Reinbert de Leeuw was born in Amsterdam. His musical activities are very wide-ranging. In 1972 he initiated a concert series in major Dutch cities, and since 1974 he has been conductor and musical director of the Schoenberg Ensemble. He is also the author of a book on Charles Ives and has been involved in documentary films featuring 20th-century composers. His compositions include works for orchestra and chamber ensembles. De Leeuw is co-author of two operas, “Reconstruction” (1969) und “Axel” (1977). He regularly conducts the best-known orchestras and ensembles in the Netherlands, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New Sinfonietta Amsterdam, the Nederlands Kammerkoor and the ASKO and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. Maintaining a busy international touring schedule, he was guest conductor of the Aldeburgh Festival (1992) and artistic director of the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. In 1995/96 he was the focus of the "Carte blanche" series at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He is also involved in organizing the “Contemporaries” series at the Concertgebouw. Reinbert de Leeuw has been invited to conduct several opera productions at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam.
He has made regular guest appearances in several European countries (France, Germany, Britain, Belgium) and in the United States (Tanglewood Festival, New World Symphony, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Group New York).
Recipient of the Sikkens Award (1991) and the prestigious "3M" prize (1992), de Leeuw received an honorary doctorate from the University of Utrecht in 1994. His recordings of piano works have earned him many awards, including the Dutch Edison, the Premio della critica discografica Italiana, the Grand Prix of the Hungarian Liszt Society and the Diapason d'Or.
