Kes, Willem

1856-

Conductor and violinist, who was born in Dordrecht, Holland. His violin education was begun under Tyssens and Bcihm and his piano training under Northgurft. From 1871 until 1873 he was a pupil of Ferdinand David at the Leipsic Conservatory, then of Wieniawski at Brussels, and in 1876 of Joachim at Berlin. In 1876 he was made conductor of the Park Orchestra and leader of the Felix Mentis Society at Amsterdam. In 1890 he was directing the Society concerts at Dordrecht. In 1895 he was appointed leader of the Scottish  Orchestra at Glasgow, where he succeeded Henschel, and in 1898 he left Scotland to lead the Moscow Philharmonic Society and to fill a position of director in the Moscow Conservatory. In 1904 he returned to Leipsic and is now at Blasewitz, near Dresden. He is best known as a conductor and violinist, but is an accomplished pianist and has written some violin music.