Boesmans Wave 2026
In 2026, Philippe Boesmans would have turned 90. The body of work he composed throughout his formidable career continues to delight and inspire music lovers, performers, and creators worldwide. In February and March, the Boesmans Wave 26 will see La Monnaie, Flagey, the Brussels Philharmonic, the Brussels Conservatory, the Royal Academy of Belgium, Collège Belgique, the Royal Library, and the Klara Festival join forces to present concerts, recitals, masterclasses, and talks celebrating one of the most prolific Belgian and European composers of the past half century.
All about Philippe Boesmans
A new website entirely dedicated to Philippe Boesmans allows you to dive into the life and work of the Belgian composer, including free access to his opera recordings, documentaries produced throughout his prolific career, podcasts and several manuscripts.
Conference
Philippe Boesmans: resonances, today and tomorrow
11.02.2026 • 13:00 • Royal Academy of Belgium
Author and former director of Musiq3 Benoît Jacques de Dixmude, composers Bernard Foccroulle and Jean-Luc Fafchamps, and musicologist Cécile Auzolle offer an analytical perspective on the work of Philippe Boesmans, from the evolution of his musical language to specific pieces, through a series of free lectures concluding with a round-table discussion on the future of his repertoire, hosted by Camille De Rijck.
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Concert
String quartet premieres around Frederik van Rossum and Philippe Boesmans
06.03.2026 • 12:30 • Royal Library of Belgium
The composition and classical writing classes join forces to offer the public a fresh and richly textured perspective on newly created string quartet works by the students. With the participation of violist Vincent Hepp, this will also be an opportunity to hear, as a tribute, works by Belgian composers Frederik van Rossum and Philippe Boesmans.
Info & tickets
Concert
Piano and chamber music
12.03.2026 • 17:30 • Royal Academy of Belgium
Known for his “ear-tricks,” a kind of sonic illusion designed to catch the audience off guard, Philippe Boesmans was a composer with a playful spirit. Between sparseness and abundance, he often gave the piano and strings evocative and unsettling roles, particularly in his chamber music. During this free concert, students from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels will present Tunes, Ornamented Zone, and Summer Dreams…
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Recital
Vive Boesmans
13.03.2026 • 20:00 • La Monnaie
A leading interpreter in Boesmans’ Au monde and Pinocchio, baritone Stéphane Degout pays tribute to his late friend, accompanied by pianist Simon Lepper and soprano Fleur Strijbos. Together, they offer a recital bringing together arias composed by Boesmans on Shakespeare’s Sonnets, poems by Verlaine set to music by Debussy, Senden, and Mernier, as well as excerpts from Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Poulenc’s Chansons gaillardes, and Foccroulle’s Zauberland.
Info & tickets
Concert
Orchestra class of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
14.03.2026 • 18:30 • Flagey Studio 1
Students from the orchestra class of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels will demonstrate the extent of their talent on the Studio 1 stage after an intense week of masterclasses under the baton of one of the foremost specialists in Philippe Boesmans’ music: conductor and former Music Director of La Monnaie, Sylvain Cambreling. On the programme: L’eau douce du pardon for soprano and instrumental ensemble, Sextuor à clavier, Ornamented Zone, and Chambres d’à côté.
Info & tickets
Concert
Brussels Philharmonic
14.03.2026 • 20:15 • Flagey Studio 4
In this musical tribute to Philippe Boesmans, Fin de nuit for piano and orchestra — an intimate and fragile score nourished by childhood memories and gentle melancholy — will take center stage in a programme completed by a symphonic suite from Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and the iconic “Vorspiel und Liebestod” from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. A concert of delicacy and intensity with pianist Julien Libeer and the Brussels Philharmonic under the direction of Christian Blex.
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Klara Festival
Ode to Philippe Boesmans
14.03.2026 • 12:30 • La Monnaie Grand Foyer
As a tribute to Philippe Boesmans, his two friends Kris Defoort and Stéphane Ginsburgh each take a seat at the piano. The colorful world of Boesmans’ Cadenza and Tunes blends naturally with Defoort’s improvisations, and Ginsburgh also performs a selection from the Dedicatio series.
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