After being prizewinner in the Bad Harzburg Natural Horn Competition 1989, Teunis van der Zwart decided to become a worldwide ambassador for the natural horn.
He is a renowned specialist for his instrument, both as a soloist, chamber music player, and teacher.
Since 2008 Teunis van der Zwart is increasingly active as conductor of orchestras and choirs.
As a hornplayer he made numerous recordings and concert-tours with outstanding ensembles for early music, like the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, windsextet Nachtmusique, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bach Collegium Japan, Collegium Vocale Gent. For fifteen years van der Zwart was the principal hornplayer of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, a position he still has with The Orchestra of the 18th Century. With both these orchestras he regularly performed as a soloist ann made CD-recordings of Mozart's hornconcertos for Harmonia Mundi France and Glossa.
With the Japanese Orchestra Libera Classica and Hidemi Suzuki, he made a CD-recording of Joseph Haydn's hornconcerto for TDK. In 2008 a CD-recording of Brahms' horntrio with Isabelle Faust, violin, and Alexander Melnikow, piano, came out on Harmonia Mundi France, and in december 2007 Van der Zwart recorded the Ries double concerto for two horns with the Kölner Akademie, conducted by Michael Willens. With both the Orchestra of the 18th century and the Netherlands Bach Society Van der Zwart recorded the Quoniam of Bach's b-minor mass. As a soloist he worked with such conductors as Frans Brüggen, Philippe Herreweghe, Hidemi Suzuki and René Jakobs.
As a chamber music player, soloist, teacher and lecturer, he appeared in numerous concert-series and festivals throughout Europe, the United States of America, Australia and Japan. Teunis van der Zwart teaches both at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. At both conservatories he is a regular conductor of the baroque orchestras.
He is the founder and musical leader of the Sinuet Chamber Orchestra.