Europe’s most
Celebrating music for film, TV, and games. Supporting a branch of the industry that is often in the shadows. Connecting composers, professionals and fans worldwide. For 25 years now, this has been the ambition of Film Fest Gent. On behalf of the World Soundtrack Academy: welcome to the 25th anniversary edition of the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert!
Back in 1985, Film Fest Gent included a competition devoted to ‘film and music’ for the first time. In 2001, following the first ever live performance of Hans Zimmer’s music in 2000, the World Soundtrack Academy and World Soundtrack Awards were born. Over the next 25 years, the festival further established its unique focus on the art of screen music, inviting many film composers to present their music in concert, including Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, Rachel Portman, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and many more.
On this special occasion, we welcome and pay tribute to two guests of honour. Indian Oscar winner and world-famous composer A.R. Rahman will join us for the performance of his genre crossing film music. Renowned British composer Debbie Wiseman - featured in this year’s Music for Film album - will take the stage to conduct a selection of her own work. They will share the stage with the 2024 Discovery and Film Composer of the Year winner Jerskin Fendrix, who has brought along a selection from his acclaimed score for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things.
This anniversary is an ideal moment to look back and appreciate all the wonderful film music we have heard live in Ghent. Through a new, limited edition vinyl box set with highlights from our albums and concerts we honour 25 years of WSA.
Thank you to all composers, guests, WSAcademy members, agents and publicists for joining us, and to everyone – from partners and sponsors to volunteers – who help to facilitate the WSA year after year. Celebrating 25 years of World Soundtrack Awards would never have been possible without the many musicians who have brought the music to life. Therefore, I would like to end with special thanks to Film Fest Gent’s partner in music, the Brussels Philharmonic, whose virtuosity will once again be on full display this evening – under the expert baton of Maestro Dirk Brossé.
Become a member of the World Soundtrack Academy
Are you a composer for screen or a film music industry professional? Join the World Soundtrack Academy to help decide who wins the annual World Soundtrack Awards and participate in our WSA industry and networking events!
Wim De Witte Programme Director
CEREMONY & CONCERT PROGRAMME
COMPOSITION CONTEST
Music for an excerpt from the film The Elephant Man (1980) by Neville Bharucha, Théo Cascio, Bongseop Kim
Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna
Synchron Stage)
Best Original Song
JERSKIN FENDRIX
Poor Things (2023)
“Bella”
“I Just Hope She’s Alright”
“Portuguese Dance II”
“End Credits”
Discovery of the Year
Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam)
DEBBIE WISEMAN
Arsène Lupin (2004)
“Suite - 1st Movement”
Wilde (1997)
“Suite”
A.R. RAHMAN
Rangeela (1995)
“Raga Dance”
Thiruda Thiruda (1993)
“Catch Me if You Can”
BREAK (10’)
Public Choice Award WSA Game Music Award
DEBBIE WISEMAN
Wolf Hall (2015)
“Suite”
Haunted (1995)
“Suite”
Television Composer of the Year Film Composer of the Year
A.R. RAHMAN
The Goat Life (2024)
“The Beloved”
Bombay (1995)
“Bombay Theme”
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
“Latika’s Theme”
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Over the past 25 years the WSA concert formula has largely remained the same, capturing every stage of a composer’s career: you will be hearing the music of the young nominees for the composition contest; several pieces from Poor Things by Jerskin Fendrix, the emerging talent who won last year’s Discovery of the Year Award (and, remarkably, Film Composer of the Year Award as well); and selections from the oeuvres of our guests of honour A.R. Rahman and Debbie Wiseman.
Among the many highlights of the evening, keep an ear out for the phenomenon that is Jerskin Fendrix’s Poor Things, A.R. Rahman’s Oscar-winning music for Slumdog Millionaire and Debbie Wiseman’s Wilde, which recently rose to number 10 in the top 100 film scores of the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame 2025.
JERSKIN FENDRIX
Discovery of the Year 2024
Before turning to film scoring, Jerskin Fendrix was known for his work as a singersongwriter and for his critically acclaimed ‘Epunk’ album Winterreise, which Loud & Quiet Magazine named their 2020 Album of the Year.
