As a child, René Jacobs was already a choirboy at Saint Bavo's Cathedral in his hometown of Ghent.
René Jacobs
Conductor
After studying classical languages at the University of Ghent and singing at the city's conservatory, he taught Latin at the Sint-Lievenscollege for some time. He also took lessons from the famous countertenor Alfred Deller and became a full-time musician in 1977. Initially, Jacobs gained great fame as a countertenor. He performed in countless baroque operas, sang a lot of church music and made a large number of CD recordings. He later also focused on conducting music from the 17th and 18th centuries and is considered an expert on baroque opera.
In 1977, René Jacobs also founded the Concerto Vocale ensemble. It became one of the top ensembles in the field of authentic music practice. He also conducted many specialized ensembles such as Concerto Köln, the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin and the Freiburger Barockorchester. From 1997 to 2009, he was the artistic director of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik. René Jacobs has made more than 250 recordings during his long career. The music of Bach occupies an important place in his recordings. He has recorded both versions of the
St. John Passion
, from 1724 and 1725, on CD. Over the years he has expanded his repertoire. His performances of Mozart's operas are exemplary. He also conducts works by Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn.