Anouk Sturtewagen (°1984) started playing the violin as a four-year-old. She spent the main part of her youth at the music academy, where she delighted in singing and playing the harp, the violin and the piano. At 18, she decided to devote herself to the harp.
Trained by Susanna Mildonian, Anne-Sophie Bertrand and Jana Bouskova at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Anouk obtained her master’s degree magna cum laude in June 2007. She also took private lessons in Lyon with Germaine Lorenzini, the famous French harp pedagogue. October 2008, Anouk attained a postgraduate degree at the London Royal Academy of Music, where she was trained by, amongst others, Catherine White, Skaila Kanga and Karen Vaughan.
She entered several international competitions. In 2006, she became a finalist of the “Troisième Concours International de Harpe” in Lille (France). She was awarded the second prize of the Rotary Contest 2005 in Ghent and the first prize of the 2002 “Concours Européen de Musique en Picardie” and she was a laureate of Jong Tenuto 2003.
As a soloist and a chamber musician, Anouk performs on a regular basis.
She’s founding member of the quartet Revue Blanche with whom she performed in major halls such as Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra de Lille and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Revue Blanche is not only a chamber music ensemble but is open to other contemporary art forms. It also produces multidisciplinary programmes fusing visual arts, dance, literature and electronic music. This hybrid approach leads to a unique way of experiencing various artistic tendencies of our musical heritage.
Since 2004, Anouk has been the solo harpist in Flanders Symphony Orchestra. As a freelance harpist, Anouk frequently joins Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, De Munt, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Royal Opera House (UK), Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg and Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège.
With the Bilitis Duo, she created the 2013 musical theatre performance “Un ballet réaliste”. She also joined the “Tips and Tricks” performance, the musical score of “Tips and Tricks” is composed by Joris Blanckaert; the text discussing migration is written by Sarah Eisa.
Passing on the love of music to the younger generation is essential for Anouk: she teaches at the Academy De Kunstbrug in Gentbrugge. She helps young professionals find their way in the music world, serving as a harp teacher at KASK & Conservatorium since 2022, and as the assistant professor to Agnes Clément’s harp class at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels since 2024.