Herman van Veen (Hermannus Jantinus van Veen) was born in 1945 in Utrecht, Netherlands, and is a singer-songwriter, violinist, writer, clown and actor. He began violin and vocal lessons at eight, studied at the Utrecht Conservatory, and met pianist Erik van der Wurff in 1961. His first solo programme debuted in 1965, and he soon formed the cabaret group Cabaret Chantant Harlekijn with van der Wurff, releasing early recordings. In the early 1970s he started the label Harlekijn, which is now solely his production company; in 1969 he received the Zilveren Harp and in 1976 the Gouden Harp. His German debut album Ich hab’ ein zärtliches Gefühl followed in 1973, after which he issued titles such as Unter uns, An eine ferne Prinzessin, Elf Lieder, Weihnachtslieder, Bis hierher und weiter, Ja, My Cat and I, Nachbar, Was ich dir singen wollte, Unter einem Hut and Neue Saiten. In 1977 the television series Die seltsamen Abenteuer des Herman van Veen aired with him at its centre, and he also created the animated series Alfred Jodocus Kwak. He received the German Federal Cross of Merit in 1999 for his contribution to German-Dutch understanding, the Martin Buber plaque in 2005, and the Prix d’Humanité.
