Jos van Veldhoven studied musicology at the Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht and choral and orchestral conducting at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Since 1983 he has been artistic director of The Netherlands Bach Society. In this capacity he gives regular performances of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries both in the Nether-lands and abroad. Since 1989 Jos van Veldhoven has also been the conductor of the soloist ensemble Cappella Figuralis, which concentrates particularly on the music of the 17th century. In addition Van Veldhoven conducts the Utrechts Barok Consort he founded in 1976. Together with all of his ensembles, he has made a large number of recordings for radio, television, and CD both at home and abroad, and has appeared at festivals in the Netherlands and many other countries in Europe. Regularly Jos van Veldhoven is invited as a guest-conductor, for instance with Das Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Telemann Chamber Orchestra. In January 2000 he made his debut in the United States with the New York Collegium.In June 2001, Van Veldhoven conducted a staged production of Handel's Saul for the Bonn opera. "Conductor Jos van Veldhoven united very good vocal results with impressive orcestral playing of a quality which should once again become the norm in Bonn", in the words of the Klner Stadt-Anzeiger when reviewing this performance. Van Veldhoven has been invited to conduct a staged production of Bach's St. John Passion in the autumn of 2002, in Essen. In recent years, Jos van Veldhoven has frequently attracted attention with performances of new repertoire in the early music field. Particular interest has been drawn by performances including oratorios by Telemann and Graun, the Vespers of Gastoldi, Netherlands repertoire from the Golden Century, and numerous unknown 17th century dialogue pieces. Jos van Veldhoven also conducted many contemporary premiers of Baroque operas by composers including Mattheson, Keiser, Bononcini, Legrenzi, and Scarlatti. He also has made his own reconstructions of lost compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach such as the St. Mark Passion and the so-called Kthener Trauer-Music.
Jos van Veldhoven also has a considerable reputation as a teacher. He is associated with the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague as a professor of choral conducting and ensemble technique. He is also the director of the yearly summer course for choral conductors, the Kurt Thomas Course in Utrecht and he often works with the ensembles of the Conservatoire National Suprieur de Musique in Paris. Referring to the recording of Bachs St. Matthew Passion (1997) the Dutch Music Magazine Luister said: "The most significant aspect about this performance is that Jos van Veldhoven has developed from being a fantastic choral conductor to becoming a Bach-conductor who can hold his own in the company of Herreweghe, Koopman and Leonhardt."
Marie-Nolle de Callata studied singing at the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussels, where she took a degree in opera. She has given numerous recitals and appears as a soloist in oratorio in Europe, the United States, the former Soviet Union, and Japan. She has appeared with conductors including Frieder Bernius, Frans Brggen, William Christie, Peter Neumann, Ton Koopman, and Marc Minkowski. She performs regularly with the Vlaamse Opera and Theatre de la Monnaie in productions under Florian Heyerick, Ren Jacobs, Jos van Immerseel, Philippe Herreweghe and others. In addition to the operatic repertoire, Marie-Nolle de Callata sings in oratorio and chamber music. Marie-Nolle de Callata appears for the first time with the Netherlands Bach Association.
Annette Markert studied singing at the Musikhochschule Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig. She was then engaged by the opera companies of Halle and Leipzig, where she performed a number of major roles. She was twice awarded the Handel prize by the city of Halle for her interpretations of Handel operas. Markert has worked with prominent conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Peter Schreier, Ton Koopman, Reinhard Gbel, Uwe Gronostay, Michael Schneider, and Roger Norrington, and with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, La Chapelle Royale, Orchestre des Champs Elyses, the Israel Philharmonic, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Musica Antiqua Kln, and the Wiener Philharmoniker.
Annette Markert appears for the first time with the Netherlands Bach Association.
