SPECTRA
SPECTRA, curious for new music. From 1993 onwards the ensemble developed a remarkable musical coherence and a unique, refined sound starting from a fixed nucleus. Dirigent Filip Rathé en violist Pieter Jansen nemen samen de artistieke leiding op zich.
SPECTRA develops trajectories with composers living in Flanders and promotes their work in an international and historical context. The ensemble premieres a lot of commissioned works in a continuous dialogue with referential masterpieces from the recent past.
SPECTRA exploreert een ruime waaier aan presentatievormen en werkt samen met componisten, theatermakers, beeldend kunstenaars en schrijvers in de opbouw van niet-dogmatische programma's en eigenzinnige vertolkingen. Hieruit groeiden samenwerkingen met oa. Luca Francesconi, Stefano Gervasoni, Philippe Hurel, Guy Cassiers, Fabrice Murgia, Philip Blasband, Peter Verhelst ...
SPECTRA performs within and outside Europe at festivals like Ars Musica (BE), Transit (BE), Festival Musica Nova (BRA), November Music Festival (NL), Musica Sacra (NL), OEROL Festival (NL), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Traiettorie Festival (IT), Biennale Venezia (IT), World Music Days 2010 Sydney (AU), Gaida Festival (IT), Musica Strasbourg (FR) and Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires (ARG).
Furthermore, SPECTRA shares its expertise in the Master after Master Contemporary Music in collaboration with the School of Arts Ghent.
Musicians
Pieter Jansen
Violinist Pieter Jansen graduated with the highest distinction from the Royal Flemish Conservatory of Antwerp in the class of Guido De Neve, and then continued his studies at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
He is concertmaster of BOHO Strings and principal player with Le Concert Olympique, as well as regularly appearing as a guest leader with the Symphony Orchestra of La Monnaie and the Belgian National Orchestra.
Hij is violist bij Trio Khaldei, primarius bij I Justiniani en speelt hedendaagse muziek bij SPECTRA - waarvan hij sinds kort ook co-artistiek leider is - en bij het Franse Ensemble Multilatérale.
Pieter speelde concerten in Europa, Azië, Zuid-Amerika, Noord-Amerika en Australië op belangrijke podia en festivals als Musica Strasbourg, World Music Days in Sydney, Traiettorie Festival in Parma, Festivals van Aix-en-Provence en Avignon, Wigmore Hall in Londen, Auditorium van het Louvre in Parijs, de Biënnale van Venetië, Donostia Festival in San Sebastian, Ravello Festival in Napels, Spectrum Festival in Ljubljana, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires,...
Pieter is a teacher and coordinator of chamber music at KASK & Conservatory, school of arts of University College Ghent (HOGENT).
Bram Bossier
Bram Bossier obtained his master's degree as a violinist at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, after which he continued his higher studies as a violist at the conservatories of Maastricht (Michael Kugel) and Rotterdam (Vladimir Mendelssohn and Ron Ephrat).
He played in the 'European Youth Orchestra' conducted by Yakov Kreisberg and in the 'National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands' with conductors such as Reinbert de Leeuw and Victor Lieberman.
As a freelance musician, he worked with Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy, I Fiamminghi, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, Brussels Philharmonic, l'Opéra Royal de Wallonie and the Belgian National Orchestra under conductors such as Yuri Simonov, Lorin Maazel, Sigiswald Kuyken, Christophe Rousset, Ivan Meylemans and Rudolf Werthen.
As a soloist he performed 'Prologue' by Gérard Grisey at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ (Amsterdam), 'Jelek & Jatekok' by György Kurtag for the Festival van Vlaanderen (Ghent), the 'Sequenza' and 'Chemins II' by Luciano Berio in the Tonhalle (Düsseldorf) and the Dutch premiere of Kees Schoonenbeeks viola concerto in the concert hall of Tilburg.
Together with An Raskin, he forms Agartha, a music ensemble with the colorful bayan and warm viola as basic ingredients. Agartha enjoys coloring outside the lines, engaging in dialogue with other artists, and embracing every challenge.
Since 2004 he has been associated as a violist with SPECTRA, curious for new music and also played in the Ictus ensemble (Brussels), the Sonemus ensemble (Sarajevo), Nieuw Amsterdams Peil (Amsterdam), Sturm und Klang (Brussels) and the notabu.ensemble (Düsseldorf) at international festivals in Berlin, Paris, Huddersfield, Venice, Donaueschingen, Sarajevo, Zagreb but also all the way to Buenos Aires, Sydney and Japan.
Francis Mourey
Francis Mourey is a versatile musician. He is a member of SPECTRA, Trio Khaldei and the principal cellist of Boho Strings.
As an orchestral musician, he regularly performs as a solo cellist in various formations, from large orchestras such as the Belgian National Orchestra and the Brussels Philharmonic to more specific ensembles like Les Métamorphoses orchestra.
Francis Mourey is an assistant cello at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Tille Van Gastel
Tille Van Gastel is from Ghent where she studied flute, cello, and piano. At the age of 16, she continued her flute lessons with both Jan Vercruysse (SPECTRA) and Carlos Bruneel (principal flutist of the Symphony Orchestra of La Monnaie), with whom she also studied at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels.
