In the Netherlands, van Steen was conductor and music director of the Nijmegen Bach Choir from 1986 to 1990.
Currently, in collaboration with fellow conductors Kenneth Montgomery and Ed Spanjaard at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, he manages a course in conducting, to which only two students are admitted annually.
In the UK, van Steen was Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales between 2005 and 2013.
[2][3] In May 2014, the Ulster Orchestra named van Steen its next principal guest conductor, effective September 2014.
[4][5] Van Steen has frequently been broadcast by the BBC, and has recorded many CDs with various of the orchestras he has directed.