Dutch bass Harry van der Kamp dies at 79

Prominent Dutch bass Harry van der Kamp has died at the age of 79. A specialist in Baroque and early music, van der Kamp was a founding singer of Cappella Amsterdam and sang with the Nederlands Kamerkoor for 20 years, where he also served as an artistic advisor.

In 1984, he founded the Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam to revive obscure repertoire. His extensive career included collaborations with renowned specialists such as Gustav Leonhardt and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and he recorded over 120 CDs. One of his most significant achievements was the monumental recording of the complete vocal works of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, a project he presented to Queen Beatrix in 2010.

For his contributions to music, van der Kamp was appointed a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and became an honorary citizen of Amsterdam. He also spent twenty years as a professor of singing in Bremen.