Philippe Beullens

Welcome to the site of Philippe Beullens: organist, carillonneur and choral director. Philippe works as a teacher of Music and Artistic Training at Sint-Martinuscollege in Overijse, teacher of organ and practical harmony at the Academy of Performing Arts in Overijse as well as carillonneur in Leuven and Mechelen. Philippe also enjoys international fame as a concert musician, organist and carillonneur.

Who is Philippe?

He began his musical education at the Municipal Conservatory of Mechelen.

At the Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen, he obtained the diploma of Bachelor of Commercial Sciences. He then went to the Leuven Lemmens Institute and studied organ under Peter Pieters. He took additional organ lessons with Chris Dubois and Luc Ponet and carillon lessons with Carl Van Eyndhoven. He took masterclasses in organ with Ben Van Oosten (NL), Ewald Kooiman (NL), Louis Robilliard (FR) and Ludger Lohmann (D), among others. In 2001 he obtained the diploma "Master of Music in Organ performance", option organ.

In 2008, he continued his carillon training at the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, successively with Jo Haazen and Eddy Mariën. In 2012, he obtained his final diploma there with Great Distinction.

In 2014, he became the fifth laureate of the International Competition for Carillon "Queen Fabiola" (the equivalent of the "Queen Elisabeth Competition", but for carillon).

During nine years, he was organist at St Agatha's Church in Wilsele-Putkapel, during which time he regularly replaced his teacher Peter Pieters at Mechelen's St Rombouts Cathedral.

From 2001 to 2022, he served as Director of Music at St Martin's Church in Overijse, where he also conducted St Cecilia's Choir since 2003. During this period, he also worked actively on the restoration of the beautiful Merklin-Schuetze organ in the St Martin's Church in Overijse. Together with the St Cecilia Choir, he performed numerous beautiful concert projects and many organ concerts during all those years. Unfortunately, in 2022 there was a toxic working climate with the new chairman of the Church Council, After which Philippe ceased his duties as organist in Overijse. Since then, he has been active in the organ world only as a freelancer.

At Sint-Martinuscollege in Overijse, he has been a regular teacher of music and artistic training for many years. At the Academy for Performing Arts in Overijse (www.apko.be) he teaches organ and accompaniment practice. In Mechelen, he also works as a City Guide for the carillon-related walks.

As a guest carilloneur, he can regularly be heard on the city carillons of Mechelen (Sint-Romboutstoren) and Leuven (Sint-Pieterskerk) and also on the carillon of the Central University Library in Leuven.

Both as organist and carillonneur, he performed in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States.