for the East-German filmproduction DEFA. She was married to the actor Eberhard Esche.

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78. Ton Koopman

1944-. (aged 82)

university teacher organist musician songwriter choir director

Antonius Gerhardus Michael "Ton" Koopman is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir.

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79. Masaaki Suzuki

1954-. (aged 72)

choir director conductor composer university teacher organist

Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for which he is also recording Bach's concertos, orchestral suites, and solo works for harpsichord and organ. He is also an...

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80. Martin Koolhoven

1969-. (aged 57)

writer film director actor screenwriter

Martinus Wouter "Martin" Koolhoven is a Dutch film director and screenwriter. Internationally he is most known for Schnitzel Paradise (2005), Winter in Wartime (2008) and Brimstone (2016), which was his first film in English. It was released in 2017, after it premiered in the competition of the Venice Film Festival in 2016.

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81. Bernard Haitink

1929-2021 (aged 92)

conductor violinist choir director music director

Bernard Johan Herman Haitink was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to London, as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979, music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and of the Royal Opera House from 1987...

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82. Nelly Frijda

1936-. (aged 90)

politician television actor cabaret performer actor film actor

Nelly Frijda-Wiegel is a Dutch actress, voice actress, cabaret artist, and former politician.

83. Leonie ter Braak

1980-. (aged 46)

television presenter model television actor presenter actor

Leonie ter Braak is a Dutch television presenter and actress. She is known for presenting several television shows, including the talk shows HLF8 and RTL Tonight. She also played a role in the 2020 film The Marriage Escape, the 2022 film De Tatta's and the 2023 film De Tatta's 2.

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84. Tom Gaebel

1975-. (aged 51)

singer bandleader composer jazz musician pianist

Tom Gaebel is a German singer and leader of a big band named after himself. He changed the spelling of his last name, omitting the umlaut. In addition to singing and arranging, Gaebel writes lyrics in English.

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85. Leon de Winter

1954-. (aged 72)

screenwriter columnist film director writer film producer

Leon de Winter is a Dutch novelist and columnist.

86. Henk Poort

1956-. (aged 70)

film actor television actor musician

Henk Poort is a Dutch actor and singer, who mainly plays in operas and musicals.

87. Bilal Wahib

1999-. (aged 27)

singer television actor rapper actor film actor

Bilal El Mehdi Wahib is a Dutch actor, singer and rapper from Amsterdam. He has appeared in several Dutch films and series such as Nieuwe buren, SpangaS, Mocro Maffia and Commando's and films Layla M., De Held, De libi and Paradise Drifters, portrayed mainly in ethnic roles. In 2020, he won the Golden Calf for Best Supporting Actor for his...

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88. Caro Emerald

1981-. (aged 45)

singer recording artist jazz musician

Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw, formerly known as Caro Emerald and lately part of the music project The Jordan, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in several countries, including her native...

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89. Roger Cicero

1970-2016 (aged 46)

singer jazz musician

Roger Marcel Cicero Ciceu was a German jazz and pop musician.

90. Jan de Bont

1943-. (aged 83)

film director director camera operator cinematographer film producer

Jan de Bont is a Dutch retired film director, producer, and a former cinematographer.

91. Coen van Vrijberghe de Coningh

1950-1997 (aged 47)

stage actor composer actor television actor film actor

Coenraad Lodewijk Dirk "Coen" van Vrijberghe de Coningh was a Dutch actor, singer, composer, record producer and television presenter.

92. Urs Bühler

1971-. (aged 55)

pianist opera singer guitarist musician

Urs Toni Bühler is a Swiss classically trained tenor. He is a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, who have sold over 30 million copies worldwide discs.

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93. Elise Schaap

1982-. (aged 44)

actor

Elise Schaap is a Dutch actress.

94. Jelka van Houten

1978-. (aged 48)

television actor singer actor film actor

Jelline Floriska van Houten is a Dutch actress and singer. She has acted in Dutch films, musicals, and television series. She also played Sabine in the British TV series Fresh Meat.

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95. Paul Verhoeven

1938-. (aged 88)

screenwriter television director film director

Paul Verhoeven is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and sexual content. Many of his films are considered provocative, and were controversial when released.

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96. Carel Struycken

1948-. (aged 78)

stage actor actor composer film actor film editor

Carel Struycken is a Dutch actor. He is known for playing the Giant/Fireman in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017), the occasional guest role of Mr. Homn in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1992), and the household butler Lurch in the Addams Family films of 1991, 1993 and 1998. He also appeared in the films Men in Black (1997),...

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97. Susanne Alt

1978-. (aged 48)

saxophonist composer jazz musician

Susanne Alt is a German jazz saxophone player and composer based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

98. Lenneke Ruiten

1977-. (aged 49)

opera singer performing artist

Lenneke Ruiten is a Dutch soprano. Ruiten studied at the Music Conservatory in Alkmaar and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and at the Franz Schubert Institut in Baden bei Wien near Vienna.

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99. Richard Hageman

1881-1966 (aged 85)

pianist conductor film actor film score composer

Richard Hageman was a Dutch-born American conductor, pianist, and composer.

100. Wim Henderickx

1962-2022 (aged 60)

composer conductor university teacher musician

Wim Henderickx was a Belgian composer of contemporary classical music. He was composer in residence at Muziektheater Transparant and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, writing operas and other stage works. His music was influenced by oriental music and philosophy. He taught composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

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