Alexander Declercq (1998) studied under Jan Michiels (piano) and Benjamin Dieltjens (clarinet) at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. After graduating with highest honors (Summa cum Laude) in both programs, he further specialized at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Sheila Arnold. He also obtained a bachelor's degree in music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
From a young age, he has participated in national and international competitions. Notably, he won the 2nd prize at the ‘Concours International de Piano de Liège’ and the 2nd prize at the ‘Karlrobert Kreiten Klavierwettbewerb’. In November 2021, he was awarded the scholarship from the ‘Nany Philippart Foundation’ to support his studies. The following year, he received the Horlait-Dapsens prize for his academic achievements. Alongside his solo career, Alexander is equally passionate about chamber music and orchestral music. He has performed concerts across nearly all of Europe, from Spain to Poland, and beyond, including a performance in San Diego.
In addition to the excellent guidance from his teachers in Brussels and Cologne, Alexander has also taken lessons from numerous influential professors around the world. Among them are notable names such as Jos Van Immerseel, Abdel Rahman El-Bacha, Klaus Hellwig, André De Groote, Lucas Blondeel, Markus Groh, Fabio Bidini, and Claudio Martinez-Mehner.
In the fall of 2021, he co-founded the collective YMB (Young Musicians Bruges) with a group of friends and colleagues, aiming to find ways to bring classical music to a diverse audience, without compromising on the complexity or 'popular' appeal of the music. Alexander is a clarinetist in Trio Brisk, Som’Ensemble, the Thassiskwintet, and the Carduelis Quartet (with which he recorded Messiaen's 'Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps' at the Musical Instrument Museum). He is also the pianist of the Cortenbach Trio and forms Duo Altiler with Veronique De Raedemaeker, with whom he was selected for the Supernova competition by Klara. In 2024, the radio station Klara selected him as one of ‘The Twentysomethings,’ which earned him the opportunity to give and record a recital in the Toots Studio.
