WELCOME TO MUSICA MUNDI SCHOOL

Several years have now passed since we finally realised our dream of creating a school where young classical musicians could acquire an outstanding professional education in music whilst pursuing rigorous academic studies within a harmonious and nurturing environment. These years have been remarkable in many ways, not least of which has been the privilege of watching our young students as they develop into outstanding young artists and human beings, watching them go off at the end of their time with us to join the most prestigious institutions in the world – places like the Julliard School in New York, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, The Royal College of Music in London, The Barenboim Academy, UDK, Hans Eisler in Berlin, the Leipzig and Cologne Conservatories, the Mozarteum in Austria, and the list goes on.

The last months have been packed with noteworthy events, starting with Queen Mathilde’s inspiring visit to the school. We were also honoured by a visit from Archbishop Luc Terlinden and other representatives of the Archdiocese of Mechelen – not only to perform for them but even to share a wonderful afternoon tea with them – and also to perform in Mechelen at the official handover ceremony from Cardinal Josef de Kesel to Archbishop Terlinden.

In addition to the five official concerts that punctuate the school year, our students performed on a number of other important occasions: the annual prize giving ceremony held by the Fondation Reine Paola at the Royal Palace in Laeken; the Lunch des Bourgmestres – a yearly meeting of all the mayors and business partners from the region; a concert of the Yves vander Cruysen Foundation which exists to support culture in the region; a concert organized by a private patron in London at the home of world-renowned violin dealer Florian Leonhard.

There have been fruitful collaborations with orchestras who have given our students opportunities to perform as soloists – Belgian orchestras and associations such as Sonores and Orféo and further afield, the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.

Students have also been able to take advantage of some extraordinary masterclasses given at the school by great pedagogues such as Pavel Gililov, Frans Helmerson, Mihaela Martin and Midori.

These first years have gone so quickly and we are proud of all our students who day in day out work together in an atmosphere of friendship and solidarity to go further down the path towards becoming artists. Whatever path our students finally choose, we hope that they will use it as a means of making a positive contribution to the world.

After his visit to our school, Archbishop Terlinden said that initiatives such as our school are a true sign of hope and peace between peoples. Our students come from a wider range of cultural backgrounds and live together all year round, work together, play music together, music which can, more than ever, be a vehicle for peace and reconciliation.

We welcome you to the life of our unique institution!