In 2009, as part of Erasmus program, she was invited by Sophie Cherrier (Ensemble Intercontemporain) to study at the renowned "CNSM de Paris," where her love for contemporary music was stimulated. She graduated with great distinction in Brussels in 2010 and received the Horlait-Dapsens prize.
She regularly played with the Symphony Orchestra of La Monnaie, Brussels Philharmonic, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, Flemish Symphony Orchestra etc...
In 2011 she won the audition for solo flute in the Royal Navy Music Chapel, a position she held until September 2019.
Since 2015 Tille is flutist at SPECTRA and also took on the role of artistic promoter in 2023.
Additionally, she runs her own practice as a performance coach helping people of all ages overcome stage fright or fear of failure.
Julien Bénéteau
Julien Bénéteau studied music at the conservatories of Nantes and Paris, and then at the CNSMD in Lyon. There he obtained his diplomas in clarinet and chamber music with the highest distinction.
In 2002, he was a finalist in the Prague Spring International Competition and is now the principal clarinetist of the Belgian National Orchestra.
He is regularly invited by l' Orchestre National de Lyon, l' Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon, l' Orchestre National de France, Ensemble InterContemporain, and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
He has been invited to various chamber music festivals in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Germany, France, and England.
Julien Bénéteau has collaborated with eminent composers such as Gilbert Amy, Vinko Globokar, Gérard Grisey, Jonathan Harvey, Pascal Dusapin, Bruno Mantovani and Frédéric Durieux.
From 2014 to 2017 he was the musical director of Ensemble Regards in Paris. In 2019 he formed the Winds Art Orchestra together with hornist Emmanuel Bénèche. Julien Bénéteau is a Yamaha artist.
Lukas Huisman
Lukas is a Belgian pianist and performer, mainly focusing on contemporary classical music, with a great affinity for complex (post)modern repertoire.
Hij studeerde een aantal jaren jazz, met een opname van Finnissy's Gershwin cycli als hoogtepunt. Door zijn interesse in Japanse traditionele en hedendaagse klassieke muziek herontdekte hij het klankpotentieel van de piano. Dit resulteerde in opnames van Takemitsu, Hori, Nishimura en Takahashi (Keitaro).
Zijn doel om steeds een goed geïnformeerde artiest te zijn leidde tot een doctoraat in complexe hedendaagse pianomuziek (aan KASK & Conservatorium) en post-doctorale projecten over HIP van Brahms' muziek (aan het Orpheus Instituut, Gent) en hedendaagse Japanse pianomuziek (aan KASK & Conservatorium).
In addition to performing solo music, he is an experienced ensemble performer, from duos and ensembles to orchestras. He also stays updated on pop, rock, and prog genres and regularly plays in these styles or cross-over settings.
Frank Van Eycken
Percussion
Filip Rathé
Filip Rathé studied piano, music theory and conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. He further honed his conducting skills with Laszlo Heltay and Pierre Cao and studied composition with Lucien Goethals. At Ghent University, he obtained a master's degree in musicology.
Since 1993, Filip Rathé has been the artistic director and conductor of SPECTRA, the ensemble for contemporary music with which he has performed throughout Europe and South America. He has premiered over 200 new works.
Hij was als dirigent te gast bij o.m. Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, het Vlaams Radio Koor, Brussels Philharmonic, Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra en verschillende ensembles zoals I Solisti, Hermes Ensemble, Musiques Nouvelles, HYOID...
As a composer, he focuses mainly on vocal-instrumental chamber music. His work has been performed by, among others, the Flemish Radio Choir, ASKO, SPECTRA, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, Exaudi, Kremerata Baltica, Neue Vokalsolisten Stuttgart, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, among others.
He shares his experience as a teacher (chamber music, composition, contemporary music and music analysis) at KASK & Conservatory, school of arts of University College Ghent (HOGENT).
Greet Swinnen
Greet groeide op in een uitgesproken muzikale familie en stond na haar conservatoriumstudies jaren zelf actief op het concertpodium. Intussen staan meer dan 30 jaar ervaring met realtime cueing van multicamera concert- en operaopnames voor VRT - CANVAS, EXQI, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen en de Koninklijke Muntschouwburg Brussel op de teller, naast live streamings en video projecties.
Hoogtepunten zijn ongetwijfeld de jaarlijkse Koningin Elisabethwedstrijd, de vele opnames met de Filharmonie/het Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, het Belgian National Orchestra, Pygmalion en het Vlaams Radio Orkest/Brussels Philharmonic en de magistrale opera's die zij in de Munt en de Vlaamse Opera capteerde.
Greet still leads a recording crew through musical waters with great pleasure, but has also found her way in the business operations of cultural organizations. She was connected to the International Opera Academy and manager of Spiegel String Quartet.
Since 2007 she has been a fixed value behind the scenes at SPECTRA and since 2023 she also takes on the business management of Flanders Symphony Orchestra.