Herman van Veen in Bad Elster

Herman van Veen is a Dutch singer-songwriter, violinist, actor and theatre-maker, born in Utrecht in 1945. His work belongs to the kleinkunst and chanson traditions, joining narrative songs with comedy and theatrical performance. His best-known songs include “Hilversum III,” “Opzij” and “Anne,” and he created Alfred J. Kwak, the duck character later known through an animated television series. The 1969 solo programme Harlekijn began a long sequence of music-theatre productions performed in several languages. His theatre concerts combine songs, spoken stories, mime and violin playing, a format he has taken to stages in the Netherlands and abroad. He has returned repeatedly to Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam.