Frank Heye (born in Ghent, 1964) received the government medal for organ studies in Mr. Edward de Geest’s classes.
He continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent where he obtained a higher degree in organ music in Mr. Dirk Verschraegen’s classes and a degree in music theory. He is known for winning the Omer van Puyvelde Competition and took master classes with J. Huys, E. Kooiman, T. Koopman and G. Bovet.
He focuses on playing contemporary music, including Flemish compositions. He for example performed several pieces of Claude Coppens, Dick Van der Harst, Walter Heynen, Willy Snellings, Dirk Blockeel, Lucien Goethals, Vincent d’Hondt, Michel George Brégent, Thomas Svoboda, Maurice Verstuyft, Jacqueline Fontyn (‘Enluminures’ in Saint Petersburg), Willem Ceuleers (first symphony in St Stephen's Church (Ghent)), Ludo Geloen, Jan Vandenheede, Geert Depraetere, Cyriel Van den Abeele and many others. His repertoire includes many Flemish symphonic works in expressionist and new baroque style. He regularly gives concerts in Belgium and most other European countries and consequently contributes greatly to the spread of Flemish organ music.
Frank Heye plays the organ, that was restored in 1994, in the church of Destelbergen and was in charge of its artistic supervision. He established an organ committee there in 1996, looking to transform the organ into a chamber music instrument in different sets of instruments playing contemporary pieces. He as an organist recorded a CD with the works of Flemish and other composers in 1996. In addition, he is the artistic co-manager of the organ concerts in the St Macharius Church in Laarne. Since 2022, he has been chairman of the 'Ghent Organ Center', an association that has been organizing an international concert cycle in St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent for more than 70 years.
Furthermore, he assisted in recording CDs with the Soratea chamber choir led by Patrick Debrabandere, with the male voice choir of Heusden led by Jos van den Borre (performing songs of for example Peter Benoit), and with David Ray, the trombonist of the Brussels Philharmonic. He recently cooperated on a double CD recording of the complete organ works of Gabriël Verschraegen by order of ‘Orgelkunst’, the Flemish magazine for organ culture.
In Paris in 2003, he was awarded the silver medal by the academic organisation ‘Arts, Sciences et Lettres’ (‘Arts, Sciences and Literature’) for his artistic merits.
He works as a teacher at the Ghent music academy ‘Gabriël Verschraegen’ and the Oudenaarde academy.
Frank Heye
Provinciebaan 41, 9270 Kalken
Tel. 09/231.11.08
E-mail : frank.heye@telenet.be
Orgelcomité Destelbergen