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Celis, Frits (b. April 11, 1929, Antwerp). Belgian composer of orchestral, chamber, choral, and vocal works that have been performed throughout Europe; he is also active as a conductor.
Mr. Celis studied at conservatories in Antwerp and Brussels. He later studied conducting with Hermann Schmeidel in Salzburg from 1949–51 and with Wolfgang von der Nahmer in Cologne in 1953–54.
His awards as a conductor include First prizes in the conducting competitions of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels and BRTV in Brussels (both 1954). As a composer, he has received the Trofee Fuga from the Association of Belgian Composers (1992).
As a conductor, he served as second director at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie from 1954–59. He then served as second director at the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp in 1959–60 and as its chief conductor and music director from 1960–81. He has conducted at the Opera for Flanders in Antwerp and Ghent since 1981 and he has appeared with orchestras in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, and the USA.
Mr. Celis is also active in other positions. He served as principal harpist in the orchestra of the Royal Flemish Opera from 1946–52. He has written monographs on the Belgian composers August De Boeck and Edward Keurvels, along with much musical criticism.
He taught music theory as a professor at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp from 1960–71 and taught transposition for wind instruments as a professor there from 1971–94.
The Centre Belge de Documentation Musicale (CeBeDeM) publishes his music.
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