Casco Phil

Summer Concerts: Europe

Château Cleydael

Spiegel Im Spiegel (inwardness)

Winter Morning Walks

1841. At the Brussels Industrial Exhibition, from behind a curtain, a 27-year-old inventor blows the first notes from a home-made musical instrument. His name? Adolphe Sax. In no time, his saxophone becomes famous and established. The clever salesman that he was, Sax entered into a monopoly contract to supply French military music bands with saxes. Befriended composers like Jules Demersseman and Hector Berlioz wrote pieces for this new instrument meaning that the repertoire rapidly grew. Its importance in jazz music can hardly be overestimated. The saxophone is here to stay.

1994. Dinant, the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, hosts the first edition of an international music competition. Anyone who thinks that this will be a small-scale, Belgian-French get-together is sorely mistaken. The list of honours also includes Russians and Japanese musicians, for example. Young saxophonists from all over the world travel to the little city in the Ardennes for the competition.

2023. The eighth edition of the International Adolphe Sax Competition is on the programme. Over three rounds, young musicians give their best. From 13 November, the top six may decide who wins the first prize in a mandatory piece and a programme with orchestra. Casco Phil is a proud partner of this special competition. Following a first successful collaboration in 2019, we are only too happy to return as the final orchestra. Guest conductor David Reiland will be there to support these talents in their symphonic experience.

International Sax Competition