Brussels, March 28, 2024 - The Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth, a public interest foundation,
announces today the appointment of Grégor Chapelle as its new CEO. He will take office
on April 29.
Grégor studied law at UCL and public policy at the Kennedy School
of Harvard University. He was director-general of Actiris, the employment agency
of the Brussels Region, from 2011 to 2021 and CEO of VZW Kick Belgium from 2021 to 2023.
Previously, he worked as a lawyer at the Brussels bar, as a consultant at McKinsey & Company
and as alderman for Employment and Economy in the municipality of Vorst (Brussels).
Grégor Chapelle succeeds Bernard de Launoit, who led the Muziekkapel for nearly 20 years and
transformed it into an institution with a worldwide reputation for musical excellence.
Michel Delbaere, chairman of the Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth, states: "We are delighted
that Grégor is joining the Muziekkapel team. His boundless dynamism, his
ability to mobilize people and his strategic vision are unmistakable qualities that
will ensure the future and development of our institution. We share Grégor's musical
sensibility and his ambition for excellence at European level and beyond. We are convinced
that Bernard's life work is in good hands."
Yvan de Launoit, chairman of the Muziekkapel NV, adds: "The appointment of
Grégor is entirely in line with the tireless work that my brother and the entire Muziekkapel team have done to make it a jewel of world-class musical education and an oasis of beauty on the southern edge of the Zoniënwoud. Grégor's passion for
people in all their forms makes him the ideal leader to strengthen the current and potential assets
of the Muziekkapel, expand its activities, and attract new talent and new
audiences."
Grégor Chapelle states: "I want to contribute my stone to the building that Bernard de Launoit
has handed down with all those he was able to carry along in his enthusiasm. My
motivation is anchored in my desire to serve beauty, to work in teams and
to continue building a haven of peace. I deeply believe in music as an instrument for well-being
and social integration, but also as an ideal: music as a universal language of peace and a language
of hope for our planet."
The Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth, a public interest foundation, is a world-renowned "center
of excellence" for artistic education, dedicated to exceptional young musicians in the disciplines
of piano, violin, cello, chamber music and voice, who form the musical elite of tomorrow.
The Muziekkapel develops an artistic project for each musician, enabling them to make progress
along three axes: the development of their own musical personality through
the companionship of exceptional masters and teachers, the development of their technical
skills, and access to the musical scene through an extensive program of
concerts and recitals.
The Muziekkapel furthers its work through a network of artists - almost 70 artists
in residence and associated artists representing more than 25 nationalities, 9
masters in residence, guest masters and many other guest artists throughout the year - and more than
300 concerts for the public in Belgium and abroad.
More information and concert schedule: musicchapel.org