Dirk Cornelis studied music at the conservatories of Ghent and Brussels and graduated as an organist and music theorist. He was the business leader of professional music organisations such as the Vlaamse Operastudio and the Spectra Ensemble. He has been Managing Director of De Spil Roeselare since 2007. In 2013 he was elected chairman of the Flemish Association of Cultural and Community Centres (VVC).