His striking film score debut for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things received Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations and earned him two World Soundtrack Awards and the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack/Sound Design at Film Fest Gent’s 50th edition. His bold, offbeat, playful and somewhat quirky sound proved a perfect fit for Yorgos Lanthimos, with whom he has since collaborated on Kinds of Kindness and Bugonia.
Fendrix’s new solo album Once Upon a Time... in Shropshire is a collection of ten folk songs about life and death in the countryside. The opening track, “Beth’s Farm”, has been released with a six-minute music video directed by Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, extending their artistic collaboration.
DEBBIE WISEMAN
GUEST OF HONOUR
Appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to music, Debbie Wiseman is one of Britain’s most treasured composers. Four of her albums have reached number one in the UK Classical Chart and since 2015, she has been the Composer in Residence of Classic FM, the biggest classical music radio station in the world.
Over the years, she has regularly received commissions to compose for British royal events and ceremonies: she wrote music for both the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees of Elizabeth II, created celebratory albums for the Queen’s 90th and 95th birthdays, and composed two Alleluias for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey.
With 200-plus credits to her name, she is responsible for some of the most iconic British film and TV themes in recent history. Her scores include Wolf Hall, Wilde, Haunted, Warriors, Judge John Deed, Tom & Viv,
Arsène Lupin, Edie, To Olivia, The Undeclared War and Father Brown. After scoring Wilde, she collaborated with Sir Stephen Fry on several occasions, including the album The Mythos Suite, a combination of audiobook and soundtrack based on Fry’s retelling of the Greek myths in Mythos.
She has been nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards for Wilde and The Death of Yugoslavia and was a nominee at the 44th annual Grammy Awards for her album Wilde Stories. She has won a TRIC Award for The Good Guys and an RTS Award for Warriors.
She was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters in 2007. In 2016 she was awarded the Best Composer, Drama award at the RTS West Awards and Best Original Composition for a TV Programme at the Music and Sound Awards, both for Wolf Hall.
Film Fest Gent’s 2025 album in the ‘Music for Film’ series is dedicated to Debbie Wiseman’s film and television scores, and is available via shop.filmfestival.be.
A.R. RAHMAN
GUEST OF HONOUR
A.R. Rahman is an Indian composer and musician whose extensive body of work for film and stage earned him the nickname ‘the Mozart of Madras’.
His first collaboration with Bollywood film director Mani Ratnam was Roja in 1992, which resulted in Rahman’s first major film soundtrack hit. A fusion of classical Indian music with contemporary sounds, the album was included in Time Magazine’s 10 Best Soundtracks of All Time. Other collaborations with Ratnam include Thiruda Thiruda, Bombay and Dil Se... Working with lyricist Don Black, Rahman composed the score for the stage musical Bombay Dreams, a colourful satire of Bollywood films. The show opened in London’s West End in 2002, followed by a Broadway version of the show, which opened in 2004. He also wrote a stage musical version of The Lord of the Rings.
A breakthrough in Hollywood came with Elizabeth: The Golden Age in 2007, cocomposed with Craig Armstrong and directed by Shekhar Kapur, and especially with Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. His fusion of Indian music with hiphop, R&B and house music became a global phenomenon, both as a box-office success and a critical triumph. Rahman’s soundtrack won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Grammy Award; his song “Jai Ho” from the film earned him a second Oscar and Grammy, and also won Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film at the 2009 World Soundtrack Awards.
Other notable projects in his portfolio of over 150 film scores include Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy, Lagaan (the first Bollywood film nominated for an Academy Award), and Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, Rockstar, Highway, Blinded by the Light and The Goat Life.
GOLDENTHAL
WORLD SOUNDTRACK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
25 YEARS OF FILM MUSIC
Inspired by the vibrant tunes and melodies of multicultural New York, Elliot Goldenthal started studying composition under the tutelage of John Corigliano and, later on, Aaron Copland. After composing some classical orchestral pieces, he broadened his artistic horizon from the concert hall to the theatre scene and the big screen in the 1980s. His epic score for David Fincher’s Alien³ (1992) pushed his fame beyond the American borders and his music for Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire (1994) earned him his first Academy Award nomination.
