About – Les Orchestres de l'ULB

ABOUT US

Happy Musicians

Years of Existence

Concerts this Year

Since its creation nearly forty years ago, the ULB Symphony Orchestra has
ULB Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed an international reputation among the families of its musicians.
Every semester, hundreds of music lovers from the four corners of
from the four corners of Belgium flock to the doors of the “Janson” auditorium
to hear the ULB Orchestra’s constantly renewed program.
In 2013, under pressure from brass players tired of blowing only three notes per piece
notes per piece, the ULB Harmonie was created, reserved for wind instruments only
wind instruments (a few percussionists and double bassists are nevertheless
tolerated). The ULB Harmonie now performs the second half of the show,
after the intermission, keeping those who’ve had too much to drink from falling asleep.
from falling asleep.
Our musicians are not all ULB or Erasmus students. Many
are productive members of society: workers, PhD students,
even teachers. What brings us together at rehearsals every week
is first and foremost our shared passion for music: the enthusiasm
to build together, with diligence and a great deal of joy, a program
a program that our audience will enjoy listening to, and we will enjoy giving them.

Romain FELIS

CHEF DE L'ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE

Romain Felis began studying music by learning the violin with Suzy Zuinen. He joined the Symphonic Orchestra as Concertmaster when he entered the ULB, and took part in the life of the ensemble during his musicology studies. Following in Pierre-Aurélien Faller-Galerneau’s footsteps, he conducted the ULB Harmonie between 2013 and 2018, and took conducting lessons with Zofia Wislocka and Philippe Lambert, the Orchestra’s conductors at the time. Parallel to his conducting debut, Romain discovered the viola and in 2016 joined Paul de Clerck’s class at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel.Currently a musicology assistant at ULB, he divides his time between teaching activities and his research on film music in Belgium. It is with great pleasure that he accepts to take over the direction of the Orchestra in 2023, returning to the ensemble and musicians who have meant so much to his student life.

NICOLAS GrAU RIBES

`CHEF DE L'ORCHESTRE D'HARMONIE`

Nicolas Grau Ribes studied trumpet with Michel Verheylewegen and Philippe Lambert. He first trained in writing and composition at the start of his career in 2015 at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, before entering the Institut Musical et Pédagogique (IMEP) in Namur in 2017, where he will be a pupil of Antoine Acquisto. Nicolas obtained his master’s degree in trumpet and pedagogy in 2022. Since then, he has been pursuing a second specialized master’s degree in trumpet with Senne La Mela at the Lemmens Institut (Leuven). A trumpeter for 10 years in the ULB Orchestras, it was a natural step for Nicolas to take over the direction of the ULB Harmonie in 2020, where he shares his energy and infectious good humor to motivate the musicians ever more.

YULIKA DEPREZ

`CONCERMASTER`

Yulika Deprez is originally from Brussels. She studied violin at the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Brussels, and is currently studying architecture. She has been a member of the ULB orchestra for 6 years now, where she has learned a lot. The orchestra is her favorite formation: “I always find it incredible to bring together the energy of so many people in a single piece of music. The experience of an orchestra project is special: you make friends, you create memories, you learn to excel, and on the day of the concert you give your all to share it with the audience.”

THE COMITEE