Born: February 16, 1856 - Dordrecht, the Netherlands Died:
February 22, 1934 - Munich, Germany The Dutch conductor,
violinist, and composer, Willem Kes, studied violin with various
teachers in the Netherlands, then with Ferdinand David at the
Leipzig Conservatory (1871), Wieniawski in Brussels (1873), and
Joseph Joachim in Berlin (1875). He also studied composition
with Reinecke, Bargiel, and Kiel in Berlin. In 1876 Willem Kes
was made 1st concert-master of the Park-Orkest in Amsterdam. He
became its conductor in 1883, and was also conductor of the
Dordrecht's orchestra, choir, and music school from 1877 to
1888. In 1888 he became the first principal conductor of the
Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, leading its inaugural concert
on November 3, 1888, and remaining with it until 1895. On his
appointment the musical life in the Netherlands suggested almost
nothing. Johannes Brahms once said in 1879 that Amsterdam seems
to have nice people, but bad musicians. Kes brought his
musicians a strict discipline. Those