Introducing our AGM special guests Aldo Baerten and Peter Verhoyen
We’re excited to host our first virtual AGM day on September 6, featuring special guests Aldo Baerten and Peter Verhoyen. Principal flute and piccolo players of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and organisers of the International Flute Seminar Bruges, they’ll each be giving a performance and a presentation, and taking part in a Q&A discussion. Read on to find out about them - and to book your place at the AGM, just click here.
Have a Q&A question for Aldo or Peter? Email us here.
Aldo Baerten
Aldo Baerten is the Principal Flute of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and a guest player in orchestras such as the Hallé, Swedish Chamber and European Union Opera. He was a member of EUYO, the World Youth Orchestra and Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra, and studied with Peter Lukas Graf (Basel), Philippe Boucly (Munchen) and Gaby Pas van Riet (Stuttgart), winning prizes at the Maria Canals Barcelona and Vienna International Competition.
He is Professor for Flute at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp and the Hogeschool der Kunsten Utrecht (NL) and gives masterclasses on 4 continents, in such distinguished schools as the Royal Academy London. He formerly taught at the Sydney Conservatory, and Münster Musikhochschule and Hannover Musikhochschule (Germany).
A Powell Flute artist, he’s a regular guest at the likes of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, European Union Opera, Arctic Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and has played as a soloist with eminent orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Belgium, Walloon Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Las Vegas and Kansas City Symphony.
He has also recorded extensively on Cypres, Phaedra, ECM, Pentatone and PMP and Principal Chairs. His recording of Schubert’s Introduction, Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen (die schöne Müllerin) with pianist Martin Helmchen was nominated for the BBC Music Prize of the best chamber-music recording of the year 2010.
He runs the International Flute Seminar Bruges, a summer class in beautiful Bruges.
Peter Verhoyen
As piccolo solo at the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Peter has built up an excellent reputation as a specialist on his instrument. Since 2006 he has developed various concert programs for piccolo and piano together with pianist Stefan De Schepper. With these projects he demonstrates that the piccolo earns a spot on the concert stage as a recital instrument. For a contemporary touch, Peter asked several Flemish composers to write new works for his instrument. The next step was the realization of a series of CDs (Piccolo Tunes, The Birds!, Piccolo Polkas, La Gazza Ladra, Ma Mère l’Oye, Mighty Metamorphoses) in which the piccolo is the central instrument. For his dedication to contemporary Flemish music, Peter was awarded the Fuga Trofee from the Union of Belgian composers in 2017.
As a piccolo specialist Peter is regularly invited to give masterclasses and piccolo recitals in European conservatories in Paris (CNSMP), London (Royal Academy), Brno, Hannover, Weimar, Tilburg, Milan and elsewhere, and flute and piccolo festivals in Europe (BFS Conventions, Adams Flute Festival, International Piccolo Festival), the USA (NFA Conventions in New York, Washington, Anaheim, Las Vegas San Diego, Salt Lake City, etc), Columbia, Brazil, Mexico and Australia.
With his chamber music ensemble Arco Baleno he has realised 20 CD projects as well as various radio recordings. Arco Baleno toured Germany, France, Slovenia, the USA and the Netherlands after winning the CHAIN-contest in Enschede (The Netherlands) and the Musical Youth Debut Prize for chamber music. Peter is a prize-winner in the Belfius Classics competition and the Concours International UFAM in Paris. He was also a semi-finalist in the NFA Orlando Young Artist Competition in 1995.
Peter currently teaches piccolo at the Kunstuniversität Graz (Austria), at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, and at his private studio in Bruges.
Together with Aldo Baerten, he is the organizer and driving force of the International Flute Seminar Bruges, where flute and piccolo players of all ages and different levels, education and ambition are inspired and motivated through individual lessons, workshops, masterclasses and chamber music.
AGM Day sponsors
The AGM Day is kindly sponsored by Forton Music and Alry Publications.
Forton Music have been publishing wind music for over ten years now. Our flute catalogue is extensive and caters for just about every combination of flutes. Our latest release is now live on our website, featuring a new flute sonata by Yuri Povolotsky, and an album of flute and piano pieces commissioned for a 50th birthday celebration.
'With a catalogue of more than 2000 titles, ALRY Publications has a wide variety of repertoire, ensembles and educational materials, aimed at all levels. Our music is played around the world, whether it be students performing in a solo and ensemble competition, or an adult amateur concert series. Simply put, we have something for everybody, and we encourage everybody to "play something new"!'