Aldo Baerten
Aldo Baerten is Principal Flutist at the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Elim Chan, Edo de Waart and Philippe Herreweghe, and formerly Jaap van Zweden. He is Professor of Flute at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp and at the Hogeschool der Kunsten Utrecht (NL), and gives masterclasses on four continents, including at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
He was previously Professor of flute at the Sydney Conservatorium, the Musikhochschule Münster and the Musikhochschule Hannover (Germany). From October 2018 he began teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Köln / Aachen.
Aldo Baerten is a regular guest with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, European Union Opera, Arctic Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
During his studies at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels with Prof. Peter-Lukas Graf (Musikhochschule Basel), and additionally with Prof. Philippe Boucly (Munich) and Gaby Pas van Riet (Stuttgart), he earned a Diploma as a Soloist and won prizes in competitions such as Maria Canals (Barcelona 2001), Vienna (2004), Axion Classics, Quantz and the National Instrument Competition of Belgium.
He received the Alex de Vries Prize, the SABAM Award, and the Caecilia Prize from the Belgian music press.
Aldo Baerten has played as a soloist with eminent orchestras such as the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester, RSO Basel, National Orchestra of Belgium, Walloon Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Las Vegas and Kansas City Symphony, Samaai Sinfonietta under conductors including D. Stern, V. Czarniecki, P. Rundel and others.
He is a frequent guest at major festivals worldwide, performing with musicians such as J. van Dam, Martin Helmchen, Severin von Eckardstein, Niek de Groot, Storioni Trio, Michel Strauss, Alexei Ogrintchouk, Hervé Joulain, Kandinsky Trio, Jana Bouskova, Dietrich Henschel, Tatjana Masurenko, and jazz pianist Jef Neve.
Aldo Baerten has recorded extensively on labels including Cypres, Phaedra, ECM, Pentatone, PMP and Principal Chairs. His recording of Schubert’s *Introduction, Theme and Variations on Trockne Blumen* with pianist Martin Helmchen was nominated for the BBC Music Prize for Best Chamber Music Recording of the Year 2010.
From 1989 to 1993 he was Principal Flutist with Claudio Abbado’s EUYO, performing under conductors such as B. Haitink, V. Ashkenazy, V. Neumann, J. Conlon and J. Tate. He has also served as Principal Flutist of the Belgian Chamber Orchestra and the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig.
His annual summer class, the International Flute Seminar Bruges, is a highlight for professionals and amateurs alike.
Aldo Baerten is a Powell Flute artist and a regular jury member for major international competitions, including the International Flutonicon Flute Competition, Axion Classics, Lyons Music Competition, the NFA Young Artists Competition, Yamaha Music Foundation and Biwako (Japan).
His students hold positions in orchestras and conservatories in Belgium and abroad.
