Jan Van der Roost was born in Duffel, Belgium in 1956. He studied at the Lemmensinstituut and at the Royal Conservatories of Ghent and Antwerp, where he qualified as a conductor and a composer. Besides being a prolific composer, he also is very much in demand as an adjudicator, lecturer, clinician, and guest conductor: his musical activities took him to over 50 countries while his compositions have been performed/recorded around the world. 

His list of works covers a wide variety of genres and styles, including two oratorios, a children’s opera, a cantata, a symphony, and some smaller works for symphony orchestra, a guitar concerto, clarinet concerto, trumpet concerto, cello concerto, clarinet concerto, a solo piece for saxophone and chamber orchestra, a double concerto for two clarinets and strings, a concerto for three trombones and orchestra, works for string orchestra, choral music, chamber music, and numerous works for wind orchestra, brass band, and more. 

Many of these compositions have been broadcast on radio and television, and have been recorded on CD. To the many prestigious performers, having played, sung, or recorded his music belong: St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Choir, Slovakian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Tokyo Philharmonic, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, The King’s Singers, Janacek Philharmonic, Sofia Soloists, Salzburger Solisten, Philharmonic Choir Kosovo, Lviv Philharmonic, Milano Classico Chamber Orchestra, and many more. 

He exclusively composes commissioned works with commissions coming from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Norway, Japan, the United States, Singapore, Canada, Sweden, Kosovo, Spain, Taiwan, Colombia, Finland, Croatia, Switzerland, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.

Albums

Inviting Worlds

Release Date: July 22, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6435
21st Century
Orchestral
Large Ensemble
From the mysterious magic of our darkest corners to the exuberant atmosphere of Carnaval, infinite possibilities lay within INVITING WORLDS from Navona Records. The musical dimensions of several composers are explored by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Zagreb Festival Orchestra, and the National Moravian-Silesian Theater Choir in this dynamic journey, offering insight into new realms through imaginative approaches to composition. Even in far away lands, close-to-home concepts are explored in thought-provoking soundscapes, showcasing the rhythmic dexterity and textural nuance of today’s orchestras across a wide breadth of compositional styles.

Sirius

Release Date: June 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5919
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Belgian-native Jan Van der Roost leads a prolific career as a composer, writing works that span a variety of genres and styles, from oratorios and symphonies to lieder cycles and wind band chamber pieces. Van der Roost's unique style has ushered international renown, with his works recorded and performed worldwide, in addition to his guest professorships across four continents.

Fine Music, Vol. 4

Release Date: May 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5916
21st Century
Concertos
Orchestral
Oboe
Orchestra
Saxophone
FINE MUSIC, VOL. 4 is the fourth compilation of the Navona Records Fine Music digital series. This installment features the works of David Nisbet Stewart, Brian Noyes, Jonathan Little, Daniel Perttu, Curt Cacioppo, Santiago Billoni, Alejejandro Rutty, Joanne Carey, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Summer, Roