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Eddy Vanoosthuyse

No one could be left unmoved after listening to the performance of the Belgian and Flemish clarinettist Eddy Vanoosthuyse. Internationally praised by the press, this musician has gained worldwide recognition for his musical interpretation and the remarkable technical and musical qualities that are displayed therein.

Eddy Vanoosthuyse is performing throughout Eastern and Western Europe and North and South America as well as in Asia (including festivals in Antwerpen, Gent, Brussel, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Stockholm, Budapest, Vilnius, Paris, Lisbon, Milano, Prague, Frankfurt, Martigny, Lausanne, Karlsruhe, Chicago, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Québec, Buenos Aeres, Caracas, Lima, Santiago de Chili and New York amongst others), and he makes numerous recordings on radio and television V.R.T., (B.R.T.N.), R.T.B.F., K.R.O., Danish Radio, N.O.S., A.V.R.O., Radio Suisse Romande, Lietuvos Radio, Czech Radio, Magyar Radio and Radio Chili). His LPs and CDs have also received a warm welcome from all over the world.

He often performs and works in concert with conductors an musicians of the highest renown such as Eddie Daniels, Antony Pay, Patricia Wise, Alfred Prinze, Hans Dieter Resch, Alfred Reed, Benzon Shamir, Jan Stulen, Dirk Brossé, Saulius Sondeckis, Yoel Levi, Peter Oundijan, Jan Lathem Koenig, the ‘Lithuanian Chamberorchestra’, the ‘Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra’, the ‘Koninklijke Militaire Kapel/Holland’, the ‘Royal Orchestra of the Belgian Guides’, the ‘Orchestra of the Belgian Marine’, the ‘Orchestra of the Belgian Air force’, the ‘Flemish Radio Orchestra’, the ‘B.R.T.N. Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels’, the ‘I Pommeriggi Musicali/Milano’, the ‘Sjanghai Symphony Orchestra’, the ‘Columbus Symphony’, the ‘National Symphony Orchestra of Peru’, the ‘Aragua Symphony Orchestra’, the ‘Flemish Symphony Orchestra’, the ‘Prima Musica Chamber Orchestra’, the ‘Us Army Symphony Orchestra’, the ‘Sofia Soloists/Bulgaria’, …

He makes several appearances with a wide range of string quartets throughout the world, including the ‘Daniel String Quartet’, the ‘Vilnius String Quartet’, the ‘Ciurlionis Stringquartet’, the ‘Arriaga Stringquartet’, the ‘Chili Quartet’, the ‘Clemenz Quatacker String Quartet’, ‘The Simon Bolivar Quartet’, the ‘Rubio Stringquartet’…

He is frequently called upon to instruct master-level classes at the Indiana University Bloomington/U.S.A., the Arizona State University Phoenix/U.S.A., the DePaul University Chicago/U.S.A., the North Arizona University Flagstaff/U.S.A., the Catholic University Santiago/Chilli, the Simon Bolivar Conservatory Caracas/Venezuela, the San Marco University Lima/Peru, the State Music Academy Vilnius/Lithuania, the National Conservatory and National University of Reykjavik/Iceland, the Mexico City University, the University of the Nationalities Beijing/China, the University of Utah/USA, …

In 2005, the Indiana University/Bloomington invites him to teach the clarinet class of Eli Eban during his sabbatical leave.

He also offers a diverse number of courses during the summer at the ‘Belgian international Clarinet Festival, Oostende’, the ‘Summer courses for chamber music Georges Maes’, among other venues. In 2002, 2005 and 2006 he was invited as a coach for the ‘Spanish National youth orchestra’ (2002: conductor Gunther Shuler/USA). In 2005 Eddy Vanoosthuyse was invited for the ‘Domaine Forget’ Summer Courses in Québec/Canada.

Many Belgian and foreign composers cooperate with him. Jean Louel (concerto), Dirk Brossé (concerto and double-concerto), August Verbesselt (sonata and double-concerto), David Loeb (double-concerto), Alfred Prinze (solo piece), Norbert Godaert (concerto), Boudewijn Buckinx (clarinet quintet and sextet), Johan Evenepoel (concerto), Mieke Vanhautte (clarinet quintet), Johan Nys (solo piece), Willy Soenen (concertino), Oscar Navarro (concerto) … dedicate parts of their oeuvre to Eddy Vanoosthuyse. The compositions originating from these co operations are performed with international orchestras and groups often with the direction and advice of the composer himself. Mostly all of them are recorded for Radio or CD.

In 1998, he performed in the closing concert for ‘the Belgian Day’ at the World Fair in Lisbon, in 2000 he played with the ‘Sjanghai Symphony Orchestra’ in the prestigious ‘Sjanghai Theatre’ at the occasion of the Belgian Economic Mission to China. Both concerts were attended by HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium.

