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 fue fundado en 1970 por iniciativa de Philippe Herreweghe.

Ha sido uno de los primeros conjuntos en aplicar nuevas ideas en la práctica vocal de las interpretaciones musicales del barroco. Músicos como Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman y Nikolaus Harnoncourt se interesaron por el sabor flamenco del conjunto lo que les llevó a intensas colaboraciones.

A mediados de los años 80 el conjunto adquirió fama internacional y fue invitado a las más importantes salas de concierto del mundo.