Elisabeth Deletaille

Belgian violinist with a passionate bow and a sensitive playing style, Élisabeth Deletaille has pursued an atypical musical path. From the age of four, Élisabeth was enrolled at the Académie de musique de Berchem-Sainte-Agathe in Brussels, where she began studying violin with Didier Nowé. At age eleven, she entered the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, initially attending general courses. In 1991, she was accepted in the Netherlands into the Preparatory Class for Young Talents at the University of Tilburg, Faculty of Arts, under Prof. K. Sebestyèn. She graduated from the Brabants Conservatorium in Tilburg in 1998 with a Diploma of Violin Performance (Uitvoerend Musicus Viool) and went on to pursue an advanced cycle at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Élisabeth of Belgium. She graduated in 2001 and completed her training with a Performance diploma in violin at the Hogeschool der Kunsten Zuid-Nederlanden. Élisabeth Deletaille earned the First Prize and the Diploma of Chamber Music with Highest Distinction at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. She perfected her education with renowned masters such as Herman Krebbers, Gérard Poulet, and Zakhar Bron, who refined her technique and introduced elements of playfulness, flexibility, and freedom into her performance.

Élisabeth Deletaille has chosen to focus her musical life on chamber music. In this spirit, she has recorded César Franck’s Keyboard Quintet and performed with various ensembles and artists across Europe, Russia, and Canada, as well as at festivals such as Printemps Musical de Silly, Ars Musica, Festival La Follie d’Ecaussine, Festival Emergence, Festival Monteverdi, Festival de Ravello, and Les Musicales Guillaume Lekeu. She has also performed as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Orchestre National de Belgique under Pierre Bartholomée and the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, establishing herself as a versatile musician. With the Ensemble Uyttenhove, under the artistic direction of Danielle Baas, Élisabeth Deletaille performed a wide repertoire of 20th and 21st-century works and premiered numerous pieces by Belgian composers, some dedicated to her. The Union of Belgian Composers awarded the Ensemble the Trophée Fuga 2004, recognizing its active role in promoting Belgian music. SABAM also honored Élisabeth Deletaille individually for her contributions to the national repertoire with the Jeanne et Willem Pelemans Prize in 2005. Élisabeth Deletaille regularly performs with leading figures of the Belgian music scene, including pianists Eliane Reyes, Muhiddin Dürruoglu, Fabian Jardon, Jean-Michel Dayez, Leonardo Anglani, Jean-Claude Van den Eynden, cellist Nicolas Deletaille, clarinetists Jean-Luc Votano and Ronald Van Spaendonck, percussionist Sarah Mouradoglou, harpist Ingrid Procureur, and many others. In 2008, she participated in a monographic recording of Belgian composer Jean-Marie Simonis’ chamber music works with Eliane Reyes, Jean-Marc Fessard, and Damien Pardoen (Kalidisc label), including Couleurs croisées, dedicated to her.

Élisabeth Deletaille has also devoted part of her time to teaching. Since 2007, she has held various positions in Violin and Chamber Music at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. From 2007 to 2014, she also taught at Arts2 Mons as a lecturer in Commented Auditions. In parallel with her work in Higher Arts Education, she supports and nurtures young musicians at the beginning of their careers by teaching violin and chamber music at the Académies de Musique de Jette and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. A laureate of several competitions, including Dexia Axion Classics, Élisabeth Deletaille has received the Van den Berg, Horlait-Dapsens, and Colonel de Bisschop prizes. She was also honored with the biennial Edouard Deru Prize, paying tribute to the great violinist from Verviers.