Short biography
Robbert van Steijn studied piano at the Utrecht Conservatoire with Håkon Austbö and participated in masterclasses with Rosalyn Tureck, Peter Feuchtwanger en Claude Helffer. After completing his studies he worked as a soloists’ repetiteur at the Anhaltisches Theater in Dessau, and it was here that he began his studies in orchestral conducting with Jan Stulen. He later returned to the Netherlands to complete his studies at the Sweelinck Conservatoire with Roland Kieft and Kenneth Montgomery. During this time he also worked under Günther Wand, and studied with George Hurst in England.
From 1997 until 2000 Robbert was principal conductor at the Hoofdstad Operetta in Amsterdam, and as principal conductor for Van den Ende Theatre Productions conducted the national touring productions of Titanic, The Sound of Music and Sunset Boulevard. He has worked with the Nationale Reisopera (The Netherlands National Touring Opera), Opera Trionfo, The Netherlands Opera, and conducted, among others, the Helios Ensemble, Florilegium Musicum Ensemble, the Atlas Ensemble, the New Ensemble, RBO Sinfonia, the Netherlands Symphony, the North Netherlands Symphony, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra and made his debut as Studienleiter at the Bayreuth Festival 2011. He returned last season (2011-2012) to the Nationale Reisopera to conduct the revival of their highly successful production of La Traviata. Robbert holds a postition as Kapellmeister of the Staatskapelle Halle at the Theater, Oper und Orchester Halle, where he conducts the operatic as well as the symphonic repertoire.
