Herman van Veen

Born in Utrecht in 1945, Herman van Veen has since the mid-1960s developed a body of work at the crossroads of song, cabaret, musical theater and scenic storytelling. Trained at the Utrecht Conservatory in violin, singing and music pedagogy, he built very early a personal language where songwriter chanson, orchestrated pop, folk accents and the Dutch chanson tradition mingle, with a significant emphasis on speech, play and staging. Herman van Veen began his career in a creative duo with pianist Erik van der Wurff, met during his studies, before founding the Harlekijn structure in 1968. Present in the Netherlands, Germany, France and several other European countries, he records in several languages and adapts part of his repertoire for German-speaking audiences from the 1970s onward, notably with the album Ich hab’ ein zärtliches Gefühl in 1973. Among the milestones of his discography are Signalen (1984), Blauwe plekken (1989), Andere namen (2002), Vaders (2005), Kersvers (2014), Vallen of springen (2016) and Dat kun je wel zien dat is hij (2021). Alongside his concerts, Herman van Veen works for television, writes books and creates the world of Alfred J. Kwak, which further broadens his place in Dutch and German-speaking culture.