Anima Eterna is a Belgian symphony orchestra administratively based in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

. Founded in 1987 by

Jos van Immerseel Jos Van Immerseel (born 9 November 1945) is a Belgian harpsichordist, pianist and Conducting, conductor. Van Immerseel studied Pipe organ, organ, piano and harpsichord at the Antwerp Conservatory under Flor Peeters, Eugène Traey and harpsicho ...

, Anima Eterna is resident at the

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

, Bruges.

History

In 1987, van Immerseel founded a baroque ensemble with a handful of instrumentalists he had formed around him two years earlier, with whom he performs historical orchestrations of the early instrument repertoire. In 1988, he performed Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Les plaisirs de Versailles H.480 at the

Royal Opera of Versailles The Royal Opera of Versailles () is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is also known as the Théâtre Gabriel. The interior decoration by Augustin Pajou is constructed almost entirel ...

, directed by Philippe Lenael. Over the years, the orchestra has grown to become a full symphony orchestra, and its repertoire has expanded to include classical, romantic and contemporary music. Since the 2020–2021 season, conductors including

Giovanni Antonini Giovanni Antonini (born 1965) is an Italian conductor and soloist on the recorder and baroque transverse flute. He studied in his native Milan, and attended the Civica Scuola di Musica in that city and the Centre de Musique Ancienne in Geneva. In ...

, Bart Van Reyn, Jakob Lehmann and

Pablo Heras-Casado Pablo Heras-Casado (born 1977) is a Spanish conductor. Early life The son of a retired police officer, he began singing with a school choir at the age of seven and piano lessons at the age of nine. He studied music at the conservatory in Granad ...

have conducted the orchestra, with van Immerseel remaining guest conductor of the ensemble. On 16 September 2024, the board of directors of Anima Eterna announced the severance of ties with van Immerseel, on the grounds of "repeated aggressive behaviour and ongoing breaches of his contractual obligations".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official homepage of Anima Eterna
Symphony orchestras Belgian orchestras Musical groups established in 1987