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Hans Vonk (June 18, 1942, August 29 , 2004) Dutch conductor, champion of Dutch composers such as Alphons Diepenbrock.
Born in Amsterdam, Vonk studied music at the Amsterdam Conservatory and law at Amsterdam University. During this time, he made a living from gigs as a jazz pianist. He debuted as a conductor with the Netherlands National Ballet, and married the dancer Jesse Folkerts. Later on Vonk conducted the Royal Concertgebouw and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1988 he conducted La Scala in Milan in a revival of Jommelli's Fetonte, but then had to take a year off from conducting after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological condition. He appeared to recover and resumed conducting. The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra appointed him music director in 1996, succeeding Leonard Slatkin. He died in his Amsterdam home.
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