Herreweghe, Philippe
Herreweghe, Philippe
Herreweghe, Philippe, esteemed Belgian conductor; b. Ghent, May 2, 1947. He studied piano with Marcel Gazelle at the Ghent Cons. He also pursued training in medicine and psychiatry at the Univ. of Ghent, graduating in 1975. His musical training continued at the Ghent Cons, with Gabriel Verschraegen (organ) and Johan Huys (harpsichord), where he took a prize in 1975. In 1969 he founded the Collegium Vocale in Ghent, which soon acquired distinction as one of Europe’s finest early music groups. He organized the Ensemble Vocal La Chapelle Royale in Paris in 1977, which won acclaim for its performances of a vast repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary era. From 1982 he also served as artistic director of the Saintes early music festival. In 1989 he founded the Ensemble Vocal Européen, which also won distinction. He organized the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in 1991, which he conducted in performances of Classical and Romantic scores on original instruments. From 1998 he was chief conductor of the Royal Phil, in Flanders.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire