Johan Duijck

Johan Duijck (b.1954) is a multi-talented musician: he is a choir conductor, composer, pianist and teacher. He has become internationally renowned through conducting the Vlaams Radiokoor, the Academy of St Martin's in the Fields (London), the World Youth Choir and the Gents Madrigaalkoor. The most important chamber and radio choirs throughout Europe and Latin America often invite him to be a guest-conductor. He sits on many juries for international conductors' courses and choir festivals.

As a composer Johan Duijck dedicates himself mostly to piano and choral music. His most important compositions are the oratorio dixit Dominus, the cantatas el Camino del Alma, A mirror to St Nicolas and Paulus, the concerto for piano and choir Concierto del Alma, Cantiones Sacrae in honorem Thomas Tallis and the piano works The well-tempered pianist and Le Tombeau de Ravel. Johan Duijck is composer in residence for the Vlaams RadioKoor. You can find his compositions on five CD's, recorded by Phaedra (In Flanders' Fields - www.phaedracd.com).

Not only does Johan Duijck conduct and compose, he also enjoys his first love: the piano. He graduated at the famous Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Brussels) and won the Günther, Pro Civitate, Tenuto, Olin and Lefranc prizes. In his recitals he combines famous works with forgotten gems and original discoveries.

Johan Duijck also has excellent pedagogical qualities. He is a professor of piano at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Ghent (Belgium) and a professor of choral conducting at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain). He has taught piano and choral conducting at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Belgium), the Dartington International Summer School (UK) and the Euskalerriko Abesbatzen Elkartea (Spain). His principal teachers were Peter Cabus (composition), Robert Steyaert (piano) and László Heltay (conducting).

The Flemish Radio and Television broadcasted a fine portrait of Johan, concentrating on his most cherished values, called Friendship and Music.