Musicatlas
Music
Stefan Meylaers belongs to the young, successful generation of Belgian composers. He is considered as a cosmopolitan composer, who, mainly in an auto didactical way, tries to absorb, to incorporate and finally to canalise all musical expressions and tendencies. He uses a language where emotion and ratio are kept in balance and where the power to address is very prominent. The framework of this style is free tonality. Numerous important performers show their interest in the work of Stefan Meylaers. His music is regularly performed in Belgium and abroad (The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Cuba and South-Africa), also for radio and TV, and received with enthousiasm by the public. Works are already commissioned until 2007.
Life
Stefan Meylaers studied at the lemmens Institute (Leuven) and gained the Specialisation Diploma Piano and the Master Diploma Piano and Chamber music. He followed lessons with renowned teachers such as Alan Weiss and Zoltan Kocsis (piano), Guido De Neve and Roel Dieltiens (chamber music), György Ligeti (composition) and David Jackson (opera coaching). He is active as a concert pianist, accompanist, composer and pedagoge. In 1996, he was the only selected Belgian pianist to work at the Opera Studio of the Royal Muntschouwburg in Brussels. In 1999 he won the bi-annual competition for Belgian composers held by the DMP Publishers. His music contains, according the jury, a high grade of expression and originality. His music is highly succesful in Belgium and abroad. Stefan Meylaers is also member of the ECCG (Gent). In 2001 the release of the CD "Stefan Meylaers-portrait of a composer" in the famous series In Flanders’ Fields from the Belgian label Phaedra, brought the acclaim he deserved. The CD grants the listener the treat of a five year composition labour: prominent Flemish musicians worked together to produce these works. A caleidoscopic journey from eleven compositions. The CD, worldwide ditributed, is recieved very well by the classical radio Klara and Radio 1. Some programs were devoted to his music. From 15 until 19 october 2001, the classical radio Klara has chosen this CD as CD of the week. In 2000 he formed, together with his wife, the cellist Vera Baliko and clarinettist Marc Vertessen the New Art Trio. This trio is considered to be one of the leading Belgian ensembles regarding contemporary music. Stefan Meylaers made numerous radio, TV, and CD recordings. At the same time he teaches at the Music Humaniora and the Conservatorium in Hasselt and the Noord-Limburgse Music Academy.