Tenor Robert Getchell began singing at the University of Massachusetts, where he studied Spanish and French literature. He studied in France at the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, after which he continued his studies with Margreet Honig and Paula de Wit at the Sweelinck Conservatorium of Amsterdam. He participated in master classes with Rudolf Jansen, Ton Koopman, Charlotte Margiono, Udo Reineman and Nolle Barker. He is regularly in demand as a concert soloist for works such as the Mozart Requiem, Handel's Messiah, and Bach's Passions, with ensembles including the Bachkoor Holland, Bach Collegium Breda, Tragicomedia, under Stephen Stubbs, and Cappella Figuralis and the Netherlands Bach Association under Jos van Veldhoven. He has sung several roles in baroque operas and appeared at various festivals including those of Versailles, Ambronay, Fribourg and Utrecht. Peter Harvey studied singing at Magdalen College, Oxford and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he received many prizes and scholarships for national and international competitions. Harvey has appears with ensembles including the Gabrieli Consort, The Purcell Quartet, The Academy of Ancient Music and Christopher Hogwood, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent and with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen. He made his debut with Sir John Eliot Gardener in a Purcell program in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. His repertoire includes the major bass roles in Bach's St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passions, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Handel's Messiah. Harvey has participated in many radio, cd and television recordings. Peter Harvey has already appeared in many productions with the Netherlands Bach Association. Since 1983 The Netherlands Bach Society is working with its own Choir and Orchestra. Both are made up of about twenty musicians, all of them specialised in performing 17th and 18th century repertoire. The direction of the choir lies with Jos van Veldhoven, who is also artistic director of The Netherlands Bach Society. About half of the yearly projects are performed under his direction. Additionally, the Choir and Orchestra regularly work with guest conductors including Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman, Paul McCreesh, Jos van Immerseel, Philippe Herreweghe, Hermann Max, Ren Jacobs, Frans Brggen, Andrew Parrott, Monica Hugget, Roger Norrington, Ivn Fisher and Paul van Nevel. The Choir and Orchestra of The Netherlands Bach Society have frequently appeared at festivals in the Netherlands and abroad. Concert tours have brought the choir to France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Norway and Japan. The Choir and Orchestra have made many recordings for radio- and television-broadcast and for cd-productions.

The Best in New-Format Software The Absolute sound October/November 2004
Schitterend is het boekwerkje bij de cd, met een weelde aan herders, Marias en kindje Jezus, uit de collectie van het Museum Catharijneconvent () Jos van Veldhoven weet er veel boeiends aan toe te voegen, dankzij het feit dat hij de koorzang tot in de puntjes verzorgd houdt. Subtiel is de engelenzang () Volkskrant
() King size solisten () () de nieuwste SACD techniek die het beeld bijzonder transparant en natuurlijk-warm inkleurt () Dagblad de Limburger/Limburgs Dagblad
Bach blijft verbazen, zekerer als hij door de Nederlandse Bachvereniging - ovl Jos van Veldhoven, met solisten als de sopraan Johannette Zomer zo superieur wordt uitgevoerd. Elsevier
() A sumptuous Bach presentation from the Netherlands () () fresh voices and polished playing by the Netherlands Bach Society () () Excellend solists () () the sound-sepctrum is spacious but immediate () BBC Music Magazine
() Koor en orkest musiceren gedreven en zijn prachtig van klank, prachtige zijden achtige strijkers en heldere, ronde blazers. () () Johannette Zomer krijgt een eervolle vermelding met haar bijzondere fraaie en heldere timbre () () deze produktie kan niet anders verwelkomd worden met een welgemeend en hartgrondig Jauchzet! en Frohlocket!, Klassieke Zaken
() The deep red velours-covered box with gold lettering cries out: "Hold me, hold me!" () (.) this is one of the occasions where beauty and astistry are reflected not only in the surface but right to the core. A Marvelous performance of Bachs six cantata cycle that offers ravishing coral singing () () superior contributions from the four solo vocalists () Classics Today.com
() The Dutch soprano Johannette Zomer, German alto and tenor, Annett Markert and Gerd Trk, and the British bass Peter Harvey all excellent. The performence is unfailingly stylish, moving in the retelling of the Nativity and appropriately joyful. The Sunday Times.
