CHANTRY Benoît

Bio

At a very young age, Benoît Chantry starts attending classes at the Doornik Conservatory (B) where he studies piano, violin, saxophone and percussion. He continues his percussion studies at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where he also attends lessons for orchestral conducting, chamber music, jazz and composition (in André Waignein’s class). He composes for musical shows (among others the PASS in Mons and the light show Origin in the Cave of Han), musical theatre (among others for « Lille Centre of European Culture 2004 »  and « Mons Centre of European Culture 2015 ») but also arrangements for jazz and folk artists. He has a remarkable style, characterized by his attempts to combine various, often very different, styles. He very regularly conducts chamber music ensembles and symphony orchestras, at events such as the opening of the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels. He conducted many pieces of well-known composers. However, he personally favours conducting wind bands, which he has been doing since the age of 17. Currently he is the conductor of the wind band La Concorde at Péronnes (B), which plays in the Excellence division. He has already conducted different concerts with the concert band of the Brussels Royal Conservatory, where he is a teacher. His works for concert band are played in Europe, in the USA and in Japan. He was awarded the Composition Prize at the SABAM European Jazz Contest and he was awarded the Prize of the Music Federation of the Province of Hainaut.