Jan Verheye
bass
Instrument: double bass, soloist
With Flanders Symphony Orchestra since: 1990
Who is your favourite composer?
For orchestral music Sibelius and for chamber music Schubert. Both give enormous possibilities of imagination, a kind of freedom of imagination.
What is your fondest memory of Flanders Symphony Orchestra?
The concerts where I came off stage with the feeling that we all completely went for it as one. I often had that feeling under the baton of David Agnus. During those concerts, there was great contact with the audience.
What do you do besides being a musician at Flanders Symphony Orchestra?
Windsurfing is an important hobby for me. Those moments when the elements of wind, water and waves demand all your attention clear my head and get all my muscles moving. I also enjoy discussing pedagogy with colleagues. Besides playing music, that is the other half of my income.
When is a concert considered successful for you?
When there is response from the audience. Usually you just feel how quietly and intently the audience starts to listen to a good performance. That is a very different feeling from when they are silent out of politeness, without really experiencing anything.
