About us
The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, a unique experience
Under the Honorary Chairmanship of Her Majesty Queen Paola
Music and the training of young people mean a lot to me, and I am delighted to see them here at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. My dearest wish is that the level of excellence of the Music Chapel will help young talents to give their best and to create an international musical elite, beyond borders and cultures.
A Queen’s Project
Inaugurated on 12 July 1939, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel provides high-level training to exceptional young talents. A training center of excellence with an international scope and reputation, its program is reserved for outstanding musicians in the disciplines of piano, violin, cello, viola, chamber music and voice. At the time of its creation already, the renowned critic Emile Vuillermoz described the Music Chapel as a sort of “modern Villa Medici”.
An institution financed up to 85% by private funds
Each year the Music Chapel welcomes about 70 young talents in residence, both from Belgium and abroad. The Music Chapel aims to occupy a leading position among the best institutions of this type in the world. The operating budget is currently in the order of €3.6 million per year, 85% of which is financed by the private sector (foundations, corporations, private patronage, own resources) and 15% by public aid (European Union, Belgian Federal Scientific Policy, Ministry of Education of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, National Lottery, etc.).
A center of artistic excellence
Music Chapel’s Charter
The customized training of each musician is structured around six main lines:
1. Training in the form of knowledge transmission with the Masters in Residence
The presence of the masters, who pursue intense professional careers in the music world, is the cornerstone of the curriculum. The master transmits knowledge by informally transmitting his or her professional experience, but also by accompanying and supporting the young talents as they take their first steps in the professional world. Joint performances on stage by the master and the young talents also make up an essential component of this knowledge transmission.
2. Professional insertion
The Music Chapel offers the Artists in Residence the opportunity to perform on stage thanks to a complete program of concerts and recitals in collaboration with various orchestras, festivals and concert halls, as well as thanks to its productions and coproductions. This enables young artists to grow in the presence of different audiences and to then enter the professional world more smoothly.
- Collaborations with Orchestras
- Collaboration with Festivals
- Collaboration with Concerts halls
- Productions & coproductions
3. The promotion of the young Artists in Residence
The Music Chapel supports the artists in the early steps of their careers and helps them to establish a name for themselves. This involves several projects.
- CD collection
- Promotion
- Networking
- Instrument loans
4. Personal development
The Music Chapel wants to take into account the artistic personality of each artist, but also assist them in their personal development, both mental and physical. With this in mind, several projects have been set up:
5. Infrastructure
All these activities take place in a space and environment that stimulates concentration, work, meditation, conviviality and interaction. The quality of this exceptional place, the proximity between the Music Chapel team, the faculty and the young musical talents are an integral part of the pedagogical project.