Muziekschriftuur
bachelor of master in de Kunsten

Music Writing

For whom?

  • You have a passion for language and want to delve into how classical music manages to speak to people of diverse cultures in a universal way without words.
  • You want to further develop your artistic expertise with the help of internationally renowned professors.
  • You have the necessary knowledge and skills to pass the admission test.

Your future

With your degree in Music Writing, you can become an arranger, orchestrator, editor/restorer/publisher of scores and music editions for example. You can also continue studying and become an artist-teacher or perhaps an artistic researcher? This study programme is the preparation for a brilliant future both on and off stage.

Seminar & Masterclasses

Renowned guest professors from Belgium and abroad are invited to pass on their knowledge to you.

Brussels

You will have the chance to study in a metropolis with both large concert halls as well as small jazz clubs, the ideal starting point for a professional music career. Your campuses are surrounded by beautiful cathedrals, trending coffee bars and green parks to unwind in.

The KCB focusses on the broad artistic formation of each individual. The lessons are based on direct interaction between teacher and student due to the small amount of students in each class. The great number of orchestral productions each year allows us to gain experience on the stage and learn the ins and outs of the greatest pieces is in music history.

Joachim
Joachim
Student Music

After your study

Professional music career

With a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, you can choose many professional directions. Who knows, you might become an orchestrator or end up:

  • at a music publishing company
  • in the arts education field
  • in the social artistic field
  • at cultural institutions or governments as advisor or policy maker
KVDS

Further studies

Abbreviated bachelor's degree

After your bachelor, you can move on to a master's degree and even an additional master's degree in another instrument, through a abbreviated bachelor's degree. Postgraduates are also among the possibilities.

 
Verkorte Educatieve Master Muziek (only in Dutch)

Merk je tijdens je studie dat lesgeven iets voor jou is? Aan het KCB kan je ook een Verkorte Educatieve master Muziek volgen. Zo kan je meteen aan de slag als kunstenaar-leraar.

 

Artistic researcher

Interested in a career as an artistic researcher? KCB organises various events around research and also offers you the opportunity to do a PhD in collaboration with the Brussels Arts Platform and the VUB (university).

Your subjects

Bachelor

Required Subjects Ba1 (credits) BA2 (credits) BA3 (credits)
Harmony I, II,III 15 15 15
Theory and ear training 1, 2 4 4  
Rhythm and intonation 1, 2 5 5  
History of music 1, 2, 3 6 6 6
Encyclopedia & Research 3    
Applied harmony 1, 2, 3 9 9                9
Score arranging & reduction   9  
Study of the Harmonic Languages     6
Organology 1, 2 6               6  
Choir 1, 2, 3 3 3 3
History of culture 1,2 3                3
Analysis of musical form 1     6
Optional subjects 6 3 12
Total Credits 60 60 60

Master

Required Subjects Ma1 (credits) Ma2 (credits)
Counterpoint I 12  
Counterpoint II 18  
Analysis Contrapunt 6  
Fugue (Master exam)   30
Analysis Fuga   6
Orchestration I,II 9 9
Analysis of musical forms 2 6  
Applied harmony 4 6  
Introduction to philosophy   3
Artistic Research Practices 3  
Optional Subjects   12
Total Credits 60 60

More information about your subjects.

Your professors

In order to develop your talents to the fullest you need a teacher that is capable to help and motivate you in the right way. Our teaching staff is world renowned and have years and years of experience both as performers but also as pedagogues.

Do you have any specific questions before you register for the admission tests? Would you like to meet your teacher before you take the big step? Below is a list of all teachers with contact information.

Begeleiding
Jan D'haene

Jan D'haene

Director & Head of Internationalization

Jan D'haene ( °1957) has been appointed director ad interim of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (KCB) since March 2021. He has been working at the conservatoire since 1980, first as a teacher of 'Written Harmony' and as of 1996 as a teacher of 'Musical Writing - Counterpoint & Fugue'.
In addition, he has been project leader of numerous European projects, such as the Harmos Project (European Multilingual Digital Data Collection for Multimedia Content in Music Heritage), the Variazioni project (Collaborative Authoring of Localized Cultural Heritage Contents), and the Euroclassical Project (European network to promote classical music and build bridges between talented young musicians).
He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the Associazione Mozart Italia. 

