Stefaan started playing the oboe as a young child on the advice of his father, without knowing exactly what the instrument was. When, at age twelve, he attended a concert by Concentus Musicus Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, he was struck by lightning. Soon afterwards, he knew for sure he wanted to become a professional oboist. According to him, “the oboe can really arouse emotions, and much of its repertoire is written with that in mind.” He adds, however, that “making reeds remains a time-consuming burden!”.
Besides being a musician, Stefaan is also a teacher and researcher at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. One of his latest, fascinating research projects, on the Bach oboe, resulted in an article in the Galpin Society Journal, and the development of a new replica oboe that he now uses for German baroque music. One of his life mottos comes from Henry Ford: “Quality means: doing it right when nobody’s watching.”