Conductor
Passionate and versatile, Karel Deseure feels equally at home in a wide repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music.
Active in the symphonic repertoire, opera and ballet, he brings a strong sense of style, energy and expression to every performance. His work has been praised by audiences and critics alike, with one review describing him as a “Magician in the Pit.”
Belgian conductor Karel Deseure is an artist of natural conducting talent and authority, known for his passionate approach, interpretative flair and artistic versatility.
In recent seasons, he conducted orchestras such as the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, l’Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, l’Opéra de Toulon, Romanian Radio Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Philharmonie ZuidNederland, among others.
Next to the symphonic repertoire, Karel is very active as an opera conductor. After his debut in 2016 with Puccini’s La Bohème at Opera Zuid (the Netherlands), he was re-invited to conduct Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi and the price-winning production of Bernstein’s A Quiet Place. At the Dutch National Opera Academy, he conducted Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, the highly acclaimed Dutch première of Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Die Fledermaus by Strauß. In 2021 he made his debut at Opera Ballet Flanders with Kurt Weill’s Der Silbersee in a regie by Ersan Mondtag, a production that won the “Prix du syndicat professionnel de la critique” for best European co-production. He returned there the following seasons in to conduct Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Ravel’s l’Enfant et les Sortilèges. At the Nederlandse Reisopera, he conducted Hänsel und Gretel and at the Opera de Toulon Così fan Tutte.
At the National Ballet in Amsterdam, he conducted the Hans van Manen choreography “Variations” and the world-première of Joey Roukens applauded ballet “Dorian”. More ballet engagements came along at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, where he conducted Le Sacre du Printemps in the choreography of Pina Bausch.
Highlights in the 2026-2027 season are his debut with l’Orchestre National Avignon-Provence and his returns to Liverpool Philharmonic, l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, l’Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. He is also re-invited by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic in a program starring soprano Nadine Sierra.
Originally a flautist, Karel earned his Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, subsequently studying conducting at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Masterclasses with
Bernard Haitink, Jorma Panula, Christopher Seaman and Peter Eötvös were determinant in his formation.
In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious conducting prize and scholarship of the Anton Kersjes Foundation and in 2018 Karel was awarded the Schaunard Award in recognition of his opera work in the Netherlands. From 2013-2015, he was assistant-conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Karel has a great love for teaching and is appointed professor of orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire of Amsterdam.
(June 2026)
