The name Han Kooreneef may not say anything to everyone. But if you look at his work, you know that the Rosmalen composer is a heavyweight in the Dutch music world. Well-known songs such as: ‘Dreams are deceit’ by Marco Borsato, ‘I no longer live for you’ by Jeroen van den Boom, but also the marriage song of Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander are from his hand. On Saturday afternoon he was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, one of the most important royal awards in our country.
In a limo, Kooreneef arrives on Saturday afternoon at the vinegar factory in Den Bosch. Under the guise of ‘a surprise for his wife’, he was lured to the pop venue by his children. Inside, friends, family, acquaintances but also big names from the music world are waiting to surprise the Rosmalen composer.
Not surprising, since Kooreneef wrote texts for the Crème de la Crème of the Netherlands Music Industry over the years. Guus Meeuwis, Direct, Mathilde Santing and Paul de Leeuw, among others, turned to the Rosmalen music genius for their lyrics.
Royal family is a fan
Even our royal family is a big fan of the composer. For example, he was allowed to compose the wedding song of Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander and wrote the song “Now that you’re there”, when Princess Amalia was born.
He received the decorations by deputy mayor Ralph Geers van den Bosch. “Talented, creative, innovative, leading, unique and groundbreaking are the qualifications that are assigned to Mr. Kooreneef,” the municipality writes in a statement. “His work is of a very exceptional nature. It can be said of Mr Kooreneef that he has left an important mark on the musical landscape in the Netherlands and beyond.”
Exceptional act
Kooreneef receives De Ridder in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. An important distinction that scientists with a groundbreaking discovery, artists with international recognition and athletes with an Olympic medal can, for example. The Order of the Netherlands Lion serves as one of the oldest and most important orders that the Netherlands has and is only awarded to people who have ‘performed an achievement of a very exceptional act’.