If you know the Music Chapel Queen Elisabeth, you know this place is more than just a school or residence. In the stately green surroundings of Waterloo, young musicians are not only trained but also guided in their growth toward mature stage artistry.
Here, tradition and future meet, in a climate where mentorship, artistic freedom, and human depth go hand in hand. Every year, that aspiration takes tangible form during the Music Chapel Festival, the flagship of their artistic season.
The Power of the Elements
The 2025 edition, from December 5 to 6, carries the theme The Four Elements – earth, water, air, and fire. A poetic framework, but also an invitation to rediscover the versatility of music. Each element symbolizes a musical quality: the firmness of rhythm and groundtone (earth), the fluid movement of melody (water), the breath of phrasing (air), and the intensity of expression (fire). Throughout the program, these forces resonate in diverse styles, from baroque to contemporary.
The festival opens on Friday, December 5 with the symphonic orchestra Les Métamorphoses, under the direction of Raphaël Feye. Pianist Jonathan Fournel – winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2021 – shines alongside soloists such as Mirabelle Kajenjeri, Alexander Warenberg, and Rino Yoshimoto. Together they explore the richness of the musical landscape, where dialogue and energy are central.
Fire and Refinement
Saturday offers a broad palette: a performance for young audiences by Compagnie Artichoke, film screenings, and lectures that bridge sound and reflection. The closing concert is the grand finale: the Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Kazushi Ono, shares the stage with the MuCH Soloists. This partnership between world-class orchestra and young talent perfectly embodies the mission of the Music Chapel: learning by doing, growing through making music together.
The program is built not only around the theme but also around the idea of continuity: each generation builds on the previous one. The teachers of the Music Chapel – among them such luminaries as Augustin Dumay, Gary Hoffman, Sophie Koch, and Stéphane Degout – work closely with their students, who demonstrate their artistic maturity during the festival. This cross-pollination makes the Music Chapel Festival unique in Belgium.
More Than a Showcase
The Music Chapel Queen Elisabeth is one of the few institutions where young musicians can live, study, and perform in residence within an international network. Participants are trained not only technically but also guided in programming, stage presentation, and collaboration with orchestras. The annual festival is the culmination of that journey: a living laboratory where sound, concept, and audience meet.
Click the link for the complete program and ticket informationIn addition to the main concerts, there are accessible OFF-events for families and curious listeners. Those who head to Flagey in Ixelles in early December will discover far more than a series of concerts: they enter a space where music lives and breathes. Here generations converge, young artists find their voice, and tradition is constantly reborn in fresh sounds. Solid as earth, fluid as water, light as air and fiery in spirit – this is how the Music Chapel Festival reveals how music carries the four elements within it.
Klassiek Centraal will be there both days to closely follow this captivating interplay of talent and inspiration and report on this two-day ode to the creative power of sound. Before the festival kicks off, you'll already be able to read some interviews with musicians on our site – artists who will be performing at the festival.
