KEMPISCH YOUTH FANFARE ORCHESTRA (Bélgica)

Director:
NICO MEYLEMANS

Band profile

The band was founded in 1974 by Georges Follman and August Horemans. Karel de Wolf succeeded Georges Follman in 1987, and Jan Jansen succeeded August Horemans in 1998. In 1988, Karel de Wolf was named director of music at the Instituto Lemmen, and passed the directorship to Jean Steutelings. In 2002, Ivan Meylemans was named director and Nico Meylemans assistant director.
The objectives of the band have remained unchanged from the first days - bring young people closer to music and encourage young orchestras. The band repertoire includes contemporary and traditional but with the emphasis on local and international music for wind instruments. The band is made up of talented local players - and while there is no minimum age there is a retirement age of 25. Band members reaching this age are encouraged to join other local groups.
In 1975, the band won first prize and an honorable mention in the 23rd European Music Festival held in Neerpelt. A year later, the KJFO won first prize 'Cum Laude' in the International Youth Band Festival held in North Dakota, USA. Since then, the band has won numerous national and international awards and has performed in Antwerp, Gante, and Lovaine.
In Neerpelt in 1987, the band obtained the 'Cum Laude' award for the second time under guest-director Jef Van Boven. With the arrival of Jean Steutelings, the band evolved to an even higher level of professionalism and the band won the 'Cum Laude' award for the third time in the 1989 European Music Festival in Neerpelt. In the Kerkade competition, the KJFO moved up a level and was proclaimed world champion in section three. In 1991, the band returned to Neerpelt and obtained the highest possible award - 'Summa Cum Laude'.
In 1992, the youth band participated in the highest level of the world youth music competition held in Zurich and was proclaimed world champion. It then toured the USA, Canada, the Canary Islands, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Tunisia, Hungary, France, Germany, and Italy.
Guest directors have included: Armand Preud'homme, Theo Mertens and François Glorieux (Flanders), Henk Van Lijnschoten (Holland), Ronald Binge (UK), Masajiro Tanimura and Hiroaki Kuwabara (Japan), Hollos Lajos, Josef Dobos (Hungary), and Frederick C. Ebbs (Indiana, USA).
The band has made many recordings for radio and TV.
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Director profile

Nico Meylemans was born in 1970. He obtained first prizes in musical theory, transport music, trumpet, and chamber music. He teaches wind instruments and has played in many of the most famous bands in Belgium, Holland, and Germany.