Joseph Ryelandt’s 150th

Bruges composer Joseph Ryelandt was born 150 years ago. And that anniversary is not passing unnoticed in Bruges’s cultural centres. During his lifetime, Ryelandt’s music was popular both in Belgium and abroad and nowadays he is rated as one of the leading composers of the Belgian fin de siècle. His connection with Bruges could hardly be more intimate: he was born here, he lived here, he was Director of the Bruges Conservatory, he died here and he is buried here. Almost his entire oeuvre is owned by the City of Bruges. We even have a street and a concert hall that bear his name. 2020 will be the year in which the people of Bruges really get to know their homegrown composer.