Stephane Vande Ginste, born in Kisangani (Congo) on 7 January 1971, took the Latin-Greek secondary programme at St Amands’ College and St Joseph’s Institute in Kortrijk. From 1979 to 1990, he studied at the municipal conservatory in Kortrijk, graduating with a final diploma and the "regeringsmedaille" in piano, as well as final diplomas in chamber music and written harmony. After this he studied piano, harmony, counterpoint and composition (with André Laporte) at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where he earned a number of first prizes, including piano and composition. In addition, he took a number of masterclasses with Daniel Capelletti, Garrett List and Frederic Rzewski. In the 1990s, he took part in several composition competitions, consistently doing well. He was a three-time winner of the “Competition for young composers” in 1990, 1991 and 1992. In 1994 he won the Muizelhuis Prize, in 1995 the DMP (Digital Music Print) Prize and in 1996 the Cantabile Prize. Since 2000, Stephane Vande Ginste has been composer-in-residence with the Emanon Ensemble. He combines his composing activities with performances as a soloist and in chamber music, with a particular focus on contemporary music. In September 2000, Vande Ginste gave an interview about his career as a composer/pianist for Radio 3 (the Flemish classical broadcaster, now Klara) in the series “De K van Jong”. He regularly leads workshops in piano for young children, with the result that didactic works have become an important part of his oeuvre. In his own words: “I attempt to write music that is attractive for young people and yet remains contemporary in style.”