Jasper de Waal, Principal Horn

Jasper de Waal started playing with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in April 2012 and was offered the position of principal horn in December 2014.

A winner of several regional music competitions for young musicians in 1983 and 1984, Jasper de Waal graduated from the Brabant Conservatory, Tilburg, in 1988. After spending two years in the Royal Military Band, he received a diploma in performance from the Royal Conservatory of the Hague in 1990. Jasper played first horn for the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague from 1990 through to 2004 and then occupied the position of first horn with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from 2004 until 2012.

Jasper de Waal has given solo concerts, recitals, and masterclasses all over the world. He has recorded many CDs, including chamber music and horn concertos by Haydn, a CD of chamber music by Brahms, Schumann and Reinecke, as well as Benjamin Britten’s famous serenade. He can be heard on numerous recordings as the principal horn of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by chief conductor Mariss Jansons.

In addition to his career as a horn player, Jasper de Waal is also active as a conductor in Europe and South Korea. He is currently a lecturer at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.