Gunther Broucke
Gunther Broucke (1964) was trained as a classical pianist and studied in Ghent, Paris, Amsterdam and New York. As a soloist and in chamber music ensembles he performed on numerous occasions in Belgium as well as abroad. After several years of teaching at the conservatoires in Ghent and Antwerp, in the mid-nineties he decided to change direction and focus primarily on artistic management
In 1991 he became Chairman of the Federation of Jeunesses Musicales – Flanders, where he laid the foundation of a driven rejuvenation and a strong redefining of the organization’s profile. Inspired by the many difficulties students encountered when making their way to professional orchestras, he founded the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra of Flanders in 1996. Within a time span of no more than 2 years, this orchestra recorded 3 CDs and toured in Italy, South-Africa and Canada. Furthermore, Gunther Broucke was the first to take a Western European Youth Orchestra on tour to Russia in 1997.
In 1998 he became Artistic Director of the restructured ensembles of the public broadcasting company, the Flemish Radio Orchestra and the Flemish Radio Choir. He helped put into practice a number of initiatives to convert the former studio ensembles into fully fledged concert ensembles.
In September 2003 Gunther Broucke became Intendant of the Flemish Radio Orchestra and the Flemish Radio Choir. He brought about the return of the ensembles to the renowned Flagey building in Brussels, and changed the name of the orchestra to Brussels Philharmonic.
From the beginning, Gunther Broucke has been focusing on a constant increase of quality, flexibility and innovation. His efforts quickly resulted in an international breakthrough of the Brussels Philharmonic, with the regular presence of the orchestra on the main stages of Europe (London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Venice...).
Gunther Broucke introduced the Brussels Philharmonic to the world of film music, in which today it has become a household name. Among others, he initiated the partnership with Film Fest Gent. International recognition came with the Golden Globe-winning soundtrack for ‘The Aviator’ by Martin Scorsese (2005), and more recently thanks to the Oscar winning music for ‘The Artist’ (music by Ludovic Bource). The orchestra shall further extend its expertise in the recording of soundtracks. For this purpose, Gunther Broucke launched a commercial spin off to record soundtracks in collaboration with Galaxy Studios.
Gunther Broucke also has led Brussels Philharmonic in other forward-looking initiatives such as a project to introduce digital scores in partnership with Samsung, and the creation of a foundation for investment in string instruments in collaboration with the private bank Puilaetco Dewaay.
(Photo © Marcel Lennartz)