Belgian conductor Patrick Davin died unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon, just before a rehearsal at La Monnaie. Patrick Davin was 58 years old and rehearsing ‘Is this the end?’. The world premiere of this new work by Jean-Luc Fafchamps was to kick-off of the opera season on 12 September at La Monnaie in Brussels.
« Musicians, singers and staff of La Monnaie are shocked by this news and the rehearsal programme has been suspended. The thoughts of the opera managers and workers go out to Patrick Davin’s relatives and family, » commented Peter De Caluwe, director of the Brussels institution, in a statement.
Patrick Davin first studied the violin, later also piano, violin, harmony and fugue. He was a pupil of René Defossez, Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös. He was responsible for the creation of a large number of works by contemporary composers such as Philippe Boesmans, Henri Pousseur, Bruno Mantovani, Marco Stroppa and Vinko Globokar. In March 2012, he was appointed Music and Artistic Director of the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra with effect from the 2013-14 season. In July 2020 Patrick Davin was appointed director of the music department of the Royal Conservatory of Liège.