Vanoosthuyse is invited to perform at the prestigious Clarinetfestivals organized by the International Clarinet association in Gent (Belgium/1993), Tempe (U.S.A./1995), Paris (France/1996), Lubbock (U.S.A./1997), Columbus (U.S.A/1998), Oostende (Belgium/1999), Oklahoma (U.S.A./2000), Stockholm (Sweden/2002), Washington (U.S.A./2004), Vancouver (Canada/2007).

In February 2002, Vanoosthuyse did the Belgian première of the Clarinetconcerto by Corigliano with the Flemish Radio Orchestra conducted by Peter Oundijan. The composer came specially to Belgium to give his instructions to the conductor and the soloist. Afterwards he praised Eddy Vanoosthuyse as a fantastic virtuoso and a great artist.

In 2004, Eddy Vanoosthuyse made , under the button of Yoel Levi, the first recording of the second clarinet concertino of the Flemish 19th century composer Charles Louis Hanssens. In December 2004 he premiered the ‘Concertino for Eddy’ (Willy Soenen) at the Midwest Convention in Chicago.

In june 2006, Eddy Vanoosthuyse recorded a CD dedicated to the music of Charles Louis Hanssens (2 concertino’s, 1 double concerto with oboe/Joris Vanden Hauwe, 1 double concerto with violin/Michael Bershvekhny (first prize-winner International Contest Queen Elisabeth/Belgium 1976) with the Flemish Radio Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Vermeulen.

In February 2007, Eddy Vanoosthuyse creates with the ‘Royal Band of the Belgian Guides’ a new concerto that has been dedicated to him by the young Spanish composer Oscar Navarro.

The Belgian composer Jan Van der Roost composes a new concerto, dedicated to Eddy Vanoosthuyse (premiere in the US/Arizona in 2008).

Eddy Vanoosthuyse has with Vitally Samoshko (first prizewinner piano International Contest Queen Elisabeth/Belgium 1999) and Michael Kugel (viola) a trio that brings the music of Mozart, Bruch an Schuman.

The repertoire of Eddy Vanoosthuyse goes from Mozart’s concerto and quintet till the music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

For 2007 and 2008, concerts, recitals and masterclasses are planned in Belgium, Holland, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, the USA and China.

In 2002, Eddy Vanoosthuyse receives from the city of Lima/Peru a ‘Honor al Mérito’ for the high standing quality of his career. In 2007, the National Chinese Clarinetassociation gives him an award for his renewing work with clarinetchoirs.

In addition to his impressive career as a soloist, Eddy Vanoosthuyse is also the principal clarinet in the Flemish Radio Orchestra (originally the B.R.T.N. Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels)/chief-conductor Yoel Levi, which gives him the opportunity to work with conductors, such as Rahbari, Shipway, Young, Strauss, Fischer, Hager, and with composers such as Olivier Messiaen.

He is the clarinet professor at the ‘Royal Conservatory of Music’ (Hogeschool Gent) in Gent (since 1998) where he has an international class with students out of 17 countries. Since 1992 he is a guest professor of clarinet at the conservatory of the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven (Hogeschool voor Wetenschappen en Kunst).

In 1999, he founded (only with his students and former students) the clarinetchoir ‘The International Clarinets’. The Belgian National Radio named the group one of the highlights of the International Clarinetfestival in Oostende (1999).

From 1981 till 1998, he was a clarinet soloist at the orchestra of the ‘Opera voor Vlaanderen’. In 1988 he was promoted by Gerard Mortier (later director of the Salzburg Festspiele, now director of the Paris Opera) to the position of principal clarinet at the symphonic orchestra of the new ‘Flemish Opera’.

In 1990 he was chosen for the ‘World Philharmonic Orchestra’ and in 1998 he was asked for the ‘Symphonicum Europae’ (‘concert of the Nations’ in the Lincoln Centre, Fisher Hall in New York 1999). Both orchestras are formed with concertmasters and principals from all over the world.

In 2004, the Dutch editor ‘Gobelin Music Productions’ asked him to start a new collection with masterpieces for clarinet. The ‘Eddy Vanoosthuyse Clarinet Collection’ was presented in july 2004 in Washington.

Eddy Vanoosthuyse plays exclusively the Buffet Crampon ‘TOSCA’ Clarinets and the Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds.

‘To Eddy, a fantastic virtuoso and a great artist!’
John Corigliano
American composer, Pulitzer price winner, Oscar winner

‘Eddy is worldclass!’
Hans Zimmer
Filmmusic-composer of a.o. ‘The Gladiator’, ‘The Lion King’

‘To a fantastic musician!’
Saulius Sondeckis
Conductor Lithuanian Chamberorchestra

‘Eddy Vanoosthuyse is one of the leading clarinet players of his generation’
Howard Klug
Past president International Clarinet Association

‘… with Eddy Vanoosthuyse on the lead clarinet and Zimmer himself at the piano,
It is a really great cue …’
Don Goldwasser
Soundtracker