Deputy Mayor for Culture Annelies Storms had a very specific profile in mind. The new city composer had to be young, not yet well known, but already experienced; he/she had to be able to reach out to a broad audience through cross-overs with other disciplines; he/she has to be an ambassador for Ghent both on a national and an international level. After a thorough deliberation a commission of experts unanimously advised to appoint Fulco Ottervanger as the Ghent city composer for 2017-2019.

Fulco Ottervanger was born in the Netherlands in 1984, but has been living in Ghent for the last ten years. He studied jazz piano and classical composition at the Ghent Conservatory. His jazztrio “De Beren Gieren”, his popband “Stadt” and his duo “Beraadslagen” – together with drummer Lander Gyselinck – are nationally and internationally known. With “De Beren Gieren” he performed in the Bologna Estate Festival, as part of an exchange between the UNESCO Creative Cities of Music, Ghent and Bologna. The commission of experts appreciates his unlimited creativity and versatility, his multifaceted work, his positive energy as a guarantee for cross-over projects, and his sound rooting in the Ghent music scene. Specific projects by the city composer will be developed from January 2017 on.