Ben van Oosten

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ben van Oosten (born 1955 in the Hague, Netherlands) is an Organist, Professor and Author.

Ben van Oosten gave his first organ recital in 1970 at the age of 15. He was accepted at the prestigious Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and studied the organ with Albert de Klerk and piano with Berthe Davelaar. He graduated cum laude in 1979 with a diploma in organ solo.

He completed advanced studies in Paris, France, with André Isoir and Daniel Roth. Whether by geographical influence or artistic choice, he gravitated toward the French Romantic Organ school of the 19th Century that had its origins in the new Symphonic organs of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Van Oosten subsequently became one of the greatest practitioners and interpreters of organ works from that era. Among his recordings are the complete works of Charles-Marie Widor, the complete works of Louis Vierne, and the eight sonatas of Alexandre Guilmant. He has also undertaken a recording of the complete works of Marcel Dupré

Besides maintaining a heavy recital schedule and an active private teaching practice, he serves as organist for Grote Kerk (Hague) and is a Professor of Music at Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. He has also written a biography of Widor and his works, Vater der Orgelsymphonie [1]. Among the honors and awards he has received are the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Diapason d'Or. In 1998, the French government awarded him the honorary rank of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his efforts in reviving the French Romantic tradition.