CASTEELS, Robert

Robert CASTEELS leads a distinguished professional life as a conductor, composer, researcher, educator and arts administrator. He believes that these different activities, far from being incompatible, form a kaleidoscopic experience of music.

A brilliant academic course of studies culminating in advanced level distinctions in piano, orchestral conducting in Brussels, was followed by postgraduate diplomas at the “Guildhall School of Music and Drama of London” and at “The Juilliard School of Music” in New York. Robert Casteels studied composition privately with Fernand Quinet and peter Maxwell Davies.

In 2001 Robert Casteels was selected and awarded the Christoffel Plantin prize. Robert is the youngest laureate and one of only three musician laureates. This prestigious award recognizes only one recipient per year for an “extraordinary contribution in the fields of arts and science”, in Robert’s case, his contribution to cross-cultural research.

Robert Casteels has composed a large number of multidisciplinary works, which combine organically and harmoniously the Gamelan orchestra, European, Indian and Chinese instruments as well as computer generated sounds and visual images. For these cross-cultural works, Robert scientifically analyzed the acoustics of gamelan gongs. He designed special tuning systems, which enable him to superimpose musical scales from different cultures. Consequently, he also devised new notation systems. In 2001 Robert published the VCD “No Face”, the CD “Set Sail” and “Berlayar”, a two-volume monograph on his multidisciplinary compositions.

In 2002, “Hui Rao” for sixteen horns and Chinese percussion and “L” (autre) fille aux cheveux de Bali” for Gamelan, vibraphone and Chinese strings were commissioned and performed at the launch of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in the presence of RAdm Teo Chee Hean, then Minister for Education and the opening of the Contemporary Asian Arts Centre respectively. “Sonata Profana” for triple orchestra and Balinese gangsa, was commissioned by The Centre for the Arts, NUS and was premiered by the NUS Wind Symphony, the NUS Chinese Orchestra and the Philharmonic Winds. “Elegy for the men you don’t meet ev’ryday” for Chinese Orchestra, Balinese gamelan, chorus of trombones and Quinton was composed in memory of Kuo Pao Kun and John McNally and first performed by the SAF MDC Chinese Orchestra under the baton of the composer in November 2002. Recently Robert Casteels completed two important commissions : “Spirit of Wood” for the first special exhibition of the Asian Arts Civilisations Museum in September 2003 with Minister Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister of information, Communications and the Arts as Guest-of Honour and “A day in the Life of a Garden” in the Ballroom of The Istana in December 03 for the launch of the Garden City Fund graced by Deputy Prime Minister BG Lee Hsien Loong.

[© CeBeDeM]

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