Bernard Foccroulle

Bernard Foccroulle, (Liège, 23 November 1953) is a Belgian organist, composer and opera director.

Foccroulle studied organ at the Royal Conservatoire of Liège, under the direction of Hubert Schoonbroodt. He studied further with Xavier Darasse, Bernard Lagacé and Gustav Leonhardt. At the Festival of Royan for contemporary art in 1974, his international career began. He established his reputation both through performing Baroque music (specifically works by Johann Sebastian Bach) and contemporary music. Meanwhile, he also became chairman of Jeugd en Muziek.
Having become a teacher of music analysis at the Royal Conservatoire of Liège, he composed numerous pieces for organ, viola da gamba and chamber orchestra.

In January 1992, he succeeded Gerard Mortier as director of the De Munt / La Monnaie. The succession was a challenge, as Mortier had made the 'Munt' one of the great European opera houses. According to general assessment, Foccroulle succeeded in this admirably. In 2007 he was succeeded by Peter De Caluwe.
He subsequently took over the direction of the 'Festival international d'art lyrique' in Aix-en-Provence.

Foccroulle wrote the introduction in the book Dictionnaire des danseurs, choréographes et maîtres de danse à Bruxelles de 1600 à 1830 by Jean-Philippe Van Aelbrouck (publisher Pierre Mardaga, Liège, 1994).