Throughout the years Goldenthal created a unique artistic fingerprint, characterised by innovation and a delicate mix of styles and genres, that has inspired many film directors. This resulted in long lasting collaborations with, among others, Michael Mann (Heat, Public Enemies) and Joel Schumacher (A Time to Kill ) and a series of nominations and accolades. His most celebrated score, however, was created after teaming up with Julie Taymor, his artistic and life partner, for her biopic (2002). His impressive attempt to translate the colourful world of painter Frida Kahlo to music was rewarded with an Academy Award, Golden Globe and two World Soundtrack Awards.
→
Film Fest Gent celebrates the 25th anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards with a triple album release: Debbie Wiseman: Music for Film and Television, a new recording in Film Fest Gent’s annual album series featuring the composer’s finest music for screen, Craig Armstrong: Music for Film, an expanded reissue of the festival’s very first official CD (now available internationally for the first time), and World Soundtrack Awards – 25th Anniversary Celebration, a box set with highlights from all of Film Fest Gent’s studio recordings, including
→ Elliot Goldenthal was born in New York in 1954
a bonus LP featuring memorable live performances from 25 years of World Soundtrack Awards concerts. This limited edition of 500 copies is exclusively available on vinyl.
The music on the albums is performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and Vlaams Radiokoor, conducted by Film Fest Gent music director Dirk Brossé. Released by Silva Screen Records during the 52nd edition of Film Fest Gent, the albums are available at the festival’s webshop: shop.filmfestival.be
→ Wrote music for more than 60 films and plays
→ Frequent collaborator of Julie Taymor and
Michael Mann
Won an Oscar for his score for Frida
ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Academy proudly reveal the nominations for the World Soundtrack Awards 2025 in the categories Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage), Best Original Song, Discovery of the Year, Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam), Public Choice Award, Game Music Award, Television Composer of the Year and Film Composer of the Year.
COMPOSITION CONTEST
Every year, young composers have the opportunity to prove their worth in the WSA Film Music Composition Contest. Putting their skills to the test, the participants were invited to write a brand new score for an excerpt from The Elephant Man (1980), directed by David
Lynch. A professional jury consisting of Dirk Brossé (Jury President, Film Fest Gent Music Director), composer Michel Bisceglia, directors Anne Verbeure and Meltse Van Coillie, and Patrick Duynslaegher (Classics Curator Film Fest Gent, journalist) selected three finalists: Neville Bharucha, Théo Cascio and Bongseop Kim. At the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert, we will find out who wins the Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage).
The Elephant Man, David Lynch (1980)
BEST ORIGINAL COMPOSITION BY A YOUNG COMPOSER (POWERED BY VIENNA SYNCHRON STAGE)
NEVILLE BHARUCHA
Neville Bharucha began piano lessons with his father at the age of 4 and was soon composing short pieces. He earned a master’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Southampton where he studied under renowned pianist and composer David Owen Norris, followed by a second master’s degree in Composition for Moving Images at City University in London. He is the winner of the 24th Ennio Porrino International Piano Competition and was awarded the Kerr Memorial Prize for Outstanding Musicianship at the Royal Over-Seas League. Neville currently heads the production department of Groves Sound Communications in Hamburg, composing for film and TV.
THÉO CASCIO
Théo Cascio started playing the violin at age 5 and switched to piano at 14. He earned his degree in Composition at the Reims Conservatory under André Serre-Milan and continued his studies in Orchestration with Olivier Kaspar at the Saint-Maur Conservatory. He also specialised in film scoring with
Fabien Cali at the Argenteuil Conservatory and later joined the film scoring programme at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2024. Théo has scored several documentaries including The Secret Life of the Andean Bear, Four Seasons with the Pandas and The Last Territory of the Lynx. With Fabien Cali, he also co-scored It Was the Algerian War, The Picasso Affair and In the Footsteps of Clément VI.
BONGSEOP KIM
Bongseop Kim grew up in an artistic household in South Korea. Originally trained as a trumpet player, he began studying Composition at the age of 18. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Korea Baptist Theological University and Seminary and a master’s degree from Chungnam National University, where he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Composition. He is the founder and president of the CN Contemporary Music Society, promoting new music creation and performance. His works have been selected for various projects and festivals, including Elixir of Love (performed by Ensemble Écoute), Orbits of Reveries (featured at the Daegu Contemporary Music Festival), and Zephyr’s Resonance (premiered at the Seoul Arts Center).