Contact Jan:

E-mail.

Kristin De Smedt Kristin

Kristin De Smedt

Professor Music Writing and Composition

A bio will follow shortly.

Contact Kristin:

Email

Ann Kuppens

Ann Kuppens

Professor Music Writing

A short biography will be communicated soon.

Contact Ann:

E-mail

Wouter Lenaerts KCB 2022

Wouter Lenaerts

Professor Writing / Score reading for conductors

WOUTER LENAERTS (°1981) is considered one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. As a composer, conductor and pianist, he distinguishes himself in numerous musical domains that extend each other from different angles and result in a far-reaching musical experience. In his artistic vision, he strives for an enriching cross-pollination between creating and creating music.

As a composer, Wouter is best known for his colourful, natural and expressive composition style. His works are meanwhile performed in all countries of Europe, the United States, Latin America and Japan by orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Lithuania (Vilnius), Kauno Miesto Sinfoninis Orkestras (Kaunas), Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra (Gdansk), National Philharmonic Orchestra (Lviv), Osaka Municipal Symphonic Wind Orchestra (Osaka), Rundfunk Blasorchester (Leipzig), the Koninklijke Muziekkapel van de Gidsen and Air Force (Brussels), the Royal Military Band Johan Willem Friso (Assen), as well as by well-known soloists such as Anneleen Lenaerts, Joana Daunyte, Marina Piccinini, Daniela Koch, Aldo Baerten, Karel Schoofs, Dionysis Grammenos, Norbert Nozy,...

Wouter is the inspirer and artistic director of symphoniaASSAI, a professional symphonic orchestra in Limburg with residence in Hasselt.
As a conductor, he has also worked with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo), Norwegian Youth Chamber Music Festival (Stavanger), Kauno Miesto Sinfoninis Orkestras (Kaunas), the Koninklijke Muziekkapel van de Gidsen and Air Force (Brussels), Koninklijke Harmonie (Thorn), as well as with well-known soloists such as Anneleen Lenaerts, Stephan Koncz, Torleif Thedéen, Liza Ferschtman, Lars Anders Tomter, Raymond Curfs, Nandor Szederkenyi, Jonas Bylund, Francis Orval, Stéphane Labeyrie, Karel Schoofs, Roeland Hendrikx,...

Wouter studied at our Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and obtained 5 Master degrees; for Piano (2004), Music Writing (2004), HaFaBra conducting (2006), Composition (2007) and Symphonic Conducting (2008), in the classes of Boyan Vodenitcharov, Rafael D'Haene, Ann Kuppens, Kristin De Smedt, Nobert Nozy, Silveer Van den Broeck and Ronald Zollman.

Since 2004, Wouter has taught Writing and score reading for conductors at our conservatoire.
Between 2020 and 2022, he also worked as a teacher of conducting and scripture at the Musica Mundi School in Waterloo.

Contact Wouter:

Email

Hans Van Daele

Hans Van Daele

Professor Music Writing

A bio will follow shortly.

Contact Hans:

Email

Sofie Vanherle

Sofie Vanherle

Professor Music Writing and Composition

Sofie Vanherle studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles. She obtained First Prize Diplomas for piano, chamber music, music history, written and applied harmony, a Diplôme Supérieur for harpsichord and Master’s degrees in Harpsichord, Counterpoint and Fugue.

Since 2005 Sofie Vanherle has been a member of the faculty at Koninklijk Conservatorium BrusseL, first as a harpsichord accompanist and later as a harmony teacher and a researcher. In addition, she teaches at the music academies of Tielt and Wemmel.

As a freelance performer on various types of keyboard instruments, she explores a repertoire that ranges from Ars Antiqua and Ars Nova to Gerschwin and Piazzolla.

