Soloist · Teacher · Conductor
Glenn Van Looy
A Belgian international soloist whose competition career, recordings, teaching, and conducting connect the euphonium’s brass-band tradition with a wider European performance life.
| Nationality | Belgian |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 |
| Associations | Valaisia Brass Band, Conservatoire cantonal du Valais, Paris Brass Band, The Cooperation Band |
| Plays | Geneva Instruments Cardinal GVL · Geneva performing and development artist |
Glenn Van Looy began playing in the Belgian band tradition, first learning from his father and moving unusually quickly from local ensembles into championship-section brass bands. His early competition record included wins at the European Solo Championships, British Open Solo Championship, Jeju International Brass Competition, Lieksa International Euphonium Competition, and Ern Keller Memorial.
His work since then has been broader than a contest biography suggests. Van Looy has performed as solo euphonium of Valaisia Brass Band, appeared with ensembles and orchestras across Europe, and built a substantial recorded catalogue. His 2019 album Step Out, with Tredegar Town Band and conductor Ian Porthouse, includes the first brass-band recording of Derek Bourgeois’s Euphonium Concerto, Op. 120. It is a particularly useful entry point into his playing: a large, difficult score sustained through sound, pacing, and character rather than technique alone.
Van Looy also teaches low brass at the Conservatoire cantonal du Valais and works as a conductor in Switzerland, France, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Salford in 2021 and now combines solo playing with ensemble direction, adjudication, and masterclasses.
As a Geneva performing and development artist, he plays the silver-plated Cardinal GVL euphonium developed around his preferences. That design work mirrors the rest of his career: a distinctive personal approach translated into something other players and students can use.
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Performances connected to this player in the repertoire catalogue.
- Euphonium Concerto, Op. 120
Derek Bourgeois · Step Out