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“BEAUTIFUL THAT WAY” FROM
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
written by Andrew Wyatt, Lykke Li, Miley Cyrus performed by Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Matt Dunkley
“EL MAL” FROM EMILIA PÉREZ
written by Clément Ducol, - Camille -, Jacques Audiard performed by Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón
“I LIED TO YOU” FROM SINNERS
written by Ludwig Göransson, Raphael Saadiq performed by Miles Caton
“NEVER TOO LATE” FROM ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE
written by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, Bernie Taupin performed by Elton John, Brandi Carlile
“WINTER COAT” FROM BLITZ
written by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson performed by Nicholas Britell, Saoirse Ronan
DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR
DANIEL BLUMBERGTHE BRUTALIST
Daniel Blumberg is a musician and artist from London. After releasing three solo albums, he took his first steps in the world of film music with The World to Come and the awarded The Brutalist.
ROBIN CAROLANNOSFERATU
Robin Carolan is a British-Irish composer and music producer whose distinctive work spans both film and music. He made his scoring debut with Eggers’ The Northman and reunited with the director for Nosferatu.
JUNG JAE-ILMICKEY 17
South Korean composer Jung Jae-il gained international acclaim with Okja and wrote the multi-awarded scores for Parasite and Squid Game.
DAVE METZGERMUFASA: THE LION KING
Composer of scores for Mufasa: The Lion King, Frozen, and nine other Disney films, Dave Metzger is a renowned song arranger with several hits and awards to his name.
HANIA RANISENTIMENTAL VALUE
Hania Rani is a Polish pianist, composer and vocalist whose music blends classical, jazz and electronic influences. She has released three acclaimed albums and created award-winning films and theatre scores.
BELGIAN FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR (POWERED BY SABAM)
VINCENT CAHAY
Vincent Cahay (1973) is a Belgian composer, musician and actor. After studying dramatic arts at the Liège Conservatory, he performed in various theatrical productions. In the early 2000s, he began composing music for stage and cinema. In theatre, he collaborated among others with Pietro Varrasso, Isabelle Darras, Mathias Simons and Vincent Hennebicq. He wrote and performed live music with Pierre Kissling for Anne-Cécile Vandalem’s Tristesses and Kingdom. In cinema, he began his collaboration with Fabrice du Welz in 2004 on Calvaire, which premiered at Cannes. He also worked with Frédéric Fonteyne and Anne Palicevic (Filles de joie), Just Philippot (La nuée) and Liliana Cavani (L’Ordine del tempo). In 2024, Vincent continued his partnership with Fabrice du Welz on Maldoror.
RUBEN DE GHESELLE
Ruben De Gheselle (1991), a composer known for his intimate, minimal and hypnotic scores, is quickly establishing himself as one of Belgium’s most sought-after film composers. His work has been featured in numerous international productions that have earned nominations and awards at
some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. Such projects include Young Hearts (Berlinale), Clara Sola (Cannes), There Was, There Was Not (True/False, DOC NYC), A Cops & Robbers Story (DOC NYC), Rashid (Visions du Réel) and The Tiong Bahru Social Club (Busan). For television, he composed Northern Lights (TG4, ZDF, Streamz), Showkids (TG4), Patience (Channel 4, PBS) and the upcoming German series Naked (WDR). In 2021, Ruben received the prestigious Georges Delerue Award at the Film Fest Gent for the music of Clara Sola.
FRÉDÉRIC VERCHEVAL
Frédéric Vercheval is a Belgian musician, composer and arranger of film music. He was born in Brussels and started to play the keyboard at the age of eight. He studied at the Jazz Studio of Antwerp. President of the Belgian Screen Composer Guild, he also taught film music analysis at IAD (2011-2018). His score for Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border (2023) won a Magritte for Best Original Score, while his work on Olivier Masset-Depasse’s Duelles earned him a World Soundtrack Award (2019) and another Magritte (2020). Vercheval has been nominated seven times for the Magritte du Cinéma, including for Diamant 12, Krach, Pas son genre, Melody and Chez Nous.
PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD
DAVID CERQUETTIBUIO COME IL CUORE (DARK IS THE HEART)
Making his feature debut at 21 with global hit Hunting Ava Bravo, David Cerquetti has since scored more than 10 films, distinguishing himself with unconventional harmonies and eclectic electronic textures.
LAETITIA PANSANELGARRIC - HOLA FRIDA
Laetitia Pansanel-Garric earned recognition as the winner of the 2023 U2C Award for Rochefort, Marielle, Noiret: les copains d’abord. Committed to live music performance, she dedicates part of her career to conducting.
AMINE BOUHAFA - NI CHAÎNES NI MAÎTRES
Best known for his prizewinning scores for Timbuktu, The Man Who Sold His Skin and Four Daughters, the Tunisianborn, Paris-based versatile multi-instrumentalist Amine Bouhafa likes to move between genres.
JOHN CODAREAGAN
John Coda is an awardwinning composer, songwriter and artist with over three decades of experience. He is best known for his work on Disney’s That’s So Raven and Even Stevens.
STEPHEN GALLAGHERTHE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM
Stephen Gallagher was awarded an Emmy for his work on INSiDE and Mystic. He is a recognized composer as well as a celebrated music editor, known for his work on the Emmy-winning The Beatles: Get Back.
GAME MUSIC AWARD
LORIEN TESTARD - CLAIR
OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33
French composer Lorien Testard made his video game debut with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, writing over ten hours of original music across five years of development.
FINISHING MOVE (ALEX KLINGLE, BRIAN LEE WHITE, BRIAN TRIFON, JAY WILTZEN) - DOOM: THE DARK AGES
Scoring apocalyptic sci-fi and surreal backyard adventures with their signature intensity and atmosphere, the composer collective Finishing Move has shaped some of the most iconic scores in modern gaming.
KNUT AVENSTROUP HAUGEN - DUNE: AWAKENING
Knut Avenstroup Haugen is an awardwinning Norwegian composer who blends orchestral, folk, jazz and electronic elements. Amongst his most iconic scores are Dune: Awakening and Lords of the Fallen.
JOHN KONSOLAKIS - FAREWELL NORTH
John Konsolakis is a Greek composer writing for film, television, video games and the concert stage, earning international recognition from an early age. He already received the 2025 Ivor Novello for Farewell North.
BERLINISTNEVA
Berlinist is a music band and a producer based in Barcelona and the composers for the score behind the multi-awarded game Gris. For the last two years, they have been producing original music for digital apps, art exhibitions and video games.
TELEVISION COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
VOLKER BERTELMANNTHE
DAY OF THE
JACKAL,
DUNE:
PROPHECY, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
Volker Bertelmann is an internationally acclaimed pianist and composer. In 2023 his score for All Quiet on the Western Front was awarded a BAFTA and Oscar for Best Original Score.
DAVID FLEMING, GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA - THE LAST OF US (SEASON
2)
Emmy-winning American composer David Fleming has written music for film and television including most recently season 2 of The Last of Us, collaborating once again with Gustavo Santaolalla, a two-time Oscarwinning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and composer.
ARIEL MARX - DYING FOR SEX
In 2025, Ariel Marx received two Emmy nominations for her work on Dying
For Sex and Black Mirror: Hotel Reverie. She draws from many genres and often combines orchestral and rare instruments with electronics.
BEAR MCCREARYTHE
LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE RINGS OF POWER (SEASON
2)
Bear McCreary has won three Emmy Awards and twelve International Film Music Critics Association Awards. Project highlights include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and The Walking Dead.
MARTIN PHIPPSBLACK DOVES
Known for his work on War and Peace, Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror and The Crown, Martin Phipps has secured his status as a composer to many of the most interesting series of recent years.
THEODORE SHAPIROSEVERANCE (SEASON 2)
Besides his score for the critically acclaimed series
Severance, Theodore Shapiro has built a reputation as a master of comedy scores for movies like The Devil Wears Prada and 13 Going on 30.
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
VOLKER BERTELMANNCONCLAVE, THE AMATEUR
Volker Bertelmann is an internationally acclaimed pianist and composer. In 2023 his score for All Quiet on the Western Front was awarded a BAFTA and Oscar for Best Original Score.
