Bart Vandewege (Bass, Choral Conductor)

Born: Belgium

Bart Vandewege is Belgian bas singer, composer and choral conductor. His versatility as a musician is the result of his studies both of musical theory (harmony, counterpoint, composition) and of singing, flute and piano in Belgian conservatories. His musical exploration led him to specialize in early music, contemporary music and jazz. Earlier in his academic career, he had also studied visual arts and creative writing, both disciplines serving as synaesthetic inspiration for his musical compositions for theatre, cinema and dance.

Bart Vandewege sings bass in the Collegium Vocale Gent (Director: Philippe Herreweghe), Amsterdam Baroque Choir (Director: Ton Koopman), Huelgas Ensemble (Director: Paul van Nevel), Bach Collegium Japan (Director: Masaaki Suzuki), Il Gardellino (Director: Marcel Ponseele), Plus Ultra (Director: Michael Noone), La Petite Bande (Director: Sigiswald Kuijken), La Chapelle Harmonique (Director: Valentin Tournet), Concerto Köln, Il Giardino Armonico and Freiburger Barockorchester, under conductors such as Gustav Leonhardt, René Jacobs, Thomas Hengelbrock, Robert King, Jos van Immerseel, Alan Curtis, Roy Goodman, Christopher Hogwood, Peter Rundel, Skip Sempé, Peter Phillips and Marcus Creed. He has also toured Europe, the USA and Asia, as well as taking part in numerous recording sessions.

Bart Vandewege mainly composes for the theatre, cinema and dance performances commissioned by a wide variety of European theatre companies and filmmakers including Belgian TV (VRT), Les Ballets C de la B and the Ars Animación Group España-México. His compositions show a clear inclination towards the counterpoint of the Flemish polyphony of the 16th Century but applied to modern sound language, with the development of the pieces being based on layer upon layer of horizontal lines. His multifaceted ability means that his style can be adapted depending on the needs of the project and the person commissioning it, but his melodies-within-melodies, as they are often called by non-musicians, are very much his own.

Bart Vandewege regularly works as a guest conductor, and has done a number of recordings of lesser-known compositions by a range of artists from Fétis and Lemmens to cutting edge composers like the American Elliott Carter. As assistant conductor he has also led La Chapelle Royale, Vlaams Radio Koor, Collegium Vocale Gent, Il Gardellino and Amsterdam Baroque Choir. In 2008 he was appointed artistic director of the Al Ayre Español choir. He is also Artistic Director of the La Hispanoflamenca ensemble, who specialise in the 16th and 17th Century polyphony of the Netherlands and the Iberian Peninsula. Gustav Leonhardt, Monica Huggett and Enrico Onofri have all been guest conductors with La Hispanoflamenca.

Up to 2004, Bart Vandewege was in charge of programming at Radio 3 / Klara (VRT, Brussels) and is still very active in producing musical recordings, his production of previously unrecorded works by Mauricio Kagel and Cristóbal Halffter being of particular note. His diversity as a musician is an undeniable advantage when it comes to artistic supervision of recordings, as Bart aims to get the best out of the performers, allowing them compete freedom of expression while keeping to a strict schedule.

Sources:
Bart Vandewege Website (2014)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2014)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Philippe Herreweghe

Bass

Member of Collegium Vocale Gent:
C-9 (1995): BWV 122, BWV 110, BWV 57
C-10 (1996): BWV 36, BWV 61, BWV 62
C-12 (1998): BWV 8, BWV 125 , BWV 138
C-14 (2002): BWV 2, BWV 20, BWV 176
C-13 (1999): BWV 29, BWV 119, BWV 120
C-15: CD-1 (2001): BWV 91, BWV 121, BWV 133
C-18 (2006/2007): BWV 27, BWV 95, BWV 161
C-19 (2007): BWV 22, BWV 23, BWV 127, BWV 159
C-22 (2012): BWV 25, BWV 138 [3^rd],, BWV 105 [2^nd], BWV 46
C-23 (2013): BWV 44 [2^nd], BWV 48, BWV 73 [2^nd], BWV 109
C-24 (2016): BWV 101, BWV 115, BWV 103
[C-25] (2017): BWV 80 [2^nd recording], BWV 4, BWV 79
[C-26] (2020): BWV 45, BWV 118, BWV 198 [2^nd recording]
[C-27] (2023, CD): BWV 99, BWV 6 [3^rd recording], BWV 147
Bachfest Leipzig [F2023-C26]/[U-11] (2023, Video): BWV 65, BWV 73 [3^rd recording], BWV 81, BWV 190.1
[V-19] (2018, Audio): BWV 245 [4^th recording]
[V-22] (2018): BWV 245 [5^th recording]

Ton Koopman

Bass

Member of Amsterdam Baroque Choir:
Cantatas Vol. 22: CD-2: BWV 233, BWV 234

Lionel Meunier

Bass

Member of Vox Luminis:
[C-5] (2022, CD/MP3): BWV 11, BWV 128

Marcel Ponseele

Bass

BWV 33, BWV 103, BWV 146

Marcel Ponseele

Bass

Member of Il Gardellino Vocal Ensemble:
C-3 (2010): BWV 131, BWV 177
C-4 (2012): BWV 46, BWV 102

Valentin Tournet

Bass

Member of La Chapelle Harmonique:
[C-1] (2018): BWV 63, BWV 243a

Links to other Sites

Bart Vandewege (Official Website) [English/Spanis/Dutch]