PRESS PLAY: Music in Games Concert Programme by FilmFestGent

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

Concert Programme

Thursday 19 Oct 2023

20:00 Capitole Ghent

PRESS PLAY Music in Games

filmfestgent.be worldsoundtrackawards.com

SO MUCH MORE THAN A PIANOSTORE www.quatremainspianos.be

present

a short ﬁlm by Glenn De Kerpel

THE JOURNEY about the story of ﬁve people whose lives are marked by their love for the piano

watch The Journey on quatremainspianos.be/the-journey

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

WELCOME!

We are unpacking scores of some of the greatest games and (as icing on the cake) present you with the world premiere of Lena Raine’s evocative score for Celeste, played live for the first time by a symphony orchestra. That honour goes to Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé. We are delighted to announce that composer Gustavo Santaolalla will perform tonight and that composer Stephanie Economou has created a music video to accompany her music especially for this occasion. We are grateful and honoured that composer Austin Wintory

Wim De Witte Programme Director

not only assisted our programming team, but also will be your host this evening. His score for Journey was the first ever to receive a Grammy nomination in the Soundtrack for Visual Media category. I would like to welcome and thank all composers, performers and partners who helped make the concert possible. And finally, don’t forget to find our anniversary project 2x25 at filmfestgent. be/2x25. Sound and image come together in a surprising symbiosis and perfectly illustrate our DNA.

Programme 4 About the Music 5 About the Nominees 13 About the Performance 14 Credits 22

19 October 2023

A B O U TI NTTHREOP DEURCFTOI O RN MANCE

By abandoning the tabletop, replacing pieces with complex characters and exchanging game rules for inventive screenplays, the video game industry is becoming increasingly cinematic. Tonight, Film Fest Gent wants to highlight the role of music in this evolution. With this concert, PRESS PLAY: Music in Games, on the occasion of our 50th edition, we hope to surprise you and, if necessary, convince you that music is an integral part of the gaming experience.

Supporting your talent

sabam.be sabamofficial

PRESS PLAY: MUSIC IN GAMES CONCERT PROGRAMME NOBUO UEMATSU

“Main Theme” from Medal of Honor (1999)

“One Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII (1997)

ANDREW HALE

JESSICA CURRY

“Main Theme” from L.A. Noire (2011)

“The Mourning Tree” from Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (2015)

LENA RAINE “Suite” from Celeste (2018)

BEAR MCCREARY “The Path of the Father” from God of War Ragnarök (2022)

GORDY HAAB & STEPHEN BARTON “Concert Suite” from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)

PETER MCCONNELL “Pull Up a Chair” from Hearthstone (2014)

GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA “All Gone (No Escape)” from The Last Of Us (2013) “Main Theme” from The Last Of Us (2013)

AUSTIN WINTORY

“Intro” from Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)

“Suite” from Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015) “Apotheosis” from Journey (2012) “To Know, Water” from Abzû (2016) “Delphinus Delphis” from Abzû (2016)

KOJI KONDO

STEPHANIE ECONOMOU

“Zelda 25th Anniversary Theme” from The Legend Of Zelda (1986)

“Suite” from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök (2020)

BORISLAV SLAVOV

Brussels Philharmonic and Vlaams Radiokoor, conducted by Dirk Brossé, hosted by Austin Wintory

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

MICHAEL GIACCHINO

ABOUT THE MUSIC

ABOUT THE MUSIC The music Brussels Philharmonic will perform tonight was composed by no less than thirteen outstanding game composers: Michael Giacchino (Medal of Honor), Andrew Hale (L.A. Noire), Lena Raine (Celeste), Bear McCreary (God of War Ragnarök), Gordy Haab & Stephen Barton (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Borislav Slavov (Baldur’s Gate 3), Koji Kondo (The Legend Of Zelda), Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy VII), Jessica Curry (Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture), Peter McConnell, (Hearthstone), Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last Of Us), Austin Wintory (Abzû) and Stephanie Economou (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök). Austin Wintory, Gordy Haab, Stephen Barton, Borislav Slavov and Stephanie Economou are present for tonight’s concert and also take part in the WSA Film Music Days. Moreover, Gustavo Santaolalla will play the ronroco for us tonight.

