Urbain Van Asch, the choral world in Flanders and certainly in Mechelen knows him like no other. He stood out for his imposing figure, but especially for his relentless active commitment to choral life. It is difficult to find a singing resident of Mechelen who did not sing under his direction in one of the choirs he led.
On Sunday, November 4, he exchanged the worldly choirs for those of the angels. Urbain Van Asch turned 84, born in Mechelen on July 30, 1939. After the passing in 2021 of pastor Bob Peeraer, who once founded the very renowned Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekoor Mechelen, the inspirers of that choir are no more. After Peeraer, Van Asch took over the leadership of the choir. He was also one of the driving forces behind the successful Mechelse Liedertafel, the thriving choir CantusAmici and other choirs in the wider area of his city, his musical Mechelen. He honored the city by keeping the magnificent compositions of mgr. Jules Van Nuffel in remembrance. He participated in important recordings on LP and CD.
Urbain Van Asch was committed to the ANZ and Koor & Stem. Even for international choral life, he was indispensable as chairman of the Board of Directors of the European Choral Federation AGEC.
He wrote numerous articles for maintaining and improving choral life and did not mince his words. Everything was always in the context of and for the welfare of choral music. Urbain's musical life began as a choirboy of the once famous Sint-Romboutsknapenkoor (where have those boys' choirs gone?) where he caught 'the microbe'.
As a conductor, he directed his attention not only to Van Nuffel, but to the great, important repertoire of Flemish composers, to Gregorian chant and the great composers in the world repertoire. With Urbain Van Asch, Flemish choral life loses a figurative and literal giant. May we wish in grateful remembrance of his enormous efforts and achievements that his legacy does not disappear in the shadow of oblivion.