Viool
bachelor of master in de Kunsten

Violin

For whom?

  • You want to pursue your passion for playing the violin and dream of a professional music career.
  • 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 Violin, you can become a freelance musician or play in an orchestra/ensemble. 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.

Orchestra / Ensemble

Making music in a group format is important for your development and therefore compulsory during your studies. As a violin player, you can join the string orchestra, symphonic orchestra or the contemporary ensemble among others.

Seminar & Masterclasses

Renowned guest professors from Belgium and abroad are invited to pass on their knowledge to you. In recent years, we welcomed Katalin Sebestyen, Alexandre Cavaliere and Marina Chiche among others.

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. 

Foto van 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 end up:

  • in a (inter)nationally renowned orchestra or ensemble
  • in the arts education field
  • in the social artistic field
  • at cultural institutions or governments as advisor or policy maker
Pastorale SOII 2023 KCB (f Tom De Beuckelaer)

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 (CR) BA2 (CR) BA3 (CR)
Main instrument I, II, III 24 24 27
Chamber music 1, 2   6 6
Orchestra 1, 2, 3  6 6 6
Theory and ear training  1, 2 4 4  
Rhythm and intonation   1, 2 5 5  
Harmony and analysis   1, 2 9 9  
History of music 1, 2, 3 6 6 6
Analysis of musical forms 1     6
Encyclopedia and research 3    
Posture and movement 3    
History of culture     3
Optional subjects     6
Total  60 60 60

Master

Required subjects Ma1 (CR) Ma2 (CR)
Main instrument IV 27  
Master exam   30
Chamber music 3, 4 6 12
Orchestra 4, 5 6 6
Analysis of musical forms 2 6  
Introduction to philosophy 3  
Artistic Research Practices 3  
Optional subjects 9 12
Total  60 60

More information about your subjects.

Alumni in focus

Liesbeth Baelus

Liesbeth Baelus studied with our violin professor Yuzoko Horigome. Since graduating from the KCB in 2011 she has toured in many countries in Europe and far beyond. 

As a solist she performed with, among others: The Euregion Symphonic Orchestra, Les Symphonistes Européens and the Koninklijke Muziekkapel van de Gidsen. A part from her soloist work Liesbeth is also active in various chambermusic ensembles.

More information here. 

Liesbeth Baelus
Bas Treub

Bas Treub

Bas Treub studied at the KCB with Philippe graffin until 2013 and is now the principle 2nd violin of the Nederlands Kamerorkest. 

A part from this Bas has worked as guest concertmaster at the Philharmonia Orchestra, het Gelders Orkest en het Orpheus Sinfonia and often plays as freelance violist with ensembles like the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, de Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, London Sinfonietta and Spira Mirabilis.

More information here. 

Fien Van den Fonteyne

Fien Van den Fonteyne studied the violin at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel in the class of Yossif Ivanov.

Fien is a regular performer with various orchestras like the Brussels Philharmonic, de Vlaamse Opera, het Brussels Chamber Orchestra, Prima La Musica and the Nationaal Orkest van Belgie (NOB) and she is now a full-time violin player at the Symfonie Orkest Vlaanderen.

More information here. 

Fien Van den Fonteyne
Mezes Matyas

Mézes Mátyás 

Mézes Mátyás graduated in 2016 from the  Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and has since then been the concertmaster of The Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra in Košice, Slowakije. 

Nicolas Dupont

Nicolas Dupont graduated from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel in 2015 and has been very active with various chambermusic ensembles like the Kugoni Trio and the Duo Andaluza.

Nicolas is a visiting professor violin at the King's College Londen and has numerous recordings to his name. 

More information here.

Nicolas Dupont
Helga Thora Bjorg KCB

Helga Thora Bjorgvinsdottir

Helga Thora Bjorgvinsdottir comes from Iceland and finished here Master studies at the KCB with professor Kati Sebestyen in 2013.

Helga is 1st violin with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and performs all over Iceland and the world. 

More information here.

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
Yuzuko Horigome

Yuzuko Horigome

Professor Violin

First prize winner in the 1980 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition Yuzuko Horigome (born 1957) has brought her virtuosity and rich musical mind to audiences all over the world.
She has also appeared as a soloist with the world’s greatest orchestras, including the London Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Scala di Milano, Czech Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and NHK Symphony.
She has shared her passion for music on stage with exceptional artists like Rudolf Serkin, János Starker, Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Charles Neidich, Jean-Marc Luisada and Abdel Rahman El Bacha. Horigome's prominent recordings are Mozart Complete Concertos with Sándor Végh and Camerata Academia, Violin Works (series no.1 - 5) as well as her recent recording Brahms Concerti with the Czech Philharmonic.
Based in Belgium as a professor at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, Yuzuko Horigome has been active in masterclass projects. She annually gives masterclasses in Cassero, Italy, and Trinity College Cambridge, UK. Horigome herself studied under Mr Toshiya Eto at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Now she is often on the jury at numerous international competitions including the Sendai International Music Competition, where she chairs the jury. 
 

Contact Yuzuko:

Email

Yossif Ivanov

Yossif Ivanov

Professor Violin

Acclaimed as “a player of impressive authority and presence” (The Strad) and “one of the top violinists of tomorrow” (Diapason), Yossif Ivanov, has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting violinists of his generation. At the age of 16 he was awarded First Prize at the Montreal International Competition, and two years later the Second Prize, as well as the Public Prize, at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
Over the past seasons Yossif Ivanov has made acclaimed debuts in all the major European halls. He has performed with orchestras such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Vancouver Symphony, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Lucerne Symphony, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Milano Verdi Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Luxemburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, as well as all major Belgian orchestras.
He has collaborated with well-known conductors such as Neëme Järvi, Marin Alsop, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vladimir Jurowski, Kazushi Ono, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Philippe Herreweghe, Jaap Van Zweden, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Ion Marin, Yuri Simonov, Louis Langrée and John Axelrod.In 2010 he was invited to tour North America with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (under Vladimir Jurowski) and made his Asian debut (Malaysian Philharmonic and Singapore Symphony Orchestras).
 