scores for films like Patton and A Patch of Blue. This early fascination with music composition laid the foundation for his future endeavours. One of Austin Wintory’s groundbreaking moments came in March 2012 with the release of the PlayStation 3 game Journey. Its soundtrack achieved unprecedented success, debuting on the Billboard charts as the highest-ranking original score in gaming history. Journey also made history as the first video game score to receive a Grammy nomination. He also scored Abzû, praised for its orchestral and choral elements. In 2015, he composed the music for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, blending 19thcentury chamber music with virtuoso performances. Beyond gaming, Austin contributed to nearly 50 feature films, including Captain Abu Raed and Grace. He actively engaged in concert composing, collaborating with renowned musicians and ensembles worldwide, such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Fifth House Ensemble.

AUSTIN WINTORY Austin Wintory is a composer whose career has been defined by curiosity and experimentation. His journey into music composition began at the age of ten when he discovered Jerry Goldsmith’s PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

“Long have I admired what happens each year in Ghent at the World Soundtrack Awards, and it was a privilege to be their guest in 2021. Returning to host this concert, celebrating the wonderful art form and my many talented peers is nothing short of a dream!” 5

MICHAEL GIACCHINO

ANDREW HALE

Andrew Hale is a renowned composer celebrated for his groundbreaking work in video game, film, and television music. He gained acclaim for his iconic scores for the Max Payne series, where his haunting

LENA RAINE ABOUT THE MUSIC

Michael Giacchino, a celebrated composer, is renowned for his unforgettable film scores, including The Incredibles, Up, and Star Trek. Notably, he composed the first live orchestral score for a PlayStation game, Speilberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and later the score for Medal of Honor video game series by the same director, catapulting his career. His collaborations with J.J. Abrams resulted in captivating music for TV series like Alias and films like Mission Impossible III. Giacchino’s influence reaches Disney attractions and global live concerts. Currently, he’s crafting scores for Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins and J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow. Giacchino’s contributions extend to music education through his role on the advisory board of Education Through Music Los Angeles.

and atmospheric compositions elevated the gaming experience. Notably, Hale also crafted the evocative jazz and orchestral soundtrack for the video game L.A. Noire, perfectly capturing its 1940s film noir setting. This exceptional work earned him critical acclaim and a BAFTA Games Award for Best Original Music, as well as a nomination for International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media.

Lena Raine is a celebrated composer and producer based in Vancouver, best known for her remarkable contributions to video game soundtracks. She has composed music for acclaimed titles such as Celeste and Minecraft. Lena also releases electronic music under the name Kuraine and has produced original albums like Oneknowing. Notably, she spent six years at ArenaNet, working as a designer and soundtrack composer, contributing to Guild Wars 2, including the Heart of Thorns expansion. She also crafted the soundtrack for Chicory: A Colorful Tale and assisted with the music for Deltarune’s second chapter, both released in 2021. Currently, Lena continues her collaboration with Extremely OK Games on their upcoming project, Earthblade, and with Wishes Unlimited for their game, Beastieball.

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE MUSIC

BEAR MCCREARY

BORISLAV SLAVOV

Emmy and BAFTA award-winning composer Bear McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting onto the scene scoring the influential and revered series Battlestar Galactica in 2004. Since then, McCreary has been a four-time Emmy nominee and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme for Da Vinci’s Demons, a musical palindrome that sounds the same forwards and backwards.

Borislav Slavov is a highly acclaimed game composer and music director, renowned for his exceptional work on titles such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Crysis 2. His journey into the world of video game music began in 2001 when he composed the soundtrack for Knights of Honor. This successful debut marked the start of his career in composing for video games developed in various countries, including Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the United States. In 2010, Slavov joined Crytek, a prestigious German game development company, as the Lead Composer and Music Director for Crysis 2. During this project, he had the privilege of collaborating with Hans Zimmer. In 2016, Slavov took his talents to Larian Studios in Belgium. Here, he composed the music for the RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2. His latest project, Baldur’s Gate 3, made its world premiere as a symphonic concert in Wroclaw, Poland, with an audience of 100,000 people attending in person and countless others tuning in online.

Recent projects include the Amazon Original hit series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, God of War Ragnarök (Sony Interactive Entertainment), Foundation for Apple TV+, the hit series Outlander, Netflix’s Academy Award nominated documentary Crip Camp, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Walking Dead, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the video game Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge for Disney. PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

STEPHEN BARTON

Gordy Haab is a renowned composer known for his work in film, video games, and TV. Notable projects include Star Wars: Squadrons, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Halo Wars 2, and the Star Wars: Battlefront series. His Star Wars: Battlefront compositions were performed by the Royal Swedish Opera. Critics have praised his music, often describing it as “the best game score John Williams never wrote” and “the B-side to John Williams’ score.”

Stephen Barton is a versatile composer known for his work in film, television, and video games. His credits include scoring all sixteen seasons of Apex Legends, Star Trek: Picard, and games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Multiversus. Born in 1982, at the age of eight he won a prestigious scholarship to sing in Winchester Cathedral Choir, touring the world and performing with numerous orchestras and soloists at venues such as Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. He began his composing career at 19, as an assistant to Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven). He is also an accomplished conductor and pianist, with performances alongside orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

His portfolio extends to film and TV, with projects like Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and The Walking Dead. Haab holds a master’s in Scoring For Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Media from USC and a bachelor’s in Music Composition from Virginia Commonwealth University. His diverse talents continue to influence the entertainment and music industry.

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE MUSIC

GORDY HAAB

ABOUT THE MUSIC

KOJI KONDO

NOBUO UEMATSU

Born in 1961 in Nagoya, Japan, Koji Kondo started as a sound programmer at Nintendo in 1984, despite lacking formal classical training but having expertise in electronic music. His groundbreaking compositions include the unforgettable music for Super Mario Bros. in 1985 and The Legend of Zelda in 1986. These games became massive hits, selling over sixty million copies worldwide. As a video game legend, Kondo currently serves as a supervisor, arranger, and consultant for the Nintendo Sound Team. He has contributed to various Mario spin-offs and collaborations with other composers, for example on Super Mario 3D World composed in collaboration with Mahito Yokota, Yasuaki Iwata, and Toru Minegishi.

Nobuo Uematsu is a highly acclaimed Japanese video game composer, best known for his exceptional work on the Final Fantasy series, earning him the title “Beethoven of video game music”. Self-taught in music, his early inspiration came from artists like Elton John, leading him to start playing the piano at a young age. His career began in 1985 when he joined Square, collaborating with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi for two decades. He continued composing for various games, blending classical, heavy metal, and New Age elements. In 2004, Uematsu ventured out to establish his own production company, enabling him to freelance as a composer for various games. Throughout his prolific career, he released numerous soundtracks and arranged albums, with his music performed at concerts worldwide. He even played keyboards for the hard rock band The Black Mages from 2002 to 2012.

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

PETER MCCONNELL

Jessica Curry is a celebrated composer known for contemporary classical music and co-founding The Chinese Room, a renowned games company. She has won a BAFTA, received Ivor Novello nominations, and her work has been performed at prestigious venues worldwide. Her compositions, described as “stupendous” by The Washington Post, include the “gorgeous orchestral score” for Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. She’s known for Little Orpheus and the genre-defying Dear Esther, which toured with orchestras globally. Jessica’s music extends to Google Daydream’s So Let Us Melt and the AR experience The Seven Ages of Man with The Royal Shakespeare Company and Magic Leap. She is also a presenter, hosting shows on ClassicFM and BBC Radio 3.

Peter McConnell has composed awardwinning scores for acclaimed video game titles including Hearthstone, Psychonauts 2, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, Disney Kinect Adventures, the Sly Cooper series, Broken Age, and Brutal Legend. Before working independently, he composed in-house at LucasArts contributing to beloved franchises such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. Peter McConnell’s music can also be heard in the feature films Greetings from the Shore and INTERSECT. From classical violin to bluegrass banjo, Peter’s passion for music started at an early age. He studied music at Harvard with composers Ivan Tcherepnin and Curt Cacioppo, graduating with High Honors. He has been nominated for over thirty Game Audio Network Guild Awards and won seven, including Best Interactive Score, Best Soundtrack and Lifetime Achievement Award. His score for Psychonauts 2 was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE MUSIC

