Henriëtte Bosmans

Who was Henriëtte Bosmans?

Henriëtte Hilda Bosmans was a Dutch composer.

Bosmans was born in Amsterdam, the daughter of Henri Bosmans, principal cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the pianist Sara Benedicts, piano teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory. Her father died when she was 6 months old. She studied piano with her mother and became a piano teacher herself at the age of 17. She became a celebrated pianist by the 1920s, performing throughout Europe with among others Monteux, Mengelberg and Ansermet. She gave 22 concertos with the Concertgebouw Orchestra alone between 1929 and 1949.

Bosmans began her composition studies with Jan Willem Kersbergen and later with Cornelis Dopper and Willem Pijper. She maintained a close friendship with Benjamin Britten. She died in her native city of Amsterdam and is buried at Zorgvlied cemetery.

The Henriëtte Bosmans Prize, named after Bosmans, is an encouragement prize for young Dutch composers. The prize, consisting of €2500 and a performance, has been awarded since 1994 by the Society of Dutch Composers.