Jan Willem de Vriend is Principal Conductor of the Wiener KammerOrchester, Principal Guest Conductor of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Partner of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. He regularly appears as guest conductor with such renowned ensembles as the Belgian National Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Melbourne Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lyon, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.

In the 2024/25 season, de Vriend returns to the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro RTVE in Madrid, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Stavanger Symphony, Residentie Orkest, Trondheim Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover, and Warsaw Philharmonic.
Three new recordings are scheduled for release in 2024/25:

• Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 12 (Dejan Lazić / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra – Challenge Records International)
• Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (Stavanger Symphony Orchestra – Challenge Records International)
• Emilie Mayer: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 (NDR Radiophilharmonie – cpo.

From 2015 to 2019, de Vriend was Principal Conductor of the Residentie Orkest Den Haag, and from 2006 to 2017, Chief Conductor of Phion, Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel. He served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (2015–2021) and of the Brabant Orchestra (now South Netherlands Philharmonic, 2008–2015).

With the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, he recorded an extensive Beethoven cycle for Challenge Classics, the classical imprint of Challenge Records International, including the complete symphonies and concertos, with soloists such as Hannes Minnaar and Liza Ferschtman. Classic FM praised his interpretation of Symphony No. 7 for its “bounding flair that does real justice to the composer’s capacity for joy.” Further highlights on Challenge Classics include the complete Mendelssohn symphonies (again with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) and the complete Schubert symphonies with the Residentie Orkest. He also recorded Mendelssohn’s complete works for piano and orchestra with the same ensemble for Decca.

De Vriend first gained international recognition as Artistic Director of the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, which he founded in 1982 and led from the violin until 2015. Specialising in 17th- and 18th-century repertoire and applying historically informed practice to modern instruments, the ensemble revived many lesser-known works. Gramophone praised its players for their “technical finesse and a lively feeling for characterisation.” This collaborative spirit continues to shape de Vriend’s work as he brings fresh energy to the symphonic repertoire, focusing particularly on Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Johann Strauss.

In the field of opera, both in Europe and the USA, de Vriend and the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam have performed works by Monteverdi, Haydn, Handel, Telemann, and J.S. Bach (including the Hunting Cantata and Coffee Cantata at the Leipzig Bach Festival), all in stagings by director Eva Buchmann. With the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, he conducted operas by Mozart, Verdi, and Cherubini, and toured Switzerland with productions of Don Giovanni and Rossini’s La Gazzetta, again in collaboration with Eva Buchmann.

De Vriend has also conducted opera in Amsterdam (Nederlandse Reisopera), Barcelona, Strasbourg, Lucerne, Schwetzingen, and Bergen. In the Netherlands, he is known for hosting music-related television series and other appearances. In 2012, he received a prize from national broadcaster NPO Radio 4 for his creative contribution to classical music.