Education

Major Choir of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels

The Major Choir of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels – a mixed four to eight-part choir – consists of about 80 music students from the second and third grade of the Secondary Art Education Brussels. Since 2012, the choir has been conducted by David De Geest and accompanied by Roel Peeters.

In 1972, the Kunsthumaniora Brussels opened the doors of its department of Music. Sixteen years later, the department of Drama was opened as well. In addition to the department of Dance and a First Degree, the musical branch of the school has flourished in recent years with the department of Jazz - Light Music and a seventh year of Specialization in Musical Education, including Musical as an option.

Throughout all those years, one common thread has been constant: the choir. In the early days, the choir counted an amount of barely 35 students. Due to the explosive growth of the school in recent years, teachers David De Geest and Roel Peeters ensure that no less than 80 singers give their best through their conviction that quality comes first. Concerts were therefore not limited to the school itself: the choir has collaborated with various musical ensembles in recent years. In the past, the choir has performed in Belgium and abroad (including Spain and Portugal). It often achieved high scores and honorable mentions at national and international choir festivals and choir competitions. A highlight was reached in 2015: the Major Choir of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels performed Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’ in collaboration with the Choir of the Royal Conservatory Brussels, conducted by David. Concerts were given in the Concert Hall of the Brussels Conservatory and Aula Q of the VUB. In 2017-2018, the choir undertook a concert tour to the Netherlands. Afterwards it performed in important concert halls such as BOZAR Brussels, Queen Elisabeth Hall Antwerp and Kursaal Ostend. In February 2019, the Major Choir of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels worked together with Lumen Symphonicum conducted by David De Geest. The performance in het Concert Hall of the Royal Conservatory Brussels included several opera choirs by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

At the beginning of each school year, David De Geest and Roel Peeters start with young musicians and transform them within a few months into talented choristers with a sense of style and polyphony. All musical gems and genres pass in review: classical, jazz, pop and Negro spirituals. All this is possible thanks to the youthful enthusiasm of the students and especially the intense enjoyment of singing together.

The Major Choir of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels performs opera choirs by Mozart
in collaboration with Lumen Symphonicum conducted by David, February 2019

Vocal Ensemble of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels

The Vocal Ensemble of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels – a mixed four-part choir – consists of about 25 students from the department of Music and Musical, conducted by David De Geest and accompanied by Roel Peeters.

In the Kunsthumaniora Brussels, the choir tradition runs like a thread through the student’s curriculum. Due to the innovative and explosive growth of the school, singers are selected for this ensemble to give their best through their conviction that quality comes first. All this is possible thanks to the youthful enthusiasm of the students and especially the intense enjoyment of singing together.

During each school year, the Vocal Ensemble of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels adds lustre to festive events organized by the top of the GO (Gemeenschapsonderwijs); those performances take place regularly in a.o. the buildings of Tour & Taxis Brussels and the Flemish Parliament. The Vocal Ensemble also gives a series of Christmas Concerts each year. In the recent past, performances took place mainly in the St. Peter’s and St. Nicolas’ Churches in Ghent.

The Vocal Ensemble of the Kunsthumaniora Brussels in het Flemish Parliament
in the presence of Minister of Education Hilde Crevits, January 2016