Philippe Herreweghe is a Belgian conductor. He is principally known as a conductor of Johann Sebastian Bach, the German composer who wrote over one thousand works. He is regarded by leading Bach scholars today as a founding father of the baroque authentic practice, original instrument movement and one of record label Harmonia Mundi's most prolific recording artists, with over sixty albums to his name. His early training as a chorister and assistant choirmaster in a Jesuit school was complemented by piano studies at the Ghent Conservatory. At university Herreweghe studied psychiatry and formed a 12?person choir devoted to the revolutionary performing practices of Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman and the Kuijken brothers.

In 1991 Philippe Herreweghe founded the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées. He named it after the theatre to which it was initially affiliated. Its aim: to perform classical and romantic works on the instruments used when the pieces were written. In order to achieve a convincing sound, Herreweghe demands original instruments or, if necessary, has them reconstructed, studying the makeup and placements of period orchestras. After starting with Haydn and Mozart, he has now advanced with his work to Gustav Mahler and Anton Bruckner.

Collegium Vocale Gent was founded in 1970 on the initiative of Philippe Herreweghe.

It was one of the first ensembles to use the then?new ideas about baroque practice in vocal music performances. Musicians such as Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman and Nikolaus Harnoncourt immediately took an interest in the Flemish ensemble’s fresh, new approach, which led to intensive collaboration.

In the mid?1980s the ensemble acquired international fame and was invited to all the major concert halls and music festivals of Europe, Israel, the United States, Russian, South America, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.