Oliver de Clercq horn

On December 15th, 2000, after an international audition, Principal Horn Oliver de Clercq was Bramwell Tovey's first appointee to the Vancouver Symphony. Highlights of his tenure have included music for the 2010 Olympics, a 2008 Grammy and Juno Award winning recording with James Ehnes, and performances with popular artists such as Barry Manilow, Burt Bacharach, Chantal Kreviazuk, Colin James, David Foster, Diana Krall, Feist, Frank Sinatra Jr., Holly Cole, Il Divo, Josh Groban, K.D. Lang, Matt Good, Paul Potts, Ron Sexsmith, Yes, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Mr. de Clercq recently premiered Elizabeth Knudson's \"Mosaic\" with the West Coast Symphony, and has also performed concerti with the Boston Pops, Vancouver Symphony, Okanagan Symphony, and Boston University Symphony Orchestra. He has played Guest Principal for the Seattle and Hiroshima Symphonies, and worked for the Seattle Opera, New Jersey Lyric Opera, Prague Radio Orchestra, Vancouver Film Orchestra, Hingham Symphony, Vancouver Recital Society, Festival Vancouver, Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival, Elektra Women's Choir, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Musica Intima, Vancouver Winds, VSO Brass Quintet, and Vancouver Brass Project.

In 2008 and 2009 Mr. de Clercq served as interim Director of Brass Activities for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute's Young Artist's Orchestra. He has also taught at the Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music, and coached for the Vancouver Repertory Orchestra.

Before moving to Vancouver in January 2001, Mr. de Clercq was a master's student of Jerome Ashby and recipient of the Irving Ruckens Scholarship at the Juilliard School. On May 21st, 2000, the School For the Arts of Boston University conferred upon Mr. de Clercq the degree of Bachelor of Music, Brass Performance, Magna Cum Laude, where he received a Brass Department Award and was the overall winner of the Concerto/Aria competition. At BU he studied with James Sommerville, Eric Ruske, Ralph Gomberg, Charlie Lewis, and Ethan Sloane. He participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Boston University Tanlewood Institute, Chautauqua Institution, Eastern Music Festival, Cannon Music Camp, and Florida State University Band Camp.

Before graduating with Highest Honors from Naples High School, he performed with the Naples Concert Band, Melvin Maxwell's Symphonic and Marching Bands, the Florida All-State Band, and won the Naples Music Club's John Turiel Memorial Scholarship. He studied horn privately from age 10 with Naples Philharmonic Principals Linda Patterson, Tracy Leonard, and Ellen Tomasiewicz. Mr. de Clercq began piano and recorder lessons at age 5 with his mother, grandmother, and grandfather.

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