Paul Steegmans

Biography

Training

Paul Steegmans (Hasselt, born in 1957) studied piano, organ and composition at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven (now LUCA School of Arts, Campus Lemmens). In 1980, he obtained the diploma of laureate of piano and music education and in 1985, a first prize in fugue. From 1981 onwards, he has taken advanced piano lessons with A. De Groote, J. De Tiège in Belgium and J. Franssen in the Netherlands.

Reputed accompanist

Paul Steegmans' concert practice mainly consists of accompanying singers and choirs, both on piano and organ, and he has gained a considerable reputation as a result. On concert tours in Poland, Israel, England, Italy and Sweden, he could be heard as a soloist, accompanist and improviser. Paul Steegmans has been accompanying the Hasselt Cathedral Choir for more than 40 years. In this collaboration, many compositions were created, including Psalm 84, Wees gegroet, Johannes en Windekind and Licht van Kerstmis. Together with this choir, he collaborated on CDs (Kerstmis in de kathedraal, Bruckner and Flemish sacred music) and radio and VRT television programmes.

Composer

Numerous concerts with conductor and percussionist Ludo Claesen resulted in a CD A portrait of Paul Steegmans (1998), performed by friends/musicians from the province of Limburg together with the composer. It is an anthology of previously composed works that draw on jazz, film music and folklore. Since 1989, Paul Steegmans has been composing music for the Hasselt Virga-Jessefeesten, which has resulted in eight orchestral dances for the procession and many arrangements of songs by Paul Schollaert, former head of the Lemmens Institute.

On 5 and 6 September 2003, his oratorio Stad van Vrede for soprano, tenor, reciter, choir and symphony orchestra was performed in Hasselt and Maastricht under the direction of Ludo Claesen. Klara (Classical Radio in Flanders) broadcasted this work on 11 November 2003 to mark world peace.

Awards

Composer Paul Steegmans was awarded several prizes for his piano and organ works, guitar pieces, choral works and chamber music. He is laureate of the composition competitions 'Baron Flor Peeters' and 'Cantabile' (the latter twice) and was awarded the prize 'Albert de Vleeschouwer'. He completed his composition studies at the K.V.M.C. in Antwerp with Willem Kersters in 1993 with a first prize for composition.

He often receives commissions (for The International Choral Competition of Maasmechelen, EPTA, the province, the city of Hasselt, Dexia Classics...) and Steegmans' compositions are performed as far afield as Japan, Taiwan, Finland, Lithuania, Costa Rica and Cuba. In the latter country, he gave a concert with his own compositions together with the national choir. Since 1989, he has been on the committee for the seven-yearly Virga-Jessefeesten in Hasselt and since 2003, he has been a member of the artistic committee of the International Choral Competition of Flanders-Maasmechelen. In 2012, he became laureate of the composition competition Vocal Music of the city of Ninove.

Member of the jury and lecturer

He was a juror of the biennial composition competition Cantabile and of the triennial competition for youth string orchestras Pro Archi in Nyiregyhaza (Hungary). In July 2008 and 2009, he was a jury member of the international choir competition Seghizzi in Gorizia. In November 2011, together with pianist Willy Appermont, he was invited by the Instituto Superior Dom Alfonso III in Loulé (Algarve) for performances, lectures and masterclasses. He has also given an organ concert in the Cathedral of Faro with a.o. his own compositions and improvisations.  Paul Steegmans taught piano and accompaniment at the Academy for Music, Word and Dance in Genk from 1980 to 2018. For 25 years, he was also guest professor of practical harmony at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven (now LUCA School of Arts, Campus Lemmens).

Choral work (selection)

• Nachtegaal (1989) set to lyrics by Guido Gezelle for mixed choir and piano, published at Euprint.
• Kinderwereld (1994) for children’s choir and piano, published at Euprint, dedicated to the children's choir Martijntje conducted by Claudine Martens.
• Kinderwereld for children’s choir, violin, clarinet, double bass and piano (version 2), published by Euprint.
• Mijn Bieke to lyrics by Guido Gezelle for girls’ choir and piano, published by Euprint, on the CD Les Sirènes by Lirica.
• Missa in honorem sancti Martini (2009) for men’s choir and organ (version 2), published by Euprint.
• Vier drinkliederen to lyrics by Boudewijn Knevels for mixed choir, published by Euprint.
• Internationale volksliedsuite (on choral settings by Juliaan Wilmots, 2007), published by Centrum voor Vocale Muziek and available from verkoop@koorenstem.be
• Het beste van de wijne for men’s choir, published by Euprint, commissioned by the men’s choir Het volgende punt for his jubilee.
• several Ave Maria's for mixed choir, published by Euprint.
• Missa (2010) for mixed choir, published by Centrum voor Vocale Muziek, commissioned by Koor&Stem Limburg to mark their 50th anniversary and available from verkoop@koorenstem.be