Anneke Van Giersbergen
Anna Maria van Giersbergen (Sint-Michielsgestel, 8 March 1973), known artistically as Anneke van Giersbergen, is a Dutch singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. She became internationally known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the progressive and atmospheric rock band The Gathering, of which she was a member from 1994 to 2007. During this period she recorded seminal albums such as Mandylion (1995) and Nighttime Birds (1997), which defined the band's sound and established her name on the international scene.
After leaving the group, she developed a successful solo career — initially under the project Agua de Annique and, from 2012 onwards, under her own name — and also formed the bands The Gentle Storm (2015) and VUUR (2017). She is recognised for her wide vocal range and stylistic versatility, having moved naturally between atmospheric rock, progressive metal, folk and acoustic pop over more than three decades.
A frequent collaborator of Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Devin Townsend, Anneke has also worked with artists such as Within Temptation, Anathema, Amorphis, Napalm Death, Moonspell, Novembers Doom, Globus, Lawn, Farmer Boys and Giant Squid, among many others. In 2019, she received the Buma ROCKS! Export Award, given annually by the Dutch copyright organisation Buma Cultuur to the Dutch artist with the greatest international presence in heavy music.
In 2025, The Gathering's classic Mandylion line-up reunited for a series of shows commemorating the album's 30th anniversary. The overwhelming response to the sold-out shows in the Netherlands led the band to an extensive world tour in 2026, with dates at festivals and venues across Europe, North America and South America.
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