Contact Yossif:

Email

Valeri Oistrakh

Valery Oistrakh

Professor Violin

Born in Moscow to the family of the illustrious Oistrakhs, Valery Oistrakh represents the third generation of great violin virtuosi beginning with his grandfather David and followed by his father Igor.Valery Oistrakh took his first violin lessons from his grandfather David. He then studied at the famous Central Music School in Moscow where father Igor actually graduated. He continued his studies at the Gnessin Music-Pedagogical Institute in his native city. Some years later Valery completed his violin education in Germany with the world known professor Zakhar Bron - who in fact was also a disciple of his father at the Moscow Conservatory.

With his awe-inspiring technique, silky tone and consummate artistry he has beguiled audiences the world over performing on the great concert stages of Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, England, France, Germany. Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Japan... He has played as both violinist and violist with world-leading orchestras as the Moscow and Leningrad Philharmonics, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish National Symphony, Orchestre Colonne de Paris, Orchestra Santa Cecilia di Roma, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester , Toronto and Vancouver Symphonies, Sydney Symphony... He has been accompanied by such notable conductors as Kurt Mazur, Gennady Rozdestvensky, Yuri Simonov, Muhai Tang, Gyorgy Lehel, Saulius Sondetzkis, Vladimir Fedoseev, Tibor Varga, Yuri Botnari, Marco Parisotto…

Mr. Oistrakh was a winner at the All-Russian Competition of the former Soviet Union and the Tibor Varga International Competition in Switzerland, among others. He is the leader of the "Oistrakh Ensemble" and the "Oistrakh Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra" based in Germany.

Contact Valeri:

Email

Philippe Graffin

Philippe Graffin

Docent Viool

Violinist Philippe Graffin has established an indisputable reputation for his interpretations of the French repertoire, natural perhaps for one of the few pupils of Josef Gingold, himself a pupil of Ysaye for whom most of the violin repertoire of this era was written.

As concerto soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as The Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken the Residentie Orkest, Gothenburg Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra di Padova et del Veneto and St Petersburg Philharmonic.

Graffin performs works of many living composers such as Dutilleux and Saariaho and has had works written for him by Rodion Shchedrin, Vytautas Barkaukas, David Matthews, Philippe Hersant and Yves Prin. Following a performance of his Concerto Cantabile with Rostropovich conducting, Shchedrin wrote Concerto Parlando for Graffin which is now awaiting release on CD.

Philippe is a highly sought after chamber musician and is founder and artistic director of the “Consonances” chamber music festival of St Nazaire, France which in 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of Debussy. Recent highlights include concerts with the Georges Eneso Philharmonic in Bucharest and a recital in Venice at the Palazzetto Bru-Zane, televised by Mezzo as well as recitals in the summer at many French festivals including the Festival d’Orangerie de Sceaux. Graffin also featured on a BBC 4 documentary on Delius, performing Delius’s ‘Legende’ for violin and piano.

Contact Philippe

Email

 

Zygmunt Kowalski

Zygmunt Kowalski

Professor Violin

Zygmunt Marek Kowalski was born in Poznan, Poland. He studied music at the High School of Music in Gdansk, where he obtained a degree in "master of music". After his studies, he was recruited into the Gdansk Baltic Philharmonic, thus becoming Poland's youngest ever concertmaster.

In 1977, he came to Belgium to study at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. There he obtained First Prize and Higher Diploma with highest distinction. At the same time, Kowalski was still schooling with André Gertler and Arthur Grumiaux. In 1980, he was laureate of the International Violin Competition in Belgrade. A year later, he was concertmaster of the National Opera symphony orchestra in Brussels. He gives concerts as a soloist and plays chamber music in America, Japan and several European countries. Kowalski also realised numerous CD recordings and collaborated in radio.

Between 1981 and 1997, he was part of the string quartet of La Monnaie and the Brussels String Quartet: in both companies he played first violin. For numerous years, Kowalski taught as a teacher and assistant at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. Since 2008, he has been a teacher and has his own violin class. In addition, he has regularly participated as a teacher in the "International Music Lessons of Morges" (Switzerland) and given master classes in France, Belgium and Poland.

Contacteer Zygmunt:

Email

Projects in the spotlight

Let's Dance | String Orchestra

The string orchestra has no conductor. Thus, the violin, viola, cello and double bass students learn to listen to each other while playing and to tune in well with each other. The string orchestra is led by double bass professor Koenraad Hofman.

Northern Echoes | Symphonic Orchestra

In the symphonic orchestra of autumn 2022, none other than conductor Bjarte Engeset came to teach our students the beauty of Scandinavian music. They performed Nielsen's Helios Overture, Elgar's Concerto in E minor for cello and orchestra with soloist João Gonçalves and Sibelius' second symphony.

Northern Echoes | Symfonieorkest KCB 2022 (f Alexandre Schlub)

 

Binnenskamers | Chamber Music @MIM

Binnenskamers is the showcase of the chamber music classes at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. This concert series allows the ensembles that are ready for it to swarm out to stages outside of the conservatoire. The audience can get to know the up-and-coming talent of tomorrow, which includes our students violin.

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?

Alex
Regent KCB

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.

Buitenland KCB

Come & 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

Concerten

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

Nieuwjaarsconcert 2019 (f Reda Izo)

Any question?

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