Marcel Ponseele studied oboe and chamber music at the conservatories of Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. He then enthusiastically embraced the baroque oboe and was a laureate of the Musica Antiqua competition in Bruges in 1981. Since that time he has played in many renowned baroque ensembles, including La Petite Bande, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and La Chapelle Royale. He and conductor Philippe Herreweghe laid the basis for the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées; Ponseele himself led the Harmonie des Champs-Elysées. He founded Il Gardellino together with Jan de Winne and Shalev Ad-El in 1988 and is the ensemble’s artistic director. Marcel Ponseele enjoys an international reputation as a baroque specialist and has been invited by many conductors to appear as soloist both in concert and for recordings on various labels. He has performed and recorded every work for oboe by Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart as well as many others. Together with his brother Francis, he makes meticulous copies of old instruments that are regarded as references worldwide. Marcel Ponseele has taught historic oboe at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel since 2014; he also gives master classes throughout the world.