Biography
The Flemish chamber orchestra Prima La Musica was founded in 1991 and has been under the artistic direction of Dirk Brossé since 2018. In its early years, under the artistic leadership of Dirk Vermeulen, the orchestra made 20 CD recordings and gave more than 500 concerts in Belgium and abroad. The ensemble collaborated with internationally renowned soloists such as Barbara Hendricks, José van Dam, Isabelle Faust, Cyndia Sieden, Sabine Meyer, Jaap van Zweden, Peter-Lukas Graf, Peter Zazofsky, Isabelle van Keulen, Stephen Salters, Albrecht Breuninger, Bernard Soustrot, Carlos Bonell, Henning Kraggerud, Lorenzo Gatto, Toots Thielemans, Philippe Catherine, George Duke, Dianne Reeves and Wayne Shorter.
Since 2018, under the inspired leadership of Dirk Brossé, the orchestra has taken a new artistic direction. It has performed with Salvatore Accardo, Marie-Noëlle de Calataÿ, Vladyslava Luchenko, Marie Hallynck, Lisa Jacobs, Hanne Roos, Qilian Chen, Jef Neve, Ibernice MacBean, Gabriel Ríos and Ozark Henry, and has appeared at leading venues including Concertgebouw Brugge, La Monnaie / De Munt, De Vlaamse Opera, De Bijloke, Bozar, Concert Noble and Flagey.
Prima La Musica performed the 10th anniversary concert of King Albert II and has contributed to dozens of international productions, including World Mental Health Day, Farewell Concert for Angela Merkel, World AIDS Day, 60 Years of the United Nations, 175 Years of Belgium, World Expo Shanghai 2010, Distortion, a Hymn to Liberty, From Hope to Joy, 175 Years of the Ghent Festivities, 200 Years of Ghent University, Closing Concert 14–18, Leadership in Music, Cinema Paradiso, @the Movies, Paris s’éveille, and many others.
The orchestra has performed on behalf of, among others, the VRT, the Federal Government of Belgium, the National Lottery, Bank Delen, CERA, Deloitte, Ghent University, the City of Ghent, the Festival of Flanders, the Flemish Community, the Province of East Flanders, Film Fest Ghent, VIB, BABC, ABB, Atlas Copco, Fost Plus, PMV, the Belgian Federal Government, the Shanghai World Expo, World Piano Day, and Johnson & Johnson.
Since 2001 Jo Vercruysse has been concertmaster of Prima La Musica. Jo was born into a Flemish musical family and studied violin at the Brussels Conservatory under Kati Sebestyén. As a member of world-renowned chamber orchestra ‘I Fiamminghi’, he has performed in Japan, the USA and Asia. As a concertmaster, Jo is a prominent feature of the Belgian music scene. For 17 years he was concertmaster of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and guest concertmaster of the Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Wallonie and the Flemish Opera. Jo plays a modern violin built by renowned German luthier Stefan-Peter Greiner.
our musicians
