Jef van den Berg

Jef Van den Berg was born at Merksem (Belgian province of Antwerp) on 18 October 1917. He studied solfeggio (musical theory), piano and bassoon at the Antwerp conservatory. In the 1940s and 1950s he was pianist in several light orchestral ensembles, and directed his own. From 1970 till 1982 he taught solfeggio at the (Antwerp) Studio Herman Teirlinck. In 1961 - 1982 he worked for Flemish (Dutch-language Belgian) public broadcaster BRT, first as director, later also as producer, making cabaret, revues, the talent hunt 'Ontdek de Ster' and the popular Sunday afternoon show 'Binnen en Buiten'. He also composed music for light programs such as 'Wat doen we met de liefde?' and TV cabaret ('De Kanarifant') and made arrangements for musical comedies such as 'Muziek voor twee' or 'De dame en de knecht'. In 1957 the Festival della Canzone at Venice awarded him the Silver Lion for the song "'k Vergeet u nooit, Venetië" (Dutch for 'I'll never forget you, Venice'), written in collaboration with Bert De Corte. Jef Van den Berg furthermore wrote music for Flemish singers such as Will Ferdy, Louis Neefs and Lize Marke, who became the first female Belgian Eurovision song context entry, in 1965 in Napels, singing his 'Als het weer lente is' (When spring returns). In 1963 Van den Berg, who advocated opportunities for his fellow Flemings, received the Dutch-language music prize of the Belgian artists union SABAM. He died at his home in Berchem (near Antwerp) on April 21, 2007.