DANIEL BLUMBERGTHE BRUTALIST
Daniel Blumberg is a musician and artist from London. After releasing three solo albums, he took his first steps in the world of film music with The World To Come and the multiawarded The Brutalist.
KRIS BOWERSTHE WILD ROBOT
Kris Bowers is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and composer. His scores for, among others, The Wild Robot, Green Book and The Color Purple were nominated for Emmys and Academy Awards.
CLÉMENT DUCOL, CAMILLE - EMILIA PÉREZ
Building on their individual careers as composers and performers, Clément Ducol & - Camille - gained acclaim for their score for Emilia Pérez, which earned them a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Song for “El Mal”.
ALBERTO IGLESIAS - THE ROOM NEXT DOOR
With a career spanning over three decades, Alberto Iglesias has composed the original scores for more than 40 feature films, among them Pedro Almodóvar’s Talk to Her and All About My Mother.
JOHN POWELL - HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Since his work on The Bourne Identity, John Powell has been a leading composer in animation, with credits in the Ice Age, Happy Feet and Kung Fu Panda franchises.
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
To honour the central guests at the World Soundtrack Awards and to do their compositions for the screen justice, we invite the musicians of the worldrenowned Brussels Philharmonic and their conductor Maestro Dirk Brossé on the stage for an evening full of top-notch orchestral performances.
DIRK BROSSÉ
Conductor & composer
Dirk Brossé is a multi-faceted composer and a respected conductor on the international music scene. Since 2010, Brossé has been music director of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, music director of Film Fest Gent and honorary conductor of Sinfonietta Cracovia. He has composed 400 works, including concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music, symphonic works, musicals and film scores. His score for the BBC/HBO series Parade’s End was nominated for an Emmy Award. His score for Knielen op een bed violen was nominated for the Golden Calf Award and his score for Our Nature was awarded the WSAward Best Original Score for a Belgian Production. Maestro Brossé has conducted all the leading Belgian orchestras. He has conducted over 120 orchestras all over the world such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Camerata St. Petersburg,
Hong Kong Philharmonic, l’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Shanghai.
Brossé has made over 100 CD recordings and has collaborated with world-class artists such as José Van Dam, Barbara Hendricks, Julia Migenes, Julian Lloyd Webber, Salvatore Accardo, Alison Balsom, Hans Zimmer, Emma Thompson, Randy Crawford, Lisa Gerrard and Marcel Khalifé. He has been awarded the title of Cultural Ambassador of Flanders, the Flemish Parliament’s Gold Medal for Merit, the Achille Van Acker Prize, the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award and the Global Thinkers Forum Award for Excellence in Cultural Creativity. In 2013 he was elevated to Belgium’s hereditary nobility, with the personal title of Knight. He is a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts and since 2018 a Fellow at the University of Brussels (VUB).
CARLO SIAU Presenter
Carlo Siau works for Klara, Flanders’ classical music radio station, where he presents ‘Iedereen Klassiek’, ‘De Keuze van Klara’ and ‘De Twintigers’. As a freelance presenter and host, he has worked with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Brussels Philharmonic, among others.
BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC
“The
world needs symphonic music. And symphonic music needs the world.”
That is the firm belief of the Brussels Philharmonic. As a symphony orchestra founded in 1935 under the auspices of the Belgian public broadcaster, unveiling the symphonic world as best we can is deep in our DNA. By innovating while maintaining full respect for the value of the past, we keep the symphonic music of the past, present and future relevant and inspiring. We do this from the historic Studio 4 at Flagey in Brussels, together with our music director Kazushi Ono: he shares our open and adventurous spirit and our rock-solid belief in the need for crossfertilization between art, life and society.
The vision of Kazushi Ono, an experienced conductor whose reputation crosses continents, cultures and genres, overlaps in so many ways with that of the orchestra: the authenticity with which the great
repertoire is kept alive, the permanent quest for innovation and evolution, the commitment to giving the music of today and tomorrow a central role, and the passion for sharing the love of symphonic music widely and generously.
That sharing takes place first and foremost in our home port at Flagey, where the orchestra rehearses, performs and throws open the doors to its activities, as well as on the major stages and at festivals in Flanders. The orchestra’s international reputation comes to the fore in its specialisation in recording soundtracks (including the Oscar-winning music for The Artist), the many successful recordings for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, and the ambitious projects on prestigious stages around the world (Carnegie Hall, New York, Philharmonie de Paris, Musikverein Wien, Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, Cadogan Hall, London).
