LAWRENCE RENES, Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic since October l996, assumed the position of Chief Conductor/Artistic Advisor of the Gelders Orchestra in Arnhem in August 1998.

Born in 1970 in the Netherlands, Lawrence Renes received international recognition in March 1995 when on twenty-four hours notice he was called in to replace Riccardo Chailly with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, conducting Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. The performance was taped for later telecast and was also the subject of a documentary on Mr. Renes entitled "A Dream Debut."

Mr. Renes studied violin at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and conducting at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he graduated with honors in 1993. He made his professional debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria. At the International Conductors' Masterclass of the Netherlands Radio in August 1992, he was awarded First Prize conducting the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. The concert was broadcast from the Concertgebouw and his award included a guest appearance with the Kanazawa Symphony Orchestra of Japan. In November 1992 he was presented the Elisabeth Everts Prize, a prestigious Dutch award for outstanding young musicians.

As assistant to Edo de Waart, his activities included the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Netherlands Opera production of Werther, the Mahler celebration at the Concertgebouw, Schoenberg's Gürrelieder at the Holland Festival and a recording of the Mahler cycle. Since his debut with The Hague Residentie Orchestra in July 1993, he has conducted such leading Dutch orchestras as the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Symphony, Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Brabant Orchestra and the Gelders Orchestra. Following a tour in the Netherlands with the Zagreb Philharmonic, he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of that orchestra. In August 1996 he conducted a concert for the opening of Amsterdam's Arena Stadium, which was attended by an audience of 50,000 and telecast live.

Mr. Renes’ orchestral engagements have included the Beethovenhalle Orchestra in Bonn, Sydney Symphony, Orchestre National Bordeaux, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted operas for Flemish Opera (Cosi fan Tutte, Rigoletto), Houston Opera (Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni) and Dutch Touring Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera, Le Nozze di Figaro, Parsifal, Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Tristan und Isolde, and Eugen Onegin). In June 2001 he will make his Netherlands Opera debut with Johnny and Jones, written by Theo Loevendie. In November 2001 he will make his debut with Hamburg State Opera with Madame Butterfly, which will be followed by Mozart´s Le Nozze di Figaro in October/November 2002.

Future engagements include the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic (with a concert in the Hollywood Bowl), Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. After his recent success with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic he was immediately re-invited for two-week periods each season.

His recordings include an all-Gershwin CD with the Royal Philharmonic for Sony, the Dvorak cello Concerto with Peter Wispelwey and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra for Channel Classics, and the Vieuxtemps violinconcerti with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and Alexander Markov for ERATO.