Han de Vries is the leading exponent of the Dutch School of oboe playing, known for its colourful, personal approach. He studied the oboe with Jaap Stotijn in the Hague and in Amsterdam with Haakon Stotijn, winning many prizes including the Prix d’Excellence. At twenty-two he was appointed teacher at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, and he also became principal oboist of the renowned Concertgebouw Orchestra.

After seven years Han de Vries left the orchestra to devote himself entirely to solo playing and chamber music. Besides playing the modern oboe, he has explored the possibilities of the baroque oboe. Alongside his busy schedule as a performer including many concert tours, Han de Vries has managed to find time to build a vast collection of old instruments.

A man of wide musical sympathies, he is keen to extend the contemporary repertoire of the oboe, and among the composers who have written works especially for him are Louis Andriessen, Willem Breuker, Morton Feldman, Bruno Maderna and Peter Schat.

His recordings have won him prestigious prizes, including two Edison awards.