OTTO DEROLEZ
CONCERTMASTER & SOLOIST
Otto Derolez has been the concertmaster of Brussels Philharmonic since 1999. He is considered one of the leading violinists of Belgium, and as of 2012 has been Faculty Professor at YOA Orchestra of the Americas, coaching young musicians all over the world. Otto made his debut with the Brussels Philharmonic in 1999, with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. With this orchestra he has performed the world premières of violin concertos by Jeroen d’Hoe and Michel Tabachnik, both dedicated to Otto Derolez. His performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto has been highly acclaimed, as well as the Alban Berg Violin Concerto which he performed with Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kalmar.
Otto Derolez studied at the Royal Conservatories of Ghent and Brussels, with professors such as Rudolf Werthen, Kati Sebestyén and Philippe Hirschhorn.
He graduated from the Internationale Musikakademie für Solisten (IMAS) in Wolfenbüttel (Germany) under the guidance of André Gertler. He also received support and guidance from Yfrah Neaman.
As a soloist, Otto has performed in prestigious concert halls all over the world, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Festival Hall in Osaka, Cité de la Musique in Paris, just to name a few. An active chamber musician, he has been a member of the Prometheus Ensemble since 1992. With this ensemble he recorded Schubert’s Octet and Trout Quintet, Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat, Schoenberg’s First Chamber Symphony and Transfigured Night.
KAREL STEYLAERTS
Karel Steylaerts studied at the Brussels Conservatoire with Carlo Schmitz and at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with Maria Kliegel. As a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra he worked under great conductors such as Leonard Bernstein. He was a prize winner of the 1990 Tenuto competition.
Since 2008 Karel Steylaerts has been Principal Cellist at the Brussels Philharmonic. Over the years, he has founded the Tröndlin Pianoforte Trio with whom he made several recordings, and TrioFenix, a string trio that performs at many national and international festivals. Since 2017, he has been associated with the Queen Elisabeth Competition for cello.
ASHWIN SRINIVASAN
Born into a family of musicians, Ashwin was initiated into Indian classical music when he was just two years old. He started learning the sitar from his mother, but he took a fascination for the bansuri at the age of seven. One of the youngest A-Grade artists with All India Radio and recipient of the Sur-Mani Award, Ashwin has performed classical concerts in various prestigious festivals.
Over his career, he has developed a variety of talents: as a film composer, music arranger, producer, singer and poet, Ashwin has successfully collaborated with some of the greatest names in Western classical, jazz, fusion, electronica, Bollywood and Hollywood.
MUSICIANS
Dirk Brossé, conductor
Otto Derolez, concertmaster & soloist (violin)
VIOLIN 1
Bence Ábrahám (1)
Bart Lemmens (2)
Olivia Bergeot
Annelies Broeckhoven
Cristina Constantinescu
Justine Rigutto
Elizaveta Rybentseva
Alissa Vaitsner
Isabelle Dunlop
Zoltán Csaba Kovacs
Milagros del Moral
VIOLIN 2
Mari Hagiwara (1)
Samuel Nemtanu (1)
Mireille Kovac
Sayoko Mundy
Eline Pauwels
Stefanie Van Backlé
Rui Edgar Maia Gomes
Julien Poli
Sophie Hutnik
Anna Zaitseva
VIOLA
Mihai Cocea (1)
Griet François (2)
Marina Barskaya
Thi Ngoc Phung Ha
Hélène Koerver
Stephan Uelpenich
David Blanco De Paz
VIOLONCELLO
Karel Steylaerts (1)
Julius Clément
Emmanuel Tondus
