Bio

Liesbeth Decrock (Ghent, 1990) holds a master’s degree in composition obtained at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp where she studied with Wim Henderickx and Luc van Hove. She participated several times in the SoundMine international composition masterclass organized by vzw Musica in Neerpelt, BE; and in the 2020 Young Composers Meeting organized by Orkest De Ereprijs in Apeldoorn, NL.

A preference for chamber music and atypical line-ups appears in the compositions ‘De Eekhoorn’ (‘The Squirrel’, 2015) for clarinet, harp and double bass; ‘Ik weet het niet en het kan me werkelijk niets schelen, roepnaam: Iwein’ (‘I don’t know and I truly don’t care, dubbed: Iwein’, 2016) for double bass and triple percussion; and ‘Fruitsla voor het koor’ (‘Fruit salad for the choir’, 2018), for mixed choir, bass guitar, vibraphone and fruit. Her oeuvre can roughly be divided into two categories in terms of meaning. On the one hand she writes serious works with a great emotional – sometimes autobiographical – subject, on the other hand she makes very informal works, often with a touch of humor. Her selective style is further characterized by directness, transparency, vitality and the urge to please.

In 2017 she has founded Het Incident, a collective in which she works in varying collaborations with composers and performers to create a distinct energetic house style.

In 2019, Klarafestival selects her as composer for MusMA, a cooperation between several European music festivals and radio broadcasters. Commissioned for this, she writes ‘I Am’, a work about identity for vocal quartet and actress. The composition is performed by singers of the Swedish Radio Choir and actress Stina Ekblad, at 5 different festivals in Europe.

In 2021 Logos Foundation commissions a work for their Robot Orchestra. Titled ‘Music for an Appetite’, it is a perfect illustration of her use of informalness and a typical attitude towards music: it is tasteful music, without grand ideas behind it.

Compositions of Liesbeth Decrock were performed by ensembles and performers such as deFilharmonie, deCompagnie, De 2de Adem, Logos Robot Orchestra, Matthias Coppens, Bram Fournier, Andrew Wise, Nikolaas Kende, and at festivals such as AlbaNova, Klarafestival, Wonderfeel and Wratislavia Cantans.