Jan Cober (1951) studied clarinet and conducting at the Conservatory of Maastricht. He was leading clarinettist with the Radio Symphony Orchestra and the “Residential orchestra” of The Hague. He conducted many -including symphonic- orchestras. Jan Cober has played a crucial role in the Dutch- and international wind music of the past decades. He did so in advisory and stimulating functions such as adviser to SAMO Netherlands (“Samenwerkende Amateur Muziek Organisaties” – “Cooperating Amateur Music Organisations”) and being conductor for fourteen years of the National Youth Wind Orchestra. From 1976 onwards Mister Cober was a teacher at the conservatories of Maastricht, Tilburg and Utrecht and has since then educated generations of young musicians. In his role as chief conductor of the Koninklijke Harmonie van Thorn (de “bokken”, 1984-2004) and the Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile Eijsden he was and is still stimulating innovation in wind music repertoire. Nowadays Mr.Cober is a lecturer at the European Training Institute for conductors in Trento (Italy), gives master classes and workshops worldwide and appears regularly as a guest conductor.
Until recently Jan Cober was chief conductor of the Rundfunk Blasorchester (RBO) at Leipzig and artistic director of the Bläserakademie Sachsen.
He performs regularly as a guest conductor with the RBO at Leipzig and the symphonic wind orchestra Schweizer Armee Spiel from Switzerland.
Mr. Cober has been the conductor and artistic director of Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile since 1995. Under his leadership Sainte Cécile became the winner of the WMC in Kerkrade in 2009. In 2007 he won the Open Dutch Championships with Sainte Cécile (mini World Music Contest). Moreover Mr.Cober and Sainte Cécile were Dutch champions in the Concert Division, the highest concert level within the “Bond van Muziekgezelschappen in Nederland” (the Association of Music Ensembles in Holland).

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