Eddy Vanoosthuyse
Eddy Vanoosthuyse is one of the most respected clarinetists of his generation. This is confirmed by the fact that in 2018 the International Clarinet Association honored him with the ‘Honorary Membership’, their highest award given annually to a maximum of 3 clarinetists worldwide.
Vanoosthuyse started his career as a soloist with the orchestra of the Flanders Opera at a very young age. When the new Flemish Opera (now Opera & Ballet Vlaanderen) was founded, Gerard Mortier offered him the position of principal clarinetist, a position he would later hold for more than 30 years at the Brussels Philharmonic (formerly the Belgian Philharmonic Radio Orchestra/BRT) where he worked with conductors such as Joel Levi, Leopold Hager, Adam Fischer, Sir Neville Marriner, Paul Strauss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Michel Tabachnik. He is selected for the World Philharmonic Orchestra (Georges Prêtre) and invited for the Symphonicum Europae. With this orchestra he performed the “Millennium Concert of the Nations” – dedicated to Kofi Atta Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations – in the Fisher Hall of the Lincoln Center in New York,.
In addition to his orchestral career, he built a solid international career as a chamber musician and soloist with over 100 international orchestras and ensembles, including the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Orchestras/Caracas, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of het Stanislavsky Theatre Moscow, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, I Pommerigi Musicale/Milano, Flanders Symphony, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta, Sichuan Symphony (China), Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Free State Symphony (South Africa), Beethoven Academy Orchestra/Krakow, BRT Filharmonisch Orkest, Kansas Sinfonietta, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Symphony Orchestra), Sofia Soloists, Ysaÿe Ensemble, Vlaams Radio Koor, Arriaga Quartet, Simon Bolivar Quartet, Beijing Quartet, Chili Quartet, Roman Quartet, Quartet Clemenz Quatacker, Odeion Quartet, Daniel Quartet, Zemlinsky Quartet, Ciurlionis Quartet and the Vilnius Quartet.
His love for the symphonic wind band allows him to perform with orchestras such as the Royal Bands of the Belgian Guides, Air Force and Navy, the Royal Military Band (NL), the Military Band of the Honor Guard Lithuania, the Military Band of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Symphonic Wind Band Simon Bolivar (Caracas) among lots of others.
Eddy Vanoosthuyse works with some of the most prominent composers of his time such as Olivier Messiaen, John Corigliano, Arthuro Marquez, Nicola Piovani, Heinrich Suttermeister, Hans Zimmer and Scott McAllister.
Vanoosthuyse was awarded the ‘Fuga Prize’ and the ‘Torenwachtersprijs’ for the international defence of Belgian and Flemish music. Dozens of Belgian composers have dedicated works to him, including Dirk Brossé/”War Concerto”, “Circle of Nature” and “The Secret of the Mystic Lamb”, Jan Van der Roost/Clarinet Concerto, André Laporte/Concertpiece, Erik Desimpelaere/Rhapsodie, Jean Louel/Concerto, August Verbesselt/Kristal and double concerto, Alain Crepin/Lam Gods Impressions and concerto, Jan Van Landeghem/Clarinet Quintet, Wilfried Westerlinck/Landschappen VII, Raymond Decancq/2 Contrasten, Jurgen De Pillecyn/Brieven van de Ziel and Nashville Concerto, Piet Swerts/Moeder zonder Meer, … but foreign composers also dedicate their compositions to him, for example Scott McAllister/Freebirds (double concerto), Nicola Piovani (oscar winner for ‘La Vita E Bella’)/‘Cyberknife’ (concerto for clarinet and orchestra), Arthuro Marquez/Danzon n°6 (transcription for clarinet and symphonic wind band), Oscar Navaro/1° clarinet concerto.
He performs in the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (Royal Gardens), with the ‘Soloists of the Brussels Philharmonic’ during the celebration of 75 years (2005) National Radio (VRT). On the jubilee concert of the 75th anniversary of the Brussels Philharmonic and the 75th anniversary of the legendary concert hall FLAGEY in Brussels (2013), he was given the honor of performing as a soloist with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Michel Tabachnik in ‘Scaramouche’ by Darius Milhaud.
Vanoosthuyse performs for radio and television for BRTN/VRT, RTBF, VARA, Radio Suisse Romande, Magyar Radio, Czech Radio, Slovenian Radio, Danish Radio, Lietuvos Radio, Hungarian Radio, Chile Radio, Exqui and Classica.
His CD recordings (solo and chamber music) can be found on SONY, DECCA, EMI, Naxos, Brilliant Classics, AEON, Talent, Gobelin, Antarctica, Etcetera and Phaedra.
He is a professor at the University College Ghent/KASK and Royal Conservatory (Gent/Belgium) and the Academy for the Arts (Tilburg/The Netherlands). He is a researcher at Ghent University working on the Flemish/Brussels clarinets and repertoire in ‘the long 19° century’ (from the French Revolution/1789 until the First World War/1914).
He is the vice president of SWUK (the non-profit organization that supports young musicians at the beginning of their careers). In 2020 he holds the position of vice president of the International Clarinet Association based in the USA.
Vanoosthuyse is the artistic director and curator of the ‘International Clarinet Competition Ghent’ that is patroned by H.R.M. Queen Paola of Belgium and the jury chairman of the ‘International Arts Competition Singapore’.
Eddy Vanoosthuyse exclusively plays the Buffet Crampon clarinets, mouthpieces and reeds Vandoren. He has a collection at Metropolis Music Publishers/Antwerp and International Music Diffusion/Paris.
Eddy Vanoosthuyse performs, depending of the repertoire on XXI (A & Bb), Tosca (A & Bb) and Légende (Bb). He recorded the acclaimed CD ‘Mozart Chamber Music with Clarinet’ with the Zeminsky Quartet/Antarctica on the Légende Boxwood clarinets (A & Bb).