Our conductors

Ghislain Bellefroid – Symfony Orchestra

Ghislain Bellefroid has conducted several professional orchestras and ensembles in the Netherlands and abroad, including the Sofia Festival Orchestra, Het Nederlands Symfonie Orkest, het Residentie Orkest, het Metropole Orkest, Danube Symphony en het Promenade Orkest. Between 2010 and 2012, he was assistant to Jan Willem de Vriend. He attended masterclasses and lessons with Bernhard Haitink, Jaap van Zweden, Ed Spanjaard, Jacques van Steen, Jorma Panula, and others. He has won various prizes at competitions.

Ghislain often seeks connections between music and various other (artistic) disciplines. He also considers it important to give young talent the opportunity to develop themselves (as soloists or composers).

“Enabling people to give their very best and in doing so touch your audience, that’s what matters to me.”

From 1999 onward, he was affiliated as a clarinetist with the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke marine. He stepped down from this position at the end of 2013, returned in 2017, and between 2020 and 2024 served as second conductor and deputy director of this world-renowned orchestra.

Currently, in addition to the Bragi Symphony Orchestra, Ghislain also conducts the Rijnlands Symfonie Orkest, het Nederlands Politie Orkest en orkest OBK Zeist.

Rein de Vries – A cappella choir

Rein de Vries is an important constant factor in the history of GSMG Bragi: after having been a member for only two years, he became the conductor of the a-cappella choir in 1980. He has been an essential part of the association ever since, as the longest working conductor Bragi has ever known. During a tour abroad the a-cappela choir won gold at the International Youth Music Festival in Bratislava.

Besides the a-capella choir, he also conducted the symphony choir for ten years; from March 1998 until 2008. At 25 years with Bragi, in December 2005, Rein de Vries was granted membership in the Order of Oranje-Nassau.

Rein studied orchestra conducting and choir conducting at the conservatoire in Groningen. He also followed courses on the interpretation of early music in Aarhus and Bremen, amongst others. In January 1984 he succeeded Johan van der Meer as conductor of the Groningse Bachassociation. Led by him, the St John’s Passion was performed with authentic instrumentation for the first time in 1985, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Gronings Blazerscollectief, the Gronings Kamerkoor as well as chamber orchestra Divertimento were conducted by Rein for some time. Besides conducting, Rein de Vries is also active as singer in various ensembles such as the Bremer ensemble for early music ‘Concord of Arts’ and the ‘Weser-Renaissance’.

Hannah Tomasini – Symphony Choir

Hannah Tomasini (born 1992) is orginally from Groningen and studied classical piano with Nata Tsvereli, choral conducting with Louis Buskens, and classical singing with Hanneke de Wit, all at the Prince Claus Conservatoire. She conducts several choirs and has a piano teaching practice, as well as teaching singing with the Roden Girl Choristers. In addition, she regularly performs at concerts in the region as a mezzo-soprano and pianist.

During her vocal studies, Hannah received master classes from Nico van der Meel, Paul McNamara, Maarten Koningsberger and Margreet Honig. As part of her choral conducting studies, she received coaching from Ronald Slager and Antony Hermus. In opera productions, she played, among others, the role of the third lady in Die Zauberflöte, and that of the sorceress in Dido and Aeneas.

Besides her musical activities, she enjoys hiking, reading and travelling. She hopes to use her broad foundation as a musician, including a good dose of enthusiasm, to bring connection and direction in every environment she works in.

Since late 2023, Hannah has been conductor of Bragi’s symphony choir.

Photo by Arjen de Boer