Ton Koopman

Born Antonius Koopman in Zwolle, Netherlands on October 2, 1944, the Dutch conductor, organist and harpsichordist is better known by his nickname Ton. The Dutch classical musician has spent his career studying early historical forms of classical music and the way in which they were performed. Koopman is a scholar in the works of Bach and founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, with whom he has played at some of the world's finest concert halls. He grew up studying the organ, harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam and became part of the early music movement in the 1960s, which sought to authentically replicate compositions from the 17th and 18th century. They were seen as outsiders in the classical music world at the time, but Koopman formed the first ever baroque orchestra when he was just 25 and specialized in the compositions of Bach and his predecessor Dieterich Buxtehude. With the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and later the Amsterdam Baroque Choir (which he started in 1992), he made hundreds of recordings, including works by Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart. In 1995, he embarked on his life's work when he set out to make the first complete recordings of all of Bach's cantatas. He eventually finished the project in 2005, despite having to start his own label after original backers Warner closed their classical subsidiary. He then went on to record the works of Buxtehude on 20 volumes of Opera Omnia. He was knighted in the Netherlands in April 2003, receiving the Order of the Netherlands Lion. As an educator, he is a professor at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.