JESSICA CURRY

ABOUT THE MUSIC

GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA Gustavo Santaolalla is a renowned Argentine multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and composer, with two Oscars and 19 Latin Grammys to his name. In the 90s, he founded his record label, Surco, and produced over 100 albums for influential Latin-American artists, shaping the Rock en Español movement. His work extends to television and film, including collaborations with directors like Alejandro González Iñárritu and Ang Lee. Santaolalla received Oscars for his scores in Brokeback Mountain and Babel. He’s also contributed music to series like Jane the Virgin and Narcos: México. In 2013, he ventured into gaming,

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

composing for the critically acclaimed The Last of Us and its sequel. Most recently, he’s been involved in scoring the HBO series adaptation of The Last of Us, which garnered high praise upon its release in January 2023. Santaolalla’s versatile talent has left an indelible mark on music, film, and gaming. Gustavo Santaolalla will play the ronroco during the performance of his music from The Last of Us, accompanied by Juan Cruz Luqui on guitar.

Stephanie Economou is a Grammywinning composer and violinist known for her scores for the Netflix TV series Jupiter’s Legacy, The Chair, Step Up: High Water, Manhunt: Deadly Games, and the LucasFilm/Disney+ documentary feature More Than Robots. She is also the composer of the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansions The Siege of Paris and Dawn of Ragnarök, the latter of which earned her the historic 2023 Grammy Award for Best Score for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, making her the first-ever winner in the new category. In another first, Stephanie also won the inaugural David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent from the Society of Composers and Lyricists for her music on Jupiter’s Legacy. Her next work sees her scoring the DreamWorks animated feature Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, the Lionsgate film About My Father, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Working with composer Harry Gregson-Williams, she contributed to the scores for Mulan, The Meg and The Martian, among others.

“I’m so honoured to be attending the WSA in Ghent this year. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest stages in the world for media music and I’m particularly thrilled that they will be hosting a concert dedicated to game music; a medium which has had a massive cultural influence and impact on people all over the world. WSA is offering great visibility for those creators and I look forward to celebrating this iconic music which has shaped many generations.” Stephanie Economou has created the music video screened during the performance of her music from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök especially for tonight.

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE MUSIC

STEPHANIE ECONOMOU

ABOUT THE NOMINEES

WSA GAME MUSIC AWARD NOMINEES This year the World Soundtrack Academy and Film Fest Gent launched a new award: the WSA Game Music Award is presented to the best game score tonight. You can find out who will win the other World Soundtrack Awards on Saturday 21 October during the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert.

RIVER BOY (NARAYANA JOHNSON) CULT OF THE LAMB Narayana Johnson scored and produced the award winning music for Cult Of the Lamb along with working on voice overs, atmospheres and many of the SFX.

MACLAINE DIEMER FIRMAMENT Maclaine Diemer’s notable credits include Firmament from Cyan Worlds, Harmonix’s Rock Band franchises, Riot Games’ League of Legends.

NAINITA DESAI IMMORTALITY Nainita Desai’s recent projects include 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, The Deepest Breath, For Sama, The Reason I Jump and the iconic Call of Duty video game franchise.

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

GARETH COKER, GRANT KIRKHOPE, YOKO SHIMOMURA - MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE Gareth Coker is a British composer. He has composed work for video games, including Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, ARK: Survival Evolved, and Halo Infinite. Grant Kirkhope has created the soundtrack video games including Golden Eye, Donkey Kong, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Civilization: Beyond Earth and Perfect Dark. Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese composer primarily known for the Kingdom Hearts series, Final Fight, Street Fighter II, and The King of Dragons.

