Born in Amsterdam in 1947, Bob van Asperen studied harpsichord and organ with Gustav Leonhardt and Albert de Klerk at the conservatory there, studies he finished in 1972 by obtaining the soloist diploma ‘cum laude’. His career, since then, has taken him to all European countries, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Japan, with harpsichord, organ and clavichord recitals and collaboration with Anner Bylsma, Bart Kuijken, Klaus Mertens, Lucy van Dael, and Thomas Pietsch, among others. He also conducts baroque ensembles and orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the European Union Baroque Orchestra, l’Orchestra della Toscana and the Collegium Vocale Gent.

He is a professor of harpsichord and thorough bass at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, a position he held for some nineteen years at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. As a guest teacher he has worked at the conservatories of Paris, Madrid and Milan, the Royal College of Music in London and the Berlin Hochschule der Künste. His very many recordings include award-winning solo releases as well as numerous collaborations with leading baroque ensembles.