Aliaksandr Auramchyk
Karin Broeckhove
Maria Palazon
DOUBLE BASS
José Vilaplana Herruzo (1)
Simon Luce (2)
Thomas Fiorini
Daniele Glampaolo
Luzia Correia Rendeiro Vieira
FLUTE
Lieve Schuermans (1)
Célestine Wacquez
Jill Jeschek (2)
OBOE
Joris Van den Hauwe (1)
Emily Ross
Lode Cartrysse (2)
CLARINET
Anne Boeykens (1)
Danny Corstjens (2)
Midori Mori (2)
BASSOON
Karsten Przybyl (1)
Alexander Kuksa
Jonas Coomans (2)
HORN
Hans van der Zanden (1)
Luc van den Hove
Mieke Ailliet (2)
Reindert Geirnaert
Lars Wachelder
Marlies Callebert (2)
TRUMPET
William Castaldi (1)
Luc Sirjacques
Marcel Degotte
Francisco Funina
TROMBONE
Lode Smeets (1)
Tim Van Medegael (2)
Daniel Foeteler
TUBA
Jean Xhonneux (2)
TIMPANI
Gert D’haese (2)
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Beyers (2)
Stijn Schoofs (2)
HARP
Eline Groslot (2)
KEYBOARD
Erik Brabants (2)
Anastasia Goldberg (2)
ACCORDION
Christophe Delporte (2)
GLOSSARY
(1) principal (2) soloist
PARTNERS
THESE CONCERTS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY
CREDITS
Produced by
Film Fest Gent
In collaboration with Brussels Philharmonic
Composers
Neville Bharucha
Théo Cascio
Bongseop Kim
Jerskin Fendrix
A.R. Rahman
Debbie Wiseman
Orchestra
Brussels Philharmonic
Conductor & Music Director
Film Fest Gent
Dirk Brossé
Host
Carlo Siau
Programming
Dirk Brossé, Music Director
Wim De Witte, Programme Director
Hanne Schelstraete, Music Projects Coordinator
Patrick Duynslaegher, Consultant
Thomas Van Parys, Consultant
Composition Contest Jury
Dirk Brossé, Chairman & Music Director FFG
Michelino Bisceglia
Patrick Duynslaegher
Meltse Van Coillie
Anne Verbeure
Film Fest Gent
Marijke Vandebuerie, General Manager
Wim De Witte, Programme Director
Hanne Schelstraete, Music Projects Coordinator
Katrien Destuyver, Concert Producer
Myrte Trioen, Concert
Production Assistant
Mathijs Poppe, Video Editor
Tuur Mattheeuws,
Motion Graphics
Kim Verthé, Press & Communication
Sven Hollebeke, Communication & Website
Alexander De Man, Communication & Website
Emma Steurs, Guest Service
Caro Willaert, Guest Service
Lien Puttemans, Ticketing
Jessica Bonte, Sponsorship & Protocol
Michiel Philippaerts, Programmer
Nathalie Decock, Management Assistant
Brussels Philharmonic
Gunther Broucke, General Manager
Tom Pipeleers, Artistic Administrator
Judith Van Eeckhout, Artistic Administrator
Jim Seynaeve, Head of Production
Thomas Geurts, Head of Stage Management
Emma Touchot, Casting
Pieterjan Hermans, Librarian
Walt Bladt, Stagehand
Claudio Porru, Stagehand
Tim Martens, Stagehand
WSA Voting Control Procedure
PricewaterhouseCoopers Belgium
Muziekcentrum de Bijloke
Wim Clapdorp
Tineke Codron
Aaron Benoit
Katrien Van Gysegem
Xavier Lecompte
Björn Van Severen
Erian Van Hecke
Video & Stage Direction
Andries Vangeel, Director
Eva Hendriks, Assistant Director
Birger Embrechts, Score Advisor
Jeroen Buyse, Stage Manager
Klara
Sander De Keere
Maarten Heynderickx
Filip Goris
Felicia Bockstael
Claudine Jaumotte
Vincent Goris
Styling World
Soundtrack Awards
Studio BigFish
Programme Booklet
Marijke Vandebuerie, Publisher
Wim De Witte, Editor-in-Chief
Hanne Schelstraete, Editor
Texts Booklet
Alexander De Man, Thomas Van Parys, Myrte Trioen
Design, Motion Graphics & Pre-press Mutant™
Special Thanks
Jana Dejonghe, Kevin Doucette, Ray Costa, Seyedarian
Sadrayimousavi, Tony Wharmby and the entire Film Fest Gent team, our partners, all members of the World Soundtrack Academy, and all contributors for their enthusiasm and expertise.
This production was created with the support of the Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government through Beside Tax Shelter.