Jules Baeten, clarinettist

Belgian clarinettist Jules Baeten is renowned for his sovereign, honest, convincing, yet humble playing.

Jules has won numerous awards in national and international competitions, including 1st prize at the “InMusic” clarinet festival competition (Portugal, 2022), 1st prize at the 2nd Swiss International Music Competition (Switzerland, 2022), and a gold medal at the 1st Vienna International Music Competition (Austria, 2018). In 2018, he was also named ‘Classic Young Master’ by the foundation of the same name in The Netherlands.

In August 2023, Jules commenced his role as the principal clarinettist of Philzuid. He also regularly performs as a guest principal clarinet with the Belgian National Orchestra, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast. His extensive orchestral experience includes performances with the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and the BBC Philharmonic, where he was previously on trial for the principal bass clarinet position.

In the 2022/23 season, Jules was a fellowship recipient with Sinfonia Smith Square (formerly Southbank Sinfonia), and he is currently on trial for the sub-principal clarinet position with the Welsh National Opera.

Jules has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Marc Albrecht, Andrea Battistoni, Alexandre Bloch, Elim Chan, Stéphane Denève, Iván Fischer, Hartmut Haenchen, Philippe Herreweghe, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Gergely Madaras, Eva Ollikainen, Kristiina Poska, John Storgårds, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Lorenzo Viotti, and Duncan Ward, among others. His performances have graced prestigious venues like the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, and the Rudolfinum in Prague.

Jules began his musical education at the Academy for Music, Theatre, and Dance in Maasmechelen with Michèlle Geerlings. At 15, he joined the Young Talent Class of the Conservatorium Maastricht, graduating cum laude in 2020 under Roeland Hendrikx. In 2022, he completed his master’s studies at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague with Olivier Patey and Rick Huls. His final exam featured the Dutch premiere of “At the Hills of Hampstead Heath,” a clarinet concerto by Emmy Lindström, earning him the Fock Medal prize for the best exam and a distinction for outstanding musicianship and visionary performance.

He has further honed his skills at the Saline Royale Academy with Sharon Kam and the Académie Musicale de Villecroze with Pascal Moraguès. Jules has also attended international masterclasses with Nicolas Baldeyrou, Michael Collins, Julien Hervé, Charles Neidich, Marc Nuccio, Calogero Palermo, Andreas Sundén, and Annelien Van Wauwe, among others.

In addition to his orchestral and chamber music pursuits, Jules is also a committed teacher. He aims to bring out the best in each student by providing encouragement and assistance to help them achieve their musical goals. If you want to book a lesson with Jules, please complete the contact form.