Willy Soenen

From Wind Repertory Project
Willy Soenen

Biography

Willy Soenen (b. 10 August 1937, Menen, Belgium) is a Belgian composer, conductor, music educator and trumpeter.

Mr. Soenen became interested in music through his father, who was an amateur musician and conductor. At the age of eight he played the trumpet in his father's concert band. Soenen studied trumpet at the Municipal Conservatory of Kortrijk and later at the Royal Conservatory in Ghent. He won first prizes for solfège with Julien Mestdagh (1957), music history with Marcel Boereboom (1958), transposition with Gaston Hespel (1959), trumpet with Edgard Dewulf (1959), chamber music with Arie Van de Moortel (1959), harmony with Jeanne Vignery (1962), counterpoint at Gery Bruneel (1980) and fugue with Julien Mestdagh (1981) as well as composition with Roland Coryn (1987).

From 1959 to 1961 he was solo trumpeter of De Philharmonie in Antwerp and teacher of trumpet at the music academy of Roeselare and Menen. He was also a teacher of harmony at the Royal Conservatory in Ghent. In 1981, he became director of the music academy in Tielt.

As conductor he worked for the Harmonie Orchestra "Onder Ons", Wervik and the Harmonie Orchestra "Eigen Schoon", Wevelgem. He was also founder and conductor of the brass ensemble "Arban" (1961-1966). He conducted several amateur wind bands. As a trumpet player he worked in the Modern Brass Quintet.

As a composer Mr. Soenen wrote works for orchestra, concertos, wind and fanfare orchestras and chamber music. He has won composition prizes at home and abroad.


Works for Winds


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