Koninklijke Harmonie van Peer vzw.
Willy Fransen
Honorary Conductor of the Royal Concert Band of Peer - Main Orchestra
Willy Fransen, born in 1946, studied the trumpet at the music school of Hasselt and the conservatoire of Antwerp. In 1969 he started his career as a highly appreciated music teacher at the ‘North Limburg Institute for Arts Education’. He is consultant for several music federations and is chairman of the jury of the yearly “European Music Festival for Young People” in Neerpelt. Another yearly event is ‘the Beriato experience’, a week of music for and by young people, organized by music publisher Beriato; at that occasion Willy is the conductor of the orchestra. In the world of wind music bands Willy Fransen is also known as a valued composer and arranger of wind band music and musicals.
Willy specialized as a wind band conductor by following several master classes of world famous conductors. Driven by these experiences and his inherent musical talent Willy became one of the leading wind band conductors in Belgium. With his passion, dedication and understanding, respect and approach he motivates pupil musicians to realize a superb, staggering performance in class as well as on contests.
The Royal Concert Band of Peer was the first orchestra Willy conducted. In 1970 he started with 17 musicians for a long, but exciting journey. His passion, quality and catching approach towards young musicians were the motor for the growth of a small group of musicians in the seventies to the superb music society with three orchestras and 250 musicians we are today. Under his guidance the main orchestra became an internationally renowned concert band with several national championship titles and several subsequent top performances in second and first division of the World Music Contest in Kerkrade.
On 2005, July 29th Willy Fransen conducted the main orchestra for the fourth time at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, this time in concert division. In a fantastic way, with 90,90% and a magnificent 5th place in concert division, Willy said good-bye to ‘his’ orchestra. A fantastic award for a royal career at the Royal Concert Band of Peer.
Fortunately the good-bye is only limited to the main orchestra. Up till today Willy is continuing his fantastic work by teaching our pupil musicians the beautiful art of ‘making music with your heart’.
Peter Cools
Conductor of the Royal Concert Band of Peer - Youth Orchestra
Peter Cools, born in 1969, studied trumpet at the Royal Music Conservatoire of Brussels. In 1991 he obtained his first price in the class of Manu Mellaerts, while also finalizing his studies of musical notation and chamber music. He additionally obtained a degree in transposition and he won the ‘Goeyens’ price for trumpet.
His career as a conductor started in 1991, when he was asked to become chief conductor of the ‘Royal Concert Band of Peer Youth Orchestra’. Today Peter is combining this assignment with his task as a music and esthetics teacher and as conductor of the fanfare ‘Eendracht’ of Eksel. With the fanfare of Eksel and the youth orchestra of Peer he won several regional and national championship titles. Meanwhile he has not forgotten his first musical love, the trumpet. He is still active as a cornet player in the main orchestra of the ‘Royal Concert Band of Peer’ and the ‘brass band of north Limburg’.
Alex Schillings
Conductor of the Royal Concert Band of Peer - Main Orchestra
Alex Schillings was born in 1957 in Gulpen (The Netherlands). Already from childhood he was surrounded by music; especially wind and classical music played a central role in the Schillings family. At the age of 8, Alex became trumpet player in the local wind music band and after completion of his music studies at the academy of Maastricht he choose to join the Maastricht conservatoire; there he specialized in music score, the trumpet and conducting wind music bands. In 1983 he successfully graduated as ‘Executive Musician Wind Band Conductor’ in the class of Rien Rats. Alex completed an additional study of orchestra direction in the class of Lucas Vis and Anton Kerstjes.
In 1985 Alex won the “silver conductor stick” at the prestigious International Conductor Contest organized by the World Music Contest (WMC) organization of Kerkrade. Afterwards he realized many contest successes with several orchestras. Prominent wind band orchestras, such as St.-Jozef Kaalheide, St. Joseph/Meers and Sainte Cécile Eijsden performed under his guidance.
In the eighties Alex Schillings was the conductor of the Symphonic orchestra of Kerkrade. He conducted for five years the semi-professional chamber music orchestra ‘Musica Mosa’, at which he guided several prominent musicians, and played a lot of symphonic literature. In 1995 he became chief conductor of the ‘Johan Willem Friso chapel’. With this orchestra he recorded many CD’s. After 6 years, he became conductor of the ‘Royal Military Chapel’ of the Netherlands. Since 1998 Alex is also the chief conductor of the ‘National wind band orchestra of youth’ of his country.
Alex is also active as professor ‘wind band conductor’ at the conservatoires of Zwolle and The Hague. He is member of the jury for several national and international wind band contests. In 2005 he was member of the jury of the first division at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade. Also in 2005 he was seated in the jury of the international conductor contest at the European Brass Band Championships in Groningen. Since august 2003 Alex Schillings combines professorship and his conductor and jury work with his task as wind band consultant at the ‘Unisono’ organization in Utrecht.
Since 2005 September 1st Alex Schillings is the new conductor of the main orchestra of the Royal Concert Band of Peer.
Peter Cools succeeded in growing the ‘Royal Concert Band of Peer Youth Orchestra’ to a renowned orchestra of more than 100 young musicians, performing at a very high level. Under his guidance the youth orchestra obtained three times a ‘1st price’ and as many ‘1st prices cum laude’ at the ‘European Music Festival for Young People’ in Neerpelt. The absolute climax came at the 2005 World Music Contest in Kerkrade: having performed in 3rd division, Peter and ‘his’ youth orchestra musicians were rewarded with 85,5% and the title of 3rd division ‘Vice-World Champion’.
Conductors of the Main Orchestra:
Willy Fransen (Harmonieorkest 1970-2005)
Conductor of the Youth Orchestra:
Peter Cools (Jeugdorkest)
