Bernard Haitink

PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR (2006–2010)

Bernard Haitink was born and trained in Amsterdam. His conducting career began in 1954 at the Netherlands Radio, where he took part in their intensive conductors' courses, and where in 1957, he became chief conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1956 and was invited to serve as chief conductor in 1961, a post he held for 27 years. Haitink held positions as music director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Bernard Haitink received many awards and honors in recognition of his services to music, including Musical America’s Musician of the Year and the Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award. He was made a Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, an honorary Companion of Honor in the United Kingdom and received honorary doctorates from the University of Oxford and the Royal College of Music.

Bernard Haitink died on October 21, 2021, at the age of 92.