Willem van Hoogstraten

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Willem van Hoogstraten was a Dutch violinist and conductor. He was born March 18, 1884 in Utrecht and died September 11, 1964 in Tutzing, Germany.

He studied the violin from age eight including studies with Alexander Schmuller, and enrolled at the conservatory in Cologne at age sixteen where he studied with Bram Eldering. He also studied violin with Otakar Ševcik in Prague.

He began his career as the conductor at a health resort, and then conducted the orchestra at Kleefeld 1914-1918.

He was married for sixteen years, from 1911-1927 to the pianist Elly Ney. They met in 1907 at the conservatory in Cologne where Ney was a teacher. They traveled throughout Europe performing chamber music, including cellist Fritz Reitz to form a trio. They made their home at Tuzing on the Starnberger See. The two recorded the final three Beethoven piano concertos together for Colosseum Records. A daughter was born to them, the actress Eleonore van Hoogstraten. The couple divorced in 1927.

Van Hoogstratten conducted a Brahms festival in Vienna and a Mozart festival in Salzburg. He also guest conducted throughout Europe. He became a guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic at the Lewisohn Stadium summer concert series 1922 to 1939 and was also appointed associate conductor of the orchestra 1923-1925. He also was appointed by the Philharmonic Society to serve as director of the orchestra between Josef Stransky and Willem Mengelberg, handling half of the orchestra's season until Mengelberg was available.

He was appointed the conductor of the Oregon Symphony 1925-1937. He also guest conducted in many U.S. cities. In 1939-1945 he was permanent conductor of the Mozarteum Salzburg.

Willem van Hoogstraten is buried with his ex-wife Elly Ney at the Neuer Friedhof (new cemetery) in Tutzing.