Ghent Film Festival appoints Dirk Brossé as Music Director

Dirk Brossé has been working closely with the Ghent Film Festival for several years. He studied at the Music Conservatories of Ghent and Brussels, subsequently specialising in conducting in Maastricht, Vienna and Cologne. He obtained a degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Musikhochschule in Cologne. In addition to his many visiting professorships, Brossé now teaches Composition and Orchestral Conducting at the University College Ghent. Dirk Brossé has served as conductor of the leading Belgian orchestras, including the Brussels Philharmonic, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, the orchestra of the Flemish Opera and the National Orchestra of Belgium. He has conducted leading orchestras worldwide including the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the KBS Symphony Orchestra of South Korea, Vancouver Opera, The World Symphony Orchestra in Japan, The Ulster Symphony Orchestra of Northern Ireland, the Lyon Opera Orchestra, The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, The St Petersburg Camerata, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Orchestras of Venezuela and Ecuador and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In 2010 he was also appointed Music Director of the latter. He has recorded about 60 CDs and conducted in renowned concert halls including the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, The Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican Centre in London, as well as in the Seoul Arts Center, the Royal Albert Hall London, La Monnaie Brussels, the Tokyo Forum, the Shanghai Concert Hall, and Victoria Hall in Geneva. He has worked with prominent artists such as José Van Dam, Philip Webb, Barbara Hendricks, Claron McFadden, Julia Migenes, Derek Lee Ragin, Guy de Mey, Sabine Meyer, Julian Lloyd Webber, Daniel Blumenthal and Salvatore Accardo. He extended his musical scope through collaborations with John Williams, Toots Thielemans, Hans Zimmer, Elmer Bernstein, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Randy Crawford, Lisa Gerrard, Mel Brooks, Maurane, Sinead O'Connor, Viktor Lazlo, Maurice Jarre and Youssou N'Dour. The Flemish Parliament honoured Brossé with the title of 'Cultural Ambassador of Flanders" and awarded him the Gold Medal of the Flemish Parliament. He is a member of the Board of Directors of SABAM (the Belgian Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers), an Advisory Board Member of the independent "Itinera Institute" think tank and a Board Member of the African Children's Choir.