Jos van Immerseel

The Belgian harpsichordist, pianist and conductor Jos van Immerseel studied organ, piano and harpsichord at the Antwerp Conservatory under Flor Peeters, Eugène Traey and harpsichordist and musicologist Kenneth Gilbert. He created the Collegium Musicum there, developing his interest in Renaissance and Baroque music, later expanding his activities to include the Classical and early Romantic eras.

Since winning First Prize and Audience Prize at the inaugural Paris International Harpsichord Competition in 1973, Jos van Immerseel has established an international career as a fortepianist and conductor specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical eras. Accomplished on the organ and piano as well as harpsichord and fortepiano, Van Immerseel has in particular gained a reputation for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert on Sony Classical. He is now in demand as a fortepianist in concert halls across Europe, where he is known for his refined sensitivity to the rhetorical aspects of music and for his skills in improvisation. Over the years, he has acquired a unique collection of period keyboard instruments, which travel with him for concerts and CD recordings.

In 1987 van Immerseel established the “period instrument” ensemble Anima Eterna, which he led untill his 75th anniversary in 2021. This ensemble has become well-known and achieved a world-wide reputation.

In addition to his concertising, van Immerseel was the artistic director of the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam and professor at the Antwerp Conservatory, where he uses historical instruments from the nearby Vleeshuis Museum to give masterclasses. He has also taught at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris, as well as given masterclasses at festivals in La Roque-d’Anthéron, Utrecht, Sopron and Ancona.

In 2010, the city of Bremen awarded him the Prize of the Musikfest Bremen for his career.