Vincent Cortvrint, piccolo

Born in Etterbeek, Belgium, Vincent Cortvrint heard a recording by Jean-Pierre Rampal when he was four years old. He was instantly smitten and whined until he was seven years old before he was finally given a flute. In 1980 he won the 16th National Music Contest of the Crédit Communal de Belgique and as a result performed as a soloist with the Flemisch radio Orchestra (now the Brussels Philharmonic). Cortvrint studied in Brussels and Paris with Michel Lefebvre, Michel Debost and Maurice Bourges. Before joining the Concertgebouworkest in 1996, he was a member of the Belgian National Orchestra.

In addition to his position with the orchestra, Vincent Cortvrint teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He gives masterclasses and summer courses, and plays chamber music with various ensembles. Thanks to the American Friends of the Concertgebouworkest, he plays a golden Haynes flute, a unique instrument built specially for him.

In 2018 Vincent received on loan through the Foundation Concertgebouworkest a piccolo with extra range, developed by flute maker Jean Yves Roosen. He also has a flute and a piccolo on loan from the Foundation's collection, built by Haynes in the United States.