Emile Souvagie

Emile Souvagie (°1999) graduated from the Lemmensinstituut Art High School in Leuven under the guidance of Greet Severens and continued his studies with Benjamin Dieltjens at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He obtained his master's degree with the highest distinction and concurrently completed a bachelor's degree in historical informed performance practice.

Thanks to an Erasmus scholarship, he studied for a year with Hermann Stefánsson at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm, and in the past year, he further honed his skills under the guidance of Ralph Manno at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. Currently, he is an academist at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Emile has received masterclasses from renowned musicians such as Yehuda Gilad, Martin Fröst, Philippe Berrod, Charles Neidich, Olivier Patey, Calogero Palermo, and Andreas Sundén.

Emile gained orchestral experience with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic. He also played historical clarinets with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and the Collegium Vocale Gent Academy, both under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe. Emile Souvagie was the principal clarinetist in the National Youth Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra Flanders. He has performed at various prestigious festivals and events, including the Klarafestival, Aurorafestival (SE), Grachtenfestival (NL), Arte Amanti Chamber Music Festival, the European Music Academy Leipzig (D), and the Encuentro de Musica in Santander (ES), where he appeared as a soloist with the Freixenet Orchestra.

As a co-founder and member of the Firgun Ensemble, he won first prizes at the Storioni Concours (NL) and the Supernova Competition. In 2021, the Belgian radio station Klara selected him as one of 'De Twintigers'.