ENSEMBLES 2025

Euregio Jeugdorkest

The Euregio Youth Orchestra Crossing Borders with Ambition

The Euregio Youth Orchestra (Euregio Jeugd Orkest) is a symphony orchestra of over 80 talented young musicians aged 14 to 25. It provides students from Flemish and Dutch music academies, music schools, private teachers, and conservatories with the opportunity to play in an orchestral setting and gain stage experience. The EJO supports young musicians who want to grow with their instrument or explore the symphonic genre within classical music. Both the educational aspect and the musical experience of the members and audience are crucial to the EJO. That’s why the conductor carefully curates two diverse programs each year, ensuring that both orchestra members and listeners are inspired. Internal progression is key, with about 20% of the orchestra naturally renewing each year as members move on. Professional Alumni and Renowned Soloists Many former members have found that the EJO provided excellent preparation for professional careers in the music industry, both nationally and internationally. Several alumni have even returned to perform as soloists with the orchestra. The EJO is a true breeding ground for young talent, equipping them for a potential career as professional musicians. At the same time, many members pursue entirely different studies and build successful careers in other fields. Additionally, the EJO frequently collaborates with established soloists across various genres, as well as emerging talent from Belgium and the Netherlands. Conductor Hans Casteleyn (Belgium) is the orchestra’s principal conductor. A highly skilled musician and an exceptional educator, he brings out the best in every young musician. Thanks to the combination of the orchestra members' talent and their conductor’s expert leadership, the EJO performs at an exceptionally high level year after year. World-Famous Concert Halls The EJO regularly embarks on concert tours, with past trips to China (2011), Austria – Vienna (2013, 2018), and Italy (2016). These tours give members the unique opportunity to perform in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Awards In 2018, the Euregio Youth Orchestra was awarded the title of "Best Youth Symphony Orchestra in the Netherlands" at the Dutch National Competition for Youth Symphony Orchestras in De Doelen, Rotterdam. During their 2013 tour in Vienna, the orchestra won First Prize in the "Youth Symphony Orchestras" category at this prestigious Summa Cum Laude Music Festival.

Hans Casteleyn

Conductor

Hans Casteleyn graduated from the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, where he studied piano, orchestral conducting, advanced analysis, harmony, counterpoint, and fugue. He teaches piano and serves as coordinator at the academy "De Noorderkempen" while also conducting several orchestras. Since 2002, he has been the conductor of the Euregio Youth Orchestra (EJO), a symphony orchestra for talented young musicians that has achieved international acclaim. Under his leadership, Hans and the EJO have won multiple international awards, including the first Hart van Brabant Award (2013) and first prize at the prestigious Summa Cum Laude Youth Music Festival in Vienna (2013). In 2018, they once again won awards in Vienna and claimed three out of four prizes at the National Competition for Youth Symphony Orchestras in De Doelen, Rotterdam. Their 2017 King's Day performance for King Willem-Alexander and the royal family was broadcast live on Dutch national television. Hans has led the orchestra in some of the world’s most renowned concert halls and on major tours to China, Italy, and Austria. He has also recorded numerous CDs with the EJO. Since 2004, Hans has been the conductor of the Leuven Alumni Orchestra (LAO), where he has presented dozens of unique concert programs, ranging from great classical works to rarely performed compositions and original musical fairy tales for children. Highlights include successful concert tours to China in 2010 and 2016. Hans has conducted numerous concert tours with various orchestras, from amateur ensembles to professional symphonies, taking him across Europe and as far as China. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, he was regularly invited to lead productions with the Conservatory Orchestra of Braga (Portugal). He has also been deeply involved in the world of wind orchestras and musical theater, conducting large-scale productions featuring hundreds of performers, including world premieres such as Gelmel (2010), 1814: De Vergeten Veldslag (2014) and Het Groot Circus van het Klein Verdriet (2023). Hans frequently collaborates with international top soloists and has conducted in prestigious venues such as Elisabeth Hall and deSingel (Antwerp), Grand Theatre (Shenzhen), Muziekgebouw (Eindhoven), De Doelen (Rotterdam), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Wiener Konzerthaus, and the famous Golden Hall of the Musikverein (Vienna). In the fall of 2019, Hans conducted the remarkable production "In the Shadow of War" with the professional Euregio Chamber Orchestra (EKO). This was a long-cherished dream: to form a chamber orchestra with former members of the Euregio Youth Orchestra who had since become professional musicians.

Competition Program

Additional Concerts Program