Contact Sofie:

Email

Maarten Vandenbemden

Maarten Vandenbemden

Assistant Applied Harmony (for guitarists) and Harmony & Analysis and Coordinator Music for the Educatieve Master in de Kunsten

Born in a house full of guitars, Maarten Vandenbemden (1994) received his first guitar lessons from his father. Thirteen years later, his path led to Antigoni Goni's class at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel where he obtained "summa cum laude" the masters in guitar and music writing.

As a soloist and with several orchestras, he played at Bozar (Brussels) and the Royal Palace of Caserta, among others, and from Jordan to China.
From a special fondness for chamber music, he regularly plays with sopranos Noémie Schellens and Kelly Poukens, with cellist Ann Van Hecke and in the colourful line-up of two tenors and two guitars as "Los Reyes de la Baraja".

Since 2018, Maarten has been the fourth member of the Four Aces guitar quartet, with which he will record a second album entirely dedicated to Belgian music in 2022 after the earlier Tabula Rasa.
With pianist Saskia Van Herzeele, he forms duo Adentro, a 2018 Supernova finalist and winner of the Chamber Music Prize at the Twenthe Guitar Festival (NL). Their first CD "Once upon a time" was released by Etcetera in December and was voted one of the 10 favourite albums of the year by US Classical Guitar Magazine in 2019. Courtesy of Beeldenstorm vzw, their second album will be released in late 2021. "Paris. Les années folles" is entirely dedicated to the music of the earlier 1920s.

Maarten teaches Applied Harmony and Harmony & Analysis and is the Coordinator Music for the Educatieve Master in de Kunsten at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, and teaches classical guitar at the Conservatory of Ghent. Since 2016, Maarten has also been actively involved in the Volterra Project , an innovative summer guitar course, and in Music Projects for Brussels, an organisation that introduces Brussels children, patients and inmates to classical music.

Contact Maarten:

E-mail

Project in the spotlights

Saxofoonensemble (f Tom De Beuckelaer)

Saxophone ensemble

Every year, the saxophone class performs in the saxophone ensemble concert. They are accompanied by the conducting students and play the arrangements of students of Writing. A project full of cross-pollination, the ideal learning environment.

Your campus

Campus Regentschapsstraat & Kleine Zavel

Our campuses are located in the vibrant Sablon district right in the heart of Brussels. The Conservatoire's stately main building on the Regentschapsstraat with its magnificent Concert Hall is one of Brussel's landmarks. Around the corner is our campus on Kleine Zavel where you can attend classes and study in the best conditions. Moreover, you can use our premises to study during the week and at weekends.

How can I access the campuses?

Alexandre
Regent

Renovation of the main building

After years of negotiations, we are proud to announce that the plans for the renovation of our impressive main building on Regentschapsstraat have been approved. More info on this can be found here.

Go abroad

During your studies at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, you will come in contact with the world: after all, you study in Brussels, Europe's most cosmopolitan capital. KCB offers guest lectures by international professionals or by a professor from a foreign partner school, international projects,... we will train you to become a professional ready for tomorrow's increasingly international world.

Do you want to spend some time abroad yourself? You can! Studying for a semester (or academic year) at a partner university or doing an internship abroad, mais oui, of course! Find out more about internationalisation.

KVDS

Visit us!

Info Moments

We organise several info moments during the second semester, such as (online) info days and open class moments.

Concerts

We welcome you to our many concerts, masterclasses and research days. Also come and listen to a caleidoscoop concert by our BA1 and BA2 students or our public exams. That way you can see what you would learn as a future KCB student. Every academic year, there are numerous productions in which our students perform. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay informed.

INFO & TICKETS

f Pepa Niebla - nieuwjaarsconcert

Enrolment & Admission Tests

To start your studies at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, you must pass an artistic admission test. For information on the entrance exams - such as dates, the programmes to prepare, the enrolment conditions/fees and the module to enrol - click on the button below.

ADMISSION TESTS

KCB KVDS

Any question?

For more information on this programme you can contact the student administration via secretariaat.kcb@ehb.be.