Exciting cross-overs! Classics by Samuel Barber, Robert Muczynski en Malcolm Arnold, as well as beautiful transcriptions for woodwind quintet of symphonic masterpieces by Leonard Bernstein andGeorge Gershwin.

Ensemble Houthandel formed as a wind quintet at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp in 2005. At that time it was called ‘Ensemble Houthandel Antwerpen’ and was initially active for exam performances, also becoming an emblem for the conservatoire and for itself in a variety of self-organised concerts. The group studied and rehearsed the standard wind quintet repertoire intensively

in those early years.

In February 2009 Houthandel was declared winner of the 4th edition of Gouden Vleugels and awarded the Jeugd & Muziek Chamber Music prize organised by Jeugd & Muziek Vlaanderen, Radio Klara, newspaper De Standaard and the KBC Bank. This award really put the wind in the ensemble’s sails, and in the 2009-2010 season there were no fewer than 35 performances of ‘De Grote Houthandel Antwerpen Show’ and a number of highly acclaimed concerts in the Netherlands.

Part of the Gouden Vleugels prize gave Houthandel the opportunity to record their debut CD ‘Kicking Sawdust’ in Studio Toots, a well-known location for Flemish Radio and Television. This was followed in April 2010 by a concert tour to the Spanish Balearic Islands.

In the 2010-2011 season the oboe and horn chairs were vacated and Houthandel welcomed two new musicians. As a result the ensemble became even closer-knit, and the dynamics for rehearsal and creativity grew in intensity.