Dimitri Mestdag

Dimitri Mestdag studied at the Music Academy of Harelbeke and at the Kunsthumaniora Gent with Yf Bourry. He received his master's degrees in oboe, English horn and chamber music at the Conservatory of Brussels with Paul Dombrecht and Alex Van Beveren. After master classes with Thomas Indermühle, David Walter, Alain Denis and Ingo Goritzki, he perfected his skills at the Rotterdam Conservatory with Emanuel Abbühl. Dimitri was laureate of Belfius Classics in 1991 and in 1996 he was the very first Tenutolaureate on English horn. He has been a guest of renowned world orchestras such as the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Radio Philharmonic Hilversum, the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Since September 1996 he has been soloist English horn at the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.

At his request, many composers have already composed works dedicated to him for his beloved instrument. Among them are Frits Celis, Erik Desimpelaere, Kalevi Aho, Robert Groslot and Geoffrey Gordon. Dimitri leads a thriving althobo class at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and regularly gives master classes at home and abroad. Since 2010, he has been the artistic director of Arbanassi Summer Music, a unique chamber music festival in Bulgaria, which he founded with his wife Julita Fasseva. Dimitri plays an English horn by Buffet Crampon.