B’Rock Encounters

The desire for encounter and exchange with audiences is part of our DNA. B’Rock Orchestra outlines a new participation programme, the B’Rock Encounters, to reach an even wider and more diverse audience.

This programme unites a growing number of components, specifically tailored to the needs and expectations of a wide range of communities. All inspired by the wish to share the joy of exploring, which lies at the core of our music-making.

The B’Rock Encounters are enabled by the generous support of the Nationale Loterij/Loterie Nationale.

Talent Development

All of B’Rock Orchestra’s activities are rooted in its unique connective spirit. From here comes our motivation to share the experience, the knowledge, and above all: the love for period music making with young professionals.

We put specific focus on creating effective support to enable future artists to successfully start a career. This includes masterclasses and instrumental coaching, but B’Rock aims to go far beyond. We want to offer hands-on support in building an own network, create door-openers to established ensembles and provide working opportunities for selected young artists also from other art forms. Find out more about our growing portfolio of programmes here.

KASK & Conservatorium Gent
For the professionals of tomorrow, playing your instrument well is not enough. The artistic surrounding of young musicians has quite drastically changed: they are asked for openness towards new concert formats and a healthy awareness of their own role going far beyond the pure concert performance on stage. And: historically informed practice is seen as fundamental interpretational skill and requested also by modern orchestras.

Here comes the cooperation of B’Rock Orchestra and KASK Conservatory Ghent to play: B’Rock players are role models of modern musicianship and eager to share their experience and expertise with younger colleagues. KASK Conservatory Ghent shares the awareness for changing needs in the professional education and puts particular weight on cross-fertilization between different artistic fields – a perfect match!

B’Rock coaches and conservatory students regularly get together for interactive masterclasses, usually in connection with an ongoing B’Rock project. In addition to instrumental sessions, B’Rock aims at passing on valuable know-how for independently thinking musicians.

With complementing components such as career talks, rehearsal visits and encounters with our Artistic Family members, the collaboration aims to offer a comprehensive hands-on support in becoming a professional musician of the 21st century.

MA Academy
MA Academy is a biennial initiative in collaboration with MA Festival Brugge, il Gardellino and Concertgebouw Brugge.

MA Academy offers the musicians the opportunity to work under the leadership of an inspiring conductor in a newly developed orchestra. The participants are supported and guided by top coaches from B’Rock Orchestra and il Gardellino, such as Cecilia Bernardini, Evgeny Sviridov, Marcel Ponseele, Jan De Winne, Julien Barre and Sander Kintaert. The workshop will be concluded with a concert in Concertgebouw Brugge as part of the MA Festival programme.

Intrada
Intrada is a Europe-wide, year-long artists development scheme, run by four partner ensembles: Concerto Copenhagen, Dunedin Consort, Orchestra of the 18th Century, and B’Rock Orchestra.

Selected by open audition, a handful of talented young musicians from Europe will be invited to take part in the scheme, which will involve:

The opportunity to play in at least one project, hosted by one of the scheme’s partner ensembles during the course of the year
One-to-one tuition / coaching session(s) from a music director or instrumentalist from one of the scheme’s partner ensembles
Professional development coaching – e.g. administration, marketing, fundraising for individuals
CV, biography and audition advice
Professional fees for all rehearsals and performances
Accommodation and travel costs covered for all events

Applications for the new season open in September 2025.

KASK Workshop 2024

Our musicians regularly engage with the students of KASK Conservatorium Gent through interactive masterclasses

International Opera Academy 2024

For the first time, the International Opera Academy collaborated with B'Rock Orchestra conducted by Frank Agsteribbe on a fully scenic production. Director Tom Goossens - with the help of drama students from KASK - put two artistic heavyweights on stage: Handel's opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto and Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. In Handel, Caesar is still alive and kicking; Shakespeare has him brutally murdered. (Photos: Wout Vloeberghs)

MA Academy 2024

MA Academy is a biennial initiative in collaboration with B’Rock, Il Gardellino and Concertgebouw Brugge and offers young musicians the opportunity to work, in 2024, under the inspiring leadership of Peter Whelan. The participants are supported and guided by coaches from B’Rock Orchestra and Il Gardellino, such as Cecilia Bernardini, Julien Barre, Marcel Ponseele, Sander Kintaert, and Jan Huylebroeck. The workshop concluded with a concert in Concertgebouw Brugge as part of the MA Festival programme.

B'Rock House Artists

Our House Artists create a unique work with each project. The young artists are nominated by the teachers of KASK Ghent.

For more information about the House Artists, see their own page in the menu on the right.

Participation & Outreach

From Within
What does it feel like to experience music from within an orchestra? B’Rock Orchestra tears down the boundaries of the usual on-stage/off-stage separation. Groups of participants become a physical part of the orchestra, and are offered a unique opportunity to experience the energy that derives from being shrouded in music.

The project comprises three phases of one immersive experience: a participative introductory workshop with a team of B’Rock musicians is followed by an on-stage encounter with the full orchestra.

With memories of the music fresh in mind, the participants then join the creative process and transform their experience into an artwork of their own, guided by a visual artist.

Up Front
Who knows more about the upcoming concert than the musicians themselves? With Up Front, we present a new concert introduction format. Known for its programming concepts beyond the obvious, there is much to talk about at a B’Rock Orchestra concert. Why are certain pieces of music combined and how does this influence the perception of the concert as a whole?

We organically open up fascinating aspects of music by sharing our first-hand insights into the repertoire itself.

The Listeners Academy 2025

Beethoven’s Piano Concertos as you have never heard them before: Alexander Melnikov and the musicians of B’Rock provided their vision and interpretation of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto in a well-conceived (and entertaining!) semi-staged format, then perform the full concerto for an audience of activated listeners.

From Within in De Kolibrie 2022

22 March - 25 March 2022 in collaboration with Cecile Broekaert and DE SINGEL.

The project has taken place every year since, in collaboration with the IVG School Gent and Muziekcentrum De Bijloke.