Gert Francois
He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Ghent, where he earned advanced diplomas in percussion and chamber music. He later refined his skills with, among others, Ruud Wiener (vibraphone) and Adama Dramé (African percussion). Since 1987, he has been a professor of percussion at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (School of Arts Brussels). He has given guest masterclasses around the world, including in China, Sweden, Norway, the United States, and Italy. Since 1987 he is the chief professor of percussion at the Brussels Royal Conservatoire. In 2006 organiser together with Bart Quartier of the “Brussels Percussion Festival”. He gave several Masterclasses in Buffalo University in the USA and Music Hogskole in Oslo etc.and he is coaching the percussion section in several youth orchestras.
As a performing musician he is affiliated as timpanist / principal percussion with Brussels Philharmonic, with whom he has won an Oscar for Best Film Score for “The Artist” and a Golden Globe for the music of “The Aviator”. He also appears with the orchestra on the world’s major stages, including Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin, London and more.
He soloed in the creation of Raga I by W. Henderickx for solo percussion and two pianos alongside the piano duo Heidi Henderickx / Levente Kende, and later recorded the orchestral version of this concerto with “de Filharmonie” conducted by Grand Llewellyn. At the premiere of Sketches by V. Globokar he performed alongside the composer. Poelmans and M. Bashir. He has also appeared in percussion showcases with master artists such as Trilok Gurtu, Doudou N’Diaye Rose, Mamady Keita, Han Bennink, Madjid Khaladj and others. In 2003 he performed as soloist alongside djembé master Adama Dramé in Confrontations by Wim Henderickx, a Zuiderpershuis production that toured Africa and Europe.
As a soloist he has worked with the Brussels Philharmonic, de Filharmonie, Münchener Philharmoniker, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Dalarna Symfoni e tta and Shanghai Philharmonic. He has collaborated with conductors such as J. Latham Koenig, K. Montgomery, G. Llewellyn, B. Bouckaert, J. McMillan, Tan Dun, S. Ashburry, B. Engeset, M. Soustrot and G. Guerrero.
In 1999 the CD Raga’s by Wim Henderickx was released with “de Filharmonie”. In 2001 he took part in the first Belgian recording of Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Two Percussionists with the piano duo Jan Michiels / Inge Spinette and percussionist Bart Quartier. In 2003 he recorded the CD Confrontations by Wim Henderickx in a Zuiderpershuis production. A successful tour followed in 2005 with the Shanghai Philharmonic through China and Japan with Tan Dun’s “Water Concerto” conducted by the Maestro himself.
He played the Belgian premiere of Veni, Veni, Emmanuel by James MacMillan with the Flemish Radio Orchestra under the composer’s direction. In 2006 he performed the world premiere of Tan Dun’s Watermusic Solo. In 2008 he performed the solo glockenspiel part in Olivier Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux Étoiles with Brussels Philharmonic / VRO conducted by M. Soustrot. In 2009 he premiered Liefer misschien dan alleszins by F. Geysen for percussion ensemble and timpani conducted by B. Bouckaert. In 2011 he took part in the world premiere of the percussion concerto Groove by Wim Henderickx with Brussels Philharmonic under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero.
