A conductor
with a passion for
choral music
Klaas-Jan de Groot is a Dutch conductor and chorus master. From the 2025–2026 season he is the new Principal Chorus Director at Opernhaus Zürich. He regularly works with the Netherlands Radio Chorus (Groot Omroepkoor).
He has been assistant chorus master at the Bayreuther Festspiele every year since 2018, and served as Principal Chorus Director at the Aalto-Theater Essen from 2022 to 2025. In 2023 he debuted with the NDR Vokalensemble; in 2024 with the MDR Chor and the Rundfunkchor Berlin.
Klaas-Jan de Groot (b. 1993) started his musical path as a boy soprano in the Kampen Boys Choir, while simultaneously studying piano and organ. After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, he began his career as a professional conductor and chorus master.
From 2016 to 2022, he was assistant chorus master at Dutch National Opera, assisting Ching-Lien Wu on productions by Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner. In 2022–2023 he was responsible for the world premiere of Eurydice (Trojahn), a revival of Don Giovanni, and new productions of Anna Bolena and Tosca.
As guest chorus master, Klaas-Jan has prepared the Netherlands Radio Chorus for Nabucco, Semiramide, Jenufa, Norma, Beethoven 9, Bruckner Mass in f minor, and La Damnation de Faust at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht.
With the Orchestra of the 18th Century he was assistant conductor for Don Giovanni (2019) and conducted performances of Der Schauspieldirektor (2021). At Opera Zuid he conducted Un ballo in maschera and Fantasio with the Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland.
In 2021, Klaas-Jan was awarded the prestigious conducting prize of the Anton Kersjesfonds. In June 2024, the Aalto chorus — under his direction — was awarded the Aalto Bühnenpreis for their artistic achievements.
