Marc Verhaegen was born in Antwerp in 1943. He studied at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and Antwerp, earning numerous first prizes, including piano (with Eduardo del Pueyo and Frédéric Gevers), harmony (André Souris and Emmanuel Geeurickx), chamber music (Jef Maes) and counterpoint (Nini Bulterijs). Verhaegen graduated with diplomas in fugue and composition from the successful composition class of Willem Kersters. 1974 brought a major change of course in the composer’s career, as he became a music-theory teacher at the Maastricht Conservatory (a position he held until 1977) and also began to teach harmony at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp. In 1977, Marc Verhaegen became the director of the municipal music school in Herenthout, remaining in the function until 1990, when he became director of the August De Boeck Academy for Music, Word and Dance in Asse.
Marc Verhaegen’s compositions have received numerous distinctions. In 1979 he received the Albert De Vleeshouwer Prize for Duo for oboe and double bass. Four years later he won the Jef Van Hoof Prize for his Toccaresque for piano four hands. In 1985 he was awarded the Peter Benoit Prize for Trio for violin, piano and cello. In 1993, his Capriccio for clarinet and piano won the prize of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.
Many of Marc Verhaegen’s works have been commissions, for such organisations as the Beethoven Academie, BRTN Radio 3 and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He has also been a jury member at the European Music Festival in Neerpelt since 1989.

©2002 Jeroen Vanacker, for Flanders Music Centre and MATRIX

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