The organ has been taught at the Conservatoire for over 150 years; organ students here today have access to a range of instruments, ranging from the portable organs in the early music department, to the big Collon organ, also belonging to the school, and housed in one of the beautiful churches of Brussels, which is reserved for teaching purposes.
The Conservatoire offers Bachelors and Masters courses in organ.
The Bachelors course consists of three years, while the Masters lasts two years.
These courses allow students to focus on their main discipline, while gaining comprehensive training in artistic, practical and theoretical skills.
Starting from the second year, students can participate in chamber music classes.
The practical training also comprises courses specifically for organists including improvisation, and numerous seminars and masterclasses.
Bachelor students receive a solid basis in musical, cultural and general skills, and are lead to develop a specialised understanding of the enormous domain which they are discovering.
Piano students can then build on this solid foundation during the Masters programme, where they are guided to develop their artistic autonomy, culminating in the realisation of a personal artistic project at the end of their studies.
During this second cycle, or masters programme, chamber music grows in importance, and the general courses and also the seminars are directly linked to the professional world (recording techniques, marketing...).
During the course of their studies, all organ students will also have numerous chances to gain an introduction to basso continuo, or figured bass, and develop their skills in this field, thanks to close collaboration with the early music department.
The Conservatoire also ensure that its organ students have access not only to the in-house instruments (baroque Collon organ at the Riches-Claires church, a practice organ, two portable organs), but also to a number of famous instruments within the city, such as the great Grenzing organ in the cathedral, thereby allowing them to practice all types of repertoire on the appropriate instruments.
Student organists regularly take part in ambitious productions, thanks to the special and varied opportunities for collaboration within the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles.
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