Belgian guitarist Maarten Stragier’s refreshing take on concert programming and a passion for contemporary music take his performances from the original to the unusual. His musical sensitivity and innovative spirit have brought him to European and American audiences on such stages as Bozar and Flagey in Brussels, La Philharmonie and Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Oslo Opera House, the ICA in Boston, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; and in festivals such as Lucerne Festival, Tanglewood, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wien Modern, and Boston GuitarFest.
Committed to invigorating musical creation, Maarten frequently collaborates with composers. He has premiered over 50 compositions by composers such as Olga Neuwirth, Raphaël Cendo, Michelle Lou, Davide Ianni, and Mauricio Pauly, and he has worked with Tristan Murail, Salvatore Sciarrino, Philippe Leroux, Chaya Czernowin, Christian Wolff, and Franck Bedrossian on the interpretation of their music.
Together with accordionist Luca Piovesan he makes up Promenade Sauvage, a duo devoted to collaborations with composers of their generation. As a freelance artist, he has performed with Ensemble Intercontemporain (Paris), Ictus ensemble (Brussels), Plus Minus (London), Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Callithumpian Consort (Boston), and Sound Icon (Boston).
Maarten holds a doctorate from New England Conservatory, where he worked under the guidance of Eliot Fisk, and obtained his master’s degree from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Antigoni Goni. He is a senior researcher at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and a research professor and lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Contact Maarten Stragier