The Performing Arts Center presents the Belgian Brass Quintet (above) on March 10 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Part of the Franklin College Chamber Music Series, the Belgian Brass Quintet’s performance is free and open to the public.
Under the artistic leadership of trumpeter Manu Mellaerts, the Quintet is composed of eminent musicians who all have earned positions as soloists with various symphony orchestras. The Quintet performs a wide repertoire, ranging from original compositions to music from the Renaissance.
Mellaerts began his musical training at the Academy of Tienen. He then studied at the Brussels Royal Conservatory where he earned higher degrees in trumpet and chamber music as well as a teaching degree. He completed his training under Pierre Thibaud in Paris, Roger Delmotte in Versailles, and Edward Tarr in Basel, Switzerland.
Mellaerts was a laureate at the VRT Tenuto Competition in 1985 and the International Trumpet Competition in Toulon in 1987. He was a member of the Flemish Radio Orchestra from 1984–1986, and also performed as a soloist with the Orchestra of Théatre Royale de la Monnaie, the Beethoven Academy, the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense and l’Orchestre de Wallonie.
The Belgian Brass Quintet has recorded several CDs including Pushing the Limits, Russian Heritage and the soon-to-be released Flemish Composers, featuring original works written for the Quintet by prominent Flemish composers.
