Koen Kessels | |
---|---|
Born | 1960or1961(age 62–63) [1] |
Nationality | Belgian |
Occupation(s) | Conductor, music director |
Known for | Music director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet |
Koen Kessels (born 1961) is a Belgian conductor and pianist. He is music director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and of The Royal Ballet. [2] [1]
Trained as a pianist, Kessels studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. He became a repetiteur and an assistant conductor at the Vlaamse Opera. [3] He founded the music ensemble HERMES in 1998 [4] [5] and continues to serve as its artistic director. He has served as music director for the Belgian summer opera festival Zomeropera Alden Biesen. [2]
Kessels became music director of Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2010. In 2015, he became music director of The Royal Ballet. [6] [7] In December 2023, Dutch National Ballet announced the appointment of Kessels as its next music director, which includes the posts of artistic director and chief conductor of Het Balletorkest, effective 1 August 2024. [8] Kessels is scheduled to conclude his tenure as music director of Birmingham Royal Ballet on 30 June 2024. [9]
Kessels is an honorary professor at Birmingham University, as well as artistic director of Inspiratum. He is also on staff of the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp.
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This article is for major events and other topics related to classical music in 2023.