Kurt Bertels

Dr. Kurt Bertels is a senior researcher and professor at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, and assistant professor (artistic research) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His particular field of research is historically-informed performance, patronage, 19th- and early-20th-century music performance, gender and race in music. In his PhD, he conducted research on the history of the first Brussels saxophone class at the Royal Conservatory Brussels (1867-1904). Currently, his research concentrates on the performance and (self)presentations of the first-generation of women saxophonists in the United States between 1870 and 1940.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Kurt Bertels obtained numerous national and international prizes and was awarded the Fuga Trophee of the Union of the Belgian Composers for promoting Belgian music. He released various research-based CDs including The Saxophone in 19th-Century Brussels and Works for Saxophone and Orchestra by Paul Gilson (both Etcetera Records 2020). His Een ongehoord geluid, a monograph on the saxophone in 19th-century Brussels, was published in 2020 (ASP Editions 2020). In 2022, he became member of the editorial board of The Saxophone Symposium (U.S.). As editor-in-chief, he led the publication of the first scholarly volumes on Belgian composer Paul Gilson (ASP Editions 2023) and on Elise Hall, one of the first saxophone soloists (Leuven University Press 2024).

Kurt Bertels was an elected member of the Young Academy of Belgium (Flanders, 2021-2026). In 2023 the Flemish Royal Academy of Belgium has awarded him as "Laureate 2023" of the Class of Arts. In 2024, he was awarded with a Fulbright Grant (Postdoctoral Research) at the New England Conservatory (Boston, MA) and with a Veni Grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO).