BIOGRAPHY

Wim Bex (17/01/1977, Belgium) is a professional bass trombonist who started his composing journey in 2008 when he was commissioned to write a concerto for his good friend and colleague Geert De Vos (bass trombonist at the Royal Opera “La Monnaie” Brussels).

“Vademecum for Bass Trombone” was an instant success. It has been performed by inspiring bass trombone players such as Charlie Vernon (Chicago Symphony), Paul Denson Pollard (MET Opera New York), Blair Bollinger (Philadelphia Orchestra), Brian Hecht (Dallas Symphony Orchestra), to name a few. It has become standard repertoire for graduating students all over the world.

Several commissions for other soloists followed: tenor trombone, trumpet,

bass tuba, euphonium, alto horn, ... all recorded on CD with wind band, brass band, brass quintet, fanfare, ...

In 2017, Wim was asked to write a piece for the opening of the Zuidboulevard in the city of Waregem, performed by almost 200 musicians on stage (two orchestras and four choirs).

He was also commissioned to write additional music for a well received and often revived children’s concert “De Kindertemmer” with symphony orchestra, a story from the Dutch writer/narrator Jacques Vriens.  It was recorded live on CD/DVD and featured Wim's first two compositions for symphony orchestra after various arrangement assignments.

Wim started his professional music career at age 19. In his first ever professional gig, he was asked to play bass trombone in the orchestra accompanying the European leg of Andrea Bocelli's world tour (while his ‘Con Te Partiro’ was a number one hit all over the world).

Since then, he played in all Belgian symphony orchestras, the leading brass bands (five times winner of the Belgian Nationals with three different brass bands, Vice European Champion in 1998), several big bands, chamber music groups (I solisti, Hermes, Spectra), pop/rock gigs (Gabriel Rios, Jef Neve, Flat Earth Society, Flowers for Breakfast, Metal Molly, ...).

He contributed to numerous film scores, musicals (Les Miserables, Peter Pan, ONE the Musical, Red Star Line), toured with the Night of the Proms and played with different pop groups on small and big podia (Rock Werchter).

In 2009 he was appointed bass trombone of the LSO (Limburgs Symfonie Orkest) at Maastricht, which fused together with the Brabants Orkest of Eindhoven in 2013 to become the “philharmonie zuidnederland”, where he co-held the solo bass trombone position until december 2017.

Wim studied bass trombone under Michel Tilkin (current conductor of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra).

As a composer he is entirely self-taught, but emphasises that “using his ears, every single rehearsal and every concert ever played, listening intensely to how all previous composers mastered their craft” has given him priceless lessons in composition and orchestration.

His love for film music recently led him to enter two competitions where he had to score music to picture, something he hadn’t done before. His second attempt resulted in winning the third price out of 100 contestants.