GREGORY NICOLETT POTIONOMICS Greg Nicolett has scored four Disney animated series, including Pupstruction. His past projects include a neo-noir score for Chicago Overcoat and additional music for Smallville.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

DIRK BROSSÉ Dirk Brossé, an internationally acclaimed conductor and award-winning composer, is currently Music Director of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Artistic Director of Prima La Musica, and music director of Film Fest Gent. He is also professor of composition and conducting at the School of Arts / Royal Conservatory of Music at his hometown Ghent, Belgium. He has composed some 600 works, including concert works, concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music and symphonic works. He has also composed extensively for cinema, television and stage. His score for the BBC/HBO series Parade’s End was nominated for an Emmy Award. His score for the film Knielen op een bed violen (In My Father’s Garden) was nominated for Het Gouden Kalf. He wrote the scores for the musicals Prince of Africa, Daens, Sacco & Vanzetti, Tintin, Rembrandt, Ben

X, Pauline & Paulette, 14-18, Scrooge and Daens 2.0. Dirk’s recent score for the documentary Our Nature was nominated for an Ensor Award and the prestigious International Film Music Critics Awards (IFMCA). Dirk Brossé has conducted many top orchestras, both at home and abroad. Amongst them, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. In 2008 he made his first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 he made his debut at the Carnegie Hall New York. He has made more than 100 CD recordings and has collaborated with world-class artists such as John Williams, Toots Thielemans, Hans Zimmer, Elmer Bernstein, Sinead O’ Connor, Maurice Jarre and Youssou N’Dour. He has worked with directors Stijn Coninx, Martin Koolhoven, Roland Joffé, and with writers Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Seth Gaaikema and Didier Van Cauwelaert. Dirk Brossé has been awarded the title Cultural Ambassador of Flanders, the Flemish Parliament’s Gold Medal for Merit, the Achille Van Acker Prize, the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award and the Global Thinkers Forum Award for Excellence in Cultural Creativity. In 2013 he was elevated to Belgium’s hereditary nobility, with the personal title of Sir. He is a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Recently Dirk received from His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium the highest award from the Belgian Monarchy: ‘Commander in the Order of Leopold’. 14

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

The music of these world-renowned games will be performed by a worldrenowned orchestra: Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé, assisted by Vlaams Radiokoor. Furthermore, they can count on the expertise of gifted soloists such as concertmaster and violinist Otto Derolez, soprano Jolien De Gendt, cellist Karel Steylaerts, trompeter Ward Hoornaert and nyckelharpist Erik Rydvall. Composer Gustavo Santaolalla will take to the stage and play the ronroco, accompanied by Juan Luqui on guitar, to perform his music for The Last of Us.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC “The world needs symphonic music. And symphonic music needs the world.” That is the firm belief of the Brussels Philharmonic. As a symphony orchestra founded in 1935 under the auspices of the Belgian public broadcaster, unveiling the symphonic world as best we can is deep in our DNA. By innovating while maintaining full respect for the value of the past, we keep the symphonic music of the past, present and future relevant and inspiring – for ourselves and all of society. We do this from the historic Studio 4 at Flagey in Brussels, together with our music director Kazushi Ono: he shares our open and adventurous spirit and our rock-solid belief in the need for cross-fertilization between art, life and society.

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

The orchestra’s international reputation comes to the fore in its specialisation in recording soundtracks (including the Oscar-winning music for The Artist), the many successful recordings for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, and the ambitious projects on prestigious stages around the world (Carnegie Hall, New York, Philharmonie de Paris, Musikverein Wien, Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, Cadogan Hall, London).

The Vlaams Radiokoor was founded in 1937 by the Belgian public broadcaster of the day. Today, the Vlaams Radiokoor is renowned for vocal music in Flanders and Europe, and is counted among the top ensembles both at home and abroad. The young Belgian conductor Bart Van Reyn is the musical director of the Radiokoor. A shared passion for baroque and contemporary repertoire, the belief that the voice is the ultimate interpreter of our emotions, and the commitment to make our vocal heritage accessible to singers and audiences alike are what binds the ensemble together. Based in Studio 1 in Flagey (Brussels), the 32 singers of the Vlaams Radiokoor are working on a musical project built on three major pillars. First and foremost,

the Vocal Fabric productions – the laboratory of the Radiokoor. Vocal Fabric organizes concerts that test the boundaries of vocal music and are challenging, quirky and non-conformist. In addition, the choir works regularly with renowned instrumental ensembles from Belgium and abroad, such as the Brussels Philharmonic, the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In this way, the Radiokoor has gradually built up its presence on various international stages. Lastly, the Vlaams Radiokoor is and remains a living portal for repertoire, knowledge, experience and voices. It makes our vocal heritage accessible to singers and the audience, while also investing in the creation of new vocal works.

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

VLAAMS RADIOKOOR

OTTO DEROLEZ

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

Concertmaster & soloist Otto Derolez has been the concertmaster of Brussels Philharmonic since 1999. He is considered one of the leading violinists of Belgium, and as of 2012 been Faculty Professor at YOA Orchestra of the Americas, coaching young musicians all over the world. Otto made his debut with the Brussels Philharmonic in 1999, with Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. His performance of John Williams’ Violin Concerto has been highly acclaimed, as well as the Alban Berg Violin Concerto which he performed with Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Carlos Kalmar. Otto Derolez studied at the Royal Conservatories of Ghent and Brussels, with professors such as Rudolf Werthen, Keti Sbestyen and Philippe Hirschhorn.

JOLIEN DE GENDT Soprano

Jolien De Gendt earned her Master’s in singing from the Royal Conservatoire in Gent, studying under Gidon Saks, Marcos Pujol, and Mireille Capelle. She completed the postgraduate programme at Flanders Operastudio (now International Opera Academy). Her stage roles during her studies included The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, and the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. Jolien De Gendt is sought after as a concert soloist, with a diverse repertoire that includes Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Bach’s Passions, C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificat, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. She’s been featured in various compositions by Joachim Brackx, Luca Francesconi, and Natalie Dietterich, as well as in theatre productions.

He graduated from the Internationale Musikakademie für Solisten (IMAS) in Wolfenbüttel (Germany) under the guidance of André Gertler. He also received support and guidance from Yfrah Neaman. An active chamber musician, he has been a member of the Prometheus Ensemble since 1992. With this ensemble he recorded Schubert’s Octet and Trout Quintet, Stravinsky’s l’Histoire du Soldat, Schoenberg’s First Chamber Symphony and Transfigured Night.

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

JUAN CRUZ LUQUI

At the Stedelijk Muziekconservatorium van Kortrijk, Ward Hoornaert took trumpet lessons in the classes of Werner Roelstraete and Albert Grymonprez. In 1984, he won the government medal for trumpet and the Brouckaert Prize and a First Prize in the National Music Competition of the Municipal Credit of Belgium, formerly better known as the Pro Civitate competition. In 1986, he finished ordinary music school with a government medal for chamber music in Marcel Lequeux’s class. He continued his studies at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven. There he graduated in 1991 with the Laureate Diploma (First Prizes for solfège and trumpet in the respective classes of Lode Dieltiens and Léon Pétré), in 1992 with a First Prize in chamber music and in 1993 with the Higher Diploma for trumpet with the highest distinction in the class of Léon Pétré. Since September 1989, he has been with Brussels Philharmonic as principal trumpet.

Juan Cruz Luqui is an Argentinean composer, producer and music artist best known for his collaborations withAcademy Award winner Gustavo Santaolalla and his personal project Cacique Torcido. Through his collaborations with Santaolalla, Juan has composed music for internationally acclaimed projects such as The Last of Us (HBO), Liebes Kind (Netflix), Narcos: Mexico (Netflix), Wild Life (National Geographic), Monsterland (Hulu), amongst many others. Juan also hand picks and produces a wide range of emerging and genre-bending artists from US and Latin-America. He has performed guitar and ronroco and written orchestra arrangements for prestigious ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and the Pecs Hungarian Symphony Orchestra.

Trumpet

Guitar

19 October 2023

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

WARD HOORNAERT

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

KAREL STEYLAERTS

ERIK RYDVALL

Karel Steylaerts studied with Carlo Schmitz at the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussels, where he obtained first Prizes for cello and chamber music with great distinction. He then completed his studies with Maria Kliegel at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne and gained orchestral experience under renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Antal Dorati and Leonard Bernstein. In 1990, Karel Steylaerts became a Tenuto laureate. That same year, together with violinist Peter Despiegelaere and pianist Jan Vermeulen, he founded the Florestan Fortepiano Trio, now renamed the Tröndlin Trio. Their CD recordings for the Viennese label Koch-Discover were warmly recommended on the international market. For the Phaedra label, he recorded Joseph Jongen’s integral work for cello and piano with Piet Kuijken. In 2006, he founded TrioFenix with violinist Shirly Laub and viola player Tony Nys. The Fuga Libera label recently released their first CD of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s integral work for string trio. Karel Steylaerts is co-leader with the Brussels Philharmonic and a teacher at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles.

Nyckelharpa player Erik Rydvall has steadily risen to stardom on the folk-music scene. He is ever venturing into new territories. Erik has toured with the Flamencos en route dance company, performed with the Danish National Girls’ Choir, the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra, Dalasinfoniettan and world music’s primary promoter in Sweden, Ale Möller. Erik Rydvall’s most recent project, playing Bach’s partitas for violin and suites for cello on nyckelharpa, has attracted an audience beyond folk music and interest the world over. Erik is a highly sought-after studio musician, featured on many soundtracks for movies, TV-series and video games such as Assassin’s Creed: Dawn of Ragnarök, God of War Ragnarök, The Lord of The Rings - The Rings of Power, Loki, The Witcher Blood Origin, Vikings - Valhalla and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Cello

PRESS PLAY: Music in Games

Nyckelharpa

MUSICIANS Dirk Brossé, conductor Otto Derolez, concertmaster & soloist (violin)

VIOLIN 1

VIOLIN 2 Mari Hagiwara (1) Anne Balu Véronique Burstin Aline Janeczek Mireille Kovac José Manuel Jiménez Garcia Eline Pauwels Julien Poli Stefanie Van Backlé Bram Van Eenoo

VIOLA Loan Cazal (1) Griet François (2) Philippe Allard Marina Barskaya Phung Ha Hélène Koerver Agnieszka Kosakowska Stephan Uelpenich Patricia Van Reusel

CELLO Karel Steylaerts (1) Karin Broeckhove Barbara Gerarts Sophie Jomard Sylvain Ruffier Emmanuel Tondus

DOUBLE BASS José Vilaplana Herruzo (1) Luzia Correia Rendeiro Vieira

FLUTE Lieve Schuermans (1) Jill Jeschek (2) Sarah Miller

HARP Marieke Schoenmakers (2)

KEYBOARDS Erik Brabants (2) Anastasia Goldberg (2)

OBOE

GUITAR

Joris Van den Hauwe (1) Lode Cartrysse (2) Emily Ross

ACCORDEON

CLARINET Anne Boeykens (1) Elena Herrero Vega (2) Midori Mori (2)

BASSOON Oliver Engels (1) Jonas Coomans (2) Alexander Kuksa

HORN Hans van der Zanden (1) Mieke Ailliet (2) NN (2) Claudia Rigoni Luc van den Hove Frans van Gorsel

TRUMPET Florian Begarie (1) Ward Hoornaert (1) Diego Hernandez Torres Luc Sirjacques

Inti De Maet (2) Christophe Delporte (2)

SAXOPHONE Pieter Pellens (2)

VLAAMS RADIOKOOR SOPRANO Sarah Abrams Dagmara Dobrowolska Karen Lemaire Amélie Renglet Evi Roelants Sarah Van Mol

ALTO Helen Cassano Eva Goudie-Falckenbach Estelle Lefort Lieve Mertens Noëlle Schepens Kerlijne Van Nevel

TENOR

David Rey (1) Tim Van Medegael (2) Gertjan Schoup

Gunter Claessens Frank De Moor Paul Foubert Ivan Goossens Paul Schils Roel Willems

TUBA

BASS

Jean Xhonneux (2)

Conor Biggs Joris Derder Lieven Deroo Marc Meersman Paul Mertens Jan Van der Crabben

TROMBONE

TIMPANI Gert D’haese (1)

PERCUSSION Titus Franken (2) Stijn Schoofs (2) Miguel Sánchez Cobo Gideon Van Canneyt

GLOSSARY (1) principal (2) soloist 19 October 2023

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

Bart Lemmens (2) Olivia Bergeot Annelies Broeckhoven Cristina Constantinescu Sára Kovács Justine Rigutto Kristina Rimkeviciute Elizaveta Rybentseva Anton Skakun Alissa Vaitsner Gillis Veldeman

Thomas Fiorini Daniele Giampaolo