Hans van den Hombergh
Hans van den Hombergh, fully Joannes Antonius Herman van den Hombergh, was a Dutch pianist, conductor, and music teacher. He was born in Venlo on 26 August 1923 and died in Haarlem on 2 January 2012.
He attended St. Thomas College in Venlo before studying at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He received piano instruction from George van Renesse and studied orchestral and choral conducting with Anthon van der Horst and, later, Cornelius Berkhout.
Van den Hombergh began his career at the Folk Music School in Amsterdam North, where he worked with the Gehrels method. He played the virginal and other keyboard instruments in Muziekkring Obrecht, one of the earliest early-music ensembles.
He subsequently worked as a répétiteur and choir director with organizations including the Dutch Opera and Opera Forum. In 1969 he joined the Netherlands Chamber Choir, serving as its principal conductor from 1972 to 1975, succeeding Felix de Nobel.
Afterward, he taught at the Arnhem Conservatory and the Amsterdam Conservatory. He was also active with smaller ensembles, including the Exicon Vocal Ensemble in Enschede, PANiek in Nijmegen, and the COQU Vocal Ensemble in Utrecht. Through his work with Muziekkring Obrecht, he is regarded as a pioneer of the early-music movement.