OSEL stands for Louvain-la-Neuve Student Symphony Orchestra in French and counts over 60 musicians, mostly students from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Catholic University of Louvain). Philippe Gérard has conduc-ted the orchestra for over 15 years now.

The orchestra offers the possibility to students, faculty and other musicians from the area to participate in challenging musical projects. Being part of the OSEL also means sharing a love for music in a student atmosphere during rehearsal weekends, concerts and tours abroad.

The OSEL plays a key role in the cultural life of Louvain-la-Neuve, with regular concerts in its main concert hall: the Aula Magna. Other concerts in Belgium are organized through relationships with institutions such as the Royal Conservatory of Music of Brussels, the Royal Theatre ‘La Monnaie’ and the Festival de Wallonie.

The orchestra regularly represents the University and the City abroad during tours and festivals. The Orchestra was founded in 1980. Today, it is managed by the OSEL not-for-profit organisation, which organizes concerts, tours abroad and day- to-day operations. The not-for-profit is composed of musicians in the orchestra and a new board is elected every year.

Concerts are held at least twice a year in the Aula Magna in Louvain-la-Neuve, with regular concerts in other Belgian cities. Soloists who played with OSEL include Daniel Blumenthal, André Siwy, Vinciane Baudhuin, Olivier de Spiegeleir, André Grignard, Jacques Dupriez, Adam Korniszewsky, Sergio Bernal, Lorenzo Gatto,  Elisabeth Wybou, Thibault Lavrenov, Xavier Locus, Tamsin Waley-Cohen, Giovanni Ricciardi, Ronald Van Spaendonck, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Rita Matos Alves, Laurent Pigeolet, Sarah Dupriez and Camille Thomas.

OSEL also played more adventurous music with rock group Amanda and modern composer Fabrizio Cassol. Osel is Cultural Ambassador of UCL since 2003 and the orchestra takes part to international music festivals where it represents both UCL and Belgium (festivals in Spain, Italy, France, Latvia, Portugal, etc.).

Philippe Gérard conductor

The orchestra was founded by the conductor Guido van den Bosch. He established a very capable orchestra, which traveled to the USA, Italy, Russia and Israel.

Since 1999 Norbert Koop conducts this orchestra of young musicians, which are 13 to 23 years old, and rehearses about 3-4 programs every year. The orchestra has about 70 members and it has already played at the Kölner Philharmonie, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Auditorium Murcia and the theatre in Cesena, Italy.

At the “International Youth Orchestra Festival” in Murcia the instrumentalists came in contact with a youth orchestra from Tirana, Albania. A German-Albanian orchestra was formed, which performed concerts in both countries. This was followed by further co-operations with youth orchestras during festivals and with the “Chiba Prefecture Youth Orchestra” from Japan.

The most extraordinary events of the last years were the participation at the “European Music Festival” in Linz in 2009 and in the Emilia Romagna in 2012, and the repeated winning of the German orchestra-competition in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Norbert Koop conductor

The Britten Youth String Orchestra was founded in 2007 by their conductor Loes Visser. She created the orchestra to provide a platform for young talented string instrument players that want to develop their skill in an inspiring, high  level, and musically demanding environment. The joy to play wonderful music however is very important and always  present.

Loes Visser and the orchestra are closely related to the ArtEZ Conservatory in the Netherlands. The symbioses between the three yields fine young musicians that are ready to go on in a musical education at the conservatory.  The Britten Your String Orchestra aims to perform with young talented soloists and inspiring soloists of more experienced level.

Every year the orchestra performs with the winners of the national ‘Britten Violin or Cello competition’. Among the great soloists that played with the orchestra are Daniel Wayenberg (piano), Liza Ferschtman (violin), Maria Milstein (violin), Gavriel Lipkind (cello), Anna Lipkind (violin) and Charlie Siem (violin).

The orchestra has performed three times for the Dutch Royal family and is a regular guest in Dutch theaters and country estate concerts. Every year the Britten Youth String orchestra goes on tour. The orchestra has been invited to play a.o. in Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain and last year it won the 1st price at the music competition of the Summa Cum Laude Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Austria.

At the end of each season the Britten Youth String Orchestra records a CD. The 8th CD was launched last November 2016. Former CD’s were well received by Dutch classic radio and press and were often praised for their sound and profoundness despite the young age of the musicians.

Loes Visser conductor

The IMS Youth Orchestra is part of the historical Music School “Istituto Musicale Sammarinese”, in San Marino. The orchestra is formed by young students between 11 and 19 years old, together with their teachers, ex students and friends musicians.

The students and teachers passion for music, brought them to reach a very good musical level, in fact they collaborate and perform with many important local and International Institutions. The orchestra regularly give concerts within the many events organized during the year by the school “Istituto Musicale Sammarinese”.

This is their first participation to the Florence Youth  Festival. For the occasion, Massimiliano Messeri, the orchestra conductor since 2002, composed a piece which is a world premiere. Massimiliano Messeri (born in Bologna, 1964) is a composer and a orchestra Director.

He received many important commissions from teathres and festivals from Italy to Prague, Poland and USA, and won many prizes, his scores were performed in many imprtant teathres with success. He hold masterclasses and lectures at the Conservatory of Music in Cracow, DAMS University in Bologna, Kennesaw State University, International Forfest Festival in Kromeriz, IULM University in Milan, a La Sierra University in Riverside.

Davide Alpini flauto
Massimiliano Messeri conductor