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ruben hein
Born in 1982, singer and jazz pianist Ruben Hein grew up in a very musically gifted family, near the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. At the age of four he discovered the piano. By the time he was eight years old, he had his first classical lessons at the local music school. Already in this period of his life, Ruben was fascinated by musicians like Ray Charles, Randy Newman, Miles Davis, the Beach boys and the Beatles. Soon after his first classical lessons, Ruben started taking jazz lessons.
In 2001 Ruben started to study jazz piano at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. In the summer of 2008 he finished his Masters degree at that same conservatory. He studied with Kris Goessens, Karel Boehlee, Hans Vroomans, Rob van Bavel, John Taylor , Kenny Werner a.o. He also participated in many masterclasses and got the chance to work with people like John Clayton and Justin DiCioccio. Nowadays Ruben works with several groups: Hans Teeuwen Zingt!, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Benjamin Herman Quartet and Renske Taminiau Amsterdam Jazz Orchestra. Ever since he was young, Ruben had a fascination with singing.
This fascination took a professional step when he was working on a cruiseboat as a pianist and singer in the beginning of 2006. In February 2007 Ruben won the 2nd prize in the Dutch Jazz Vocal Competition.
Today, Ruben Hein is a celebrated pop artist, composer, presenter and orchestra leader. He has been the conductor of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NJJO) and has four studio records to his name: Loose Fit (2010), Hopscotch (2013), Dressed Up (2014) and Groundwork Rising (2018). He released a live album with the world- famous Metropole Orchestra in 2011. He was also a member of the well-known British indie formation Fink.
For his latest project, Ruben reconciles his two greatest fascinations: music and nature. In early 2020, just before the pandemic broke out, Ruben found himself on a boat at the South Pole,
surrounded by endless ocean waves, penguin colonies, whales and abandoned settlements. During this enrapturing Artist In Residency he captured the first ideas for his upcoming project in the hub of expedition vessel Hondius. This unique adventure in Ruben’s artistic pursuit was documented in an upcoming film directed by Hubert Neufeld.