Mathias Coppens: a portrait
With the appointment of Mathias Coppens (°1988) as the new general and artistic director of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen/Kempen, the festival is deliberately choosing a personality that embodies creativity, innovation and artistic vision. Coppens' musical career — both as a composer, performer and cultural entrepreneur — testifies to a broadly oriented perspective on the performing arts and a strong anchoring in contemporary music practice.
Composer of contrasts and cross-overs
Mathias Coppens is first and foremost a Belgian composer and pianist, active across a wide range of genres, from contemporary classical to music theater and multidisciplinary projects. His work often balances between experimental sound language and emotional accessibility, between avant-garde and intimacy. He writes music that challenges the audience, but also appeals to and touches them.
Coppens' compositions have been performed by leading ensembles such as:
- Brussels Philharmonic
- Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen
- Asko|Schönberg (Netherlands)
- I SOLISTI
- BL!NDMAN
His music echoes not only in concert halls but also on the dance floors of international companies such as:
- Birmingham Royal Ballet
- English National Ballet
This broad applicability demonstrates his talent for connecting sound with movement, space and imagination.
Music theater and technological innovation
A strong example of his interdisciplinary approach is Faust, a music theater project he realized in collaboration with Arsenaal/Lazarus, DE MAAN and deCompagnie. The project combines text, music and image in a contemporary reinterpretation of Goethe's classic and was well received during a tour through Flanders.
Another innovative work is Minerals, an interactive performance for BRYGGEN Bruges Strings and deSingel, in which technology and sound engage in dialogue with the audience. As a composer, Coppens thinks not only about scores, but also about the experience of music in space and time.
Artistic vision: composer as bridge-builder
Mathias Coppens is not a composer who withdraws into the ivory tower of the score. On the contrary: he sees his role explicitly as a bridge-builder between communities, disciplines and generations. He has been putting that vision into practice for years as a co-founder and co-artistic director of deCompagnie — a collective that brings innovative productions at the intersection of music, theater and technology.
Additionally, he teaches composition at the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Antwerpen, where he guides young creators in their search for their own artistic language.
From creator to programmer
The transition from composer and performer to festival director is in a sense logical, given his broad vision of the musical field. Coppens wants — as he himself states — from his perspective as a composer to "enter into dialogue with everyone who makes this story possible," which points to an open and participative approach to artistic leadership.
He is tasked with continuing and renewing the work of his predecessor Jelle Dierickx — who has led the festival since 2011 and built it into a leading cultural platform in Mechelen and the Kempen. In doing so, he wants to focus on:
- local anchorage
- opportunities for young talent
- interdisciplinary work
- social relevance
A promising future
According to chairman Marc De Geyter, Coppens is "able to further shape the DNA of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen/Kempen": meaningful, qualitative and layered. It is clear that the board believes in his artistic integrity, organizational capacity and inspiring leadership.
With his appointment, the festival is choosing rejuvenation and deepening, for an artistic leader who unites the world of composers, performers and programmers in one person. In doing so, the organization aligns with a broader trend in the cultural landscape in which creators increasingly also take control of the context in which their work is presented.
Conclusion
Mathias Coppens is a composer of the 21st century: curious, connecting, multidisciplinary. His appointment as artistic and general director of the Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen/Kempen marks not only a new phase for the festival itself, but also a powerful reaffirmation of the importance of artistic content in cultural leadership.
He takes office on 1 September 2025 and thus becomes the first composer in Belgium to head a major classical music festival. That in itself is already historic. Expectations are high, but his track record suggests he will be able to meet them — with sound, vision and imagination.