Lucas Vis (1947) is considered a specialist for contemporary music. He has worked with important composers such as John Cage, Mauricio Kagel, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Theo Loevendie, Louis Andriessen and many others. Lucas Vis has conducted numerous premieres.

Vis began his musical career as a cellist. After winning a prize in a conducting course at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, he developed increasingly as a multifaceted conductor. From 1976 to 1979 he was principal conductor of the „Nederlands Ballet Orkest“, where he conducted performances of both classical and modern ballet; as guest conductor he has led all Dutch orchestras, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra, various radio orchestras and several ensembles covering a wide-ranging repertoire. From 1988 to 1996 Lucas Vis was the principal conductor of the „Noordhollands Philharmonisch Orkest“ in Haarlem, where he appeared on the podium for works from many different eras. At the Netherlands Opera he has conducted not only operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, Ferruccio Busoni, Bruno Maderno and Giuseppi Verdi, but also many premieres by Dutch composers such as Otto Ketting, Theo Loevendi and Guus Jansen. While working as an assistant to Bruno Maderna from 1967 to 1973 he was awarded the Koussevitzky Tanglewood Composition Prize in 1971.

From 1998 until 2005 he was principle of the Amsterdam Conservatory („Conservatorium van Amsterdam“). Since 2003 he holds a professorship in conducting there. At the same time he is guest conductor of numerous European orchestra’s, ensembles and is leading masterclasses in conducting.

Lucas Vis @ Conservatorium van Amsterdam