Kersjes, Anton (Frans Jan)

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Kersjes, Anton (Frans Jan)

Kersjes, Anton (Frans Jan), Dutch conductor; b. Arnhem, Aug. 17, 1923. He studied conducting with Felix Hupka in Amsterdam and Eugene Bigot in Paris. In 1953 he became co-founder and conductor of the Kunstmaand Chamber Orch. in Amsterdam, which became the Kunstmaand Orch. in 1955 and the Amsterdam Phil, in 1969; was its principal conductor until 1983. He took this orch. to the Soviet Union in 1972, making it the first Dutch ensemble to give concerts there. From 1969 to 1979 he led the conducting class at the Sweelinck Cons, in Amsterdam.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire