Andriessen studied at the
Amsterdam Conservatory, completing his studies in 1906, and was awarded the school's Outstanding Achievement Prize for piano. He appeared frequently in concert performances in the Netherlands, and was noted for his interpretations of
J.S. Bach,
Mozart,
Beethoven and
Robert Schumann, though he also played piano pieces from contemporaries such as
Debussy,
Ravel,
Bartók and
Pijper. Andriessen taught at the
Royal Conservatory in The Hague (1910–18) and following this at the Muziekschool in Rotterdam after 1924. He was appointed director of the Amsterdam Conservatory from 1937 to 1953. He also gave
radio broadcasts of performances which included analyses of compositions. In 1942, following the
Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Andriessen and his brother
Hendrik were imprisoned in
Kamp Sint-Michielsgestel for a year, during which time Willem gave lecture-concerts for the prisoners. ==Andriessen family tree==