Benoit Chantry

Biography

Beyond the classical repertoire

Benoît Chantry is a composer and musician based near Tournai. He is fascinated by the blending of genres and the meeting of cultures. After studying at the Conservatory of Tournai and later at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, he entered the music world with a desire to be at the crossroads of styles. He quickly moved away from the classical repertoire of his training.

Improvisation and a strong drive to create led him down a path he continues to follow today: in every musical project, he enjoys playing with the balance between written and unwritten music.

Artistic Collaborations and Multidisciplinary Projects

By bringing together artists from diverse backgrounds, Chantry has created music for various productions at, among others, the Festival of Wallonia, Lille 2004 (European Capital of Culture), Mons 2015, and the Rencontres Inattendues festival. He also composed for the Carthage International Festival, for special locations such as PASS (Sparkoh!) and the Caves of Han (in collaboration with Luc Petit), and for documentaries, feature films, theatre productions, various events, and musical storytelling projects.

Arrangements, Orchestrations and International Recognition

Chantry also creates arrangements and orchestrations for television and for artists in French chanson. As a composer, he regularly collaborates with Belgian ensembles such as Musiques Nouvelles and the European Contemporary Orchestra. His compositions for wind orchestra—often narrative and visually inspired—are performed in many European countries, North America, China, and Japan. Through this work, he has represented Belgium as part of the Wind Orchestra World Project.

Publications, Awards and Teaching

He has received several awards and his works are published in Belgium and the Netherlands. Benoît Chantry regularly writes commissioned pieces for soloists and wind orchestras. His passion for knowledge-sharing is also reflected in his work with amateur orchestras and in his role as a teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.