Jan Quintus Zwart
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Jan Quintus Zwart was born in 1957 in Emmen. He received his first lessons from his father Willem Hendrik Zwart and later from the Kamper piano pedagogue Corrie Nijkamp. He then took organ, piano, and theory lessons at the Kamper Music School with Henk Sleurink and Henk Bos. At the Music Pedagogical Academy in Leeuwarden, he took conducting lessons (HaFaBra) from Piebe Bakker and Marcus Veenstra. He attended masterclasses in Switzerland and England with the famous English choral conductor Sir David Willcocks. From 1976, he worked at Mirasound as a recording technician and producer, and from 1984 as an independent producer (JQZ Music Productions Kampen), but also as a label and studio manager at Dureco in Weesp and Strengholt in Naarden. In 1984, he became the conductor of his first choir, the Chr. Gem. Singing Association Looft den Heer in Notter, a choir of which he is still the conductor.
After that, he went through a stormy development. In a short time, various other choirs followed, and he was 'discovered' by the radio and TV producer Jan de Haan from EO. Countless radio and TV recordings followed for this broadcaster for programs such as: 'Singing Together with Arie Pronk', the 'Summer Evening Singing Days', 'The Netherlands Sings' (radio and TV), 'Let Us Dedicate the Day of Rest', the 'EO Youth Day', the 'EO Family Day', the 'EO Fruit Basket Day', and the 'EO Netherlands Sings Day'.He also made programs for the NCRV. He was one of the main characters in the NPS documentary about choral singing in the Netherlands. EO made a TV portrait of him in the program 'Was Getekend' and he was a guest with Rev. Arie van der Veer in the program 'The Netherlands Sings on Sunday' and with Jan van den Bosch in Hour of Power.
In 1993, he became the conductor of the HOLLAND-CHOIR and made various recordings with this choir for EO television in Israel. He traveled for the program 'Nederland Zingt' to Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, England, France, and Denmark. With his choirs, he traveled to South Africa, Israel, Romania, Germany, England, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Scotland, Poland, Canada, and the USA. He performed, among others, for the Dutch royal family, Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, Israeli presidents Ehud Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu, the mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollak, and many others. With the ad hoc choir 'The Dutch Concert Chorale,' he performed in the famous 'Crystal Cathedral' of American television pastor Robert Schuller, and with the Dutch Festival Choir, he performed in Coventry (England) and Bern (Switzerland).
In addition to the Men's Choir in Hardenberg HCM, the HOLLAND-CHOIR and the Chr. Gem. Zangver. Looft den Heer in Notter, he is conductor of the Chr. Regional Choir Voices and Chr. Regional Choir Praise the Lord in Notter. He is also artistic director of Catharina's Choir & Orchestra in Harderwijk. In 2009 he celebrated his 25th anniversary as a conductor and was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. Since 2011 he has been the conductor of the Chr. Drechtsteden choir Praise Him in Dordrecht. In 2019 he celebrated his 35th anniversary as a conductor with a special concert with all "his" choirs" in De Doelen in Rotterdam. This concert was broadcast in parts on Family7 TV and a live CD was released. In 1991 he was involved as editor-in-chief in the revision and republication of the "Bundel van Johannes de Heer" and also in 2004 in the Jubilee edition of this famous and beloved songbook.