() een op alle fronten scorende opname die ook nog eens schitterend is vormgegeven. Een hebbedingetje in optima forma dus. Zelden heb ik eerder een zo afgewogen uitvoering van het Weihnachts gehoord. Zelden heb ik ook producties onder handen gehad waarvan de vormgeving z goed aansloot op de inhoud. Het fluweel van de boxje waarin de cds en het begeleidende (gebonden) boekje geleverd worden reflecteert de warmte van de uitvoering. Koor en orkest hebben dezelfde presentie, dezelfde gloed n zachtheid. De stem van Johanette Zomer straalt als het goud van de opdruk, de alt van Annette Markert behaagt als de zijdeachtige stof. De ranke doorleefdheid in de voordracht van Gert Trk en Peter Harvey vindt weer zijn evenbeeld in de schitterende reproducties (van kunstwerken uit het Utrechtse Catharijne Convent) in het 192 paginas tellende boekje. En dan mag de voornaam klinkende (Super Audio)-opname ook niet onvermeld blijven. Scherpe kantjes zijn er aan deze productie dus niet te vinden. Wie die graag opzoekt moet elders zijn licht opsteken. Ieder ander kan zich laven aan bijna tweeneenhalf uur luister en kijkplezier. Webside Radio A4
() this is one of those occasions where beauty and artistry are reflected not only on the surface but right through to the core. This is a marvelous performance of Bach's six-cantata cycle that offers ravishing choral singing, sharply detailed orchestral playing, and superior contributions from the four solo vocalists, all presented in state-of-the-art sound. () () Channel Classics and its partners have put together a potential classic, one that deserves not only to be held, but also to be heard. () David Vernier/Classics today.com
Iets mooiers kun je je nauwelijks voorstellen met de kerst! HIFI
() The Dutch soprano Johannette Zomer, German alto and tenor, Annett Markert and Gerd Trk,and the British bass Peter Harvey all excellent. The performence is unfailingly stylish, moving in the retelling of the Nativity and appropriately joyful. The Sunday Times.
() Unusual distinguished instrumental playing () () Anyone who received it as a gift over the Christmas season has reason to feel very grateful indeed. Fanfare () extravagant choice for Christmas () The singing is casual, warm singing atmosphere () Arts & Entertainment () exceptional clarity, singing and playing with virtuoso exuberance () () This is one of the best performances in the Christmas Oratorio sweepstakes, but what puts it on top is its sound, which is so natural that I felt I could walk up to the speakers and touch the players and singers. Ultra-audio.com () Impressionant! () () une ralisation instrumentale de toute beaut () Crescendo (...) als bibliofiel en als audiofiel ben je verkocht voor de uitvoering en de opname. SACD Gids () Impressionnant!! () une ralisation instrumentale de toute beaut qui met en valeur tant collectivement quindividuellement les instrumentistes de la Socit de Bach Nerlandaise. () Crescendo
Ce coffre tmoigne dun effort ditorial exceptionnel: gliss dans un beau fourreau en velours, ce double SACD hybride possde un magnifique livret cartonne de 190 pages, dot dune riche iconographie religieuse sur la nativit. (...) () Linterprtation de Jos van Veldhoven et de son ensemble sur instruments dpoque est la hauteur de son emballage. () () Lexcellente prise de son, chaleureusement rverbre mais trs prcise et dtaille, rend les instruments trs prsents, sans tre durs ou surexposs () () Trs belle version!! Classica
(...) Solisten, Chor und Orchester interpretieren das beliebte Werk frisch und geradlinig, mit schlankem transparenten Klang, zudem rumlich gut abgebildet im mehrkanaligen SACD-Format. (...) Rondo
(...) Die edle Verpackung findet ihre feine Entsprechung im musikalischen Inhalt. Herausragender Klang, vorzglich die Solisten, der Chor und das Orchester. GALA
() Chor und Orchester musizieren unter der Leitung von Jos van Veldhoven tadellos, die Turbachre haben Schwung, die Chorle innigen Ausdruck, das Klangbild ist immer schn transparent, Souvern und stilsicher agiert auch das Solistenquartett. Crescendo
() Daher mssen diesem Chor hchstes Lob gezollt werden: das ist eine Leistung der Superklasse! Nie bringt eine Stimmlage aus, nie gibt eine Stimme nach, die wirklich schnellen Koloraturen werden entwaffnend souvern gesungen, die Stimmen sitzen und sind stndig prsent, nie aufdringlich. () () Jos van Veldhoven: seine Interpretation ist eine der besten auf dem Gebiet der bislang eingespielten Bachschen Weihnachtsoratorien. () () diese Doppel-CD ist jedenfalls wrmstens zu empfehlen und kommt vor dem Weihnachstfest gerade recht, um etwas abzuschalten. Toccata () Feststimmung fr Auge und Ohr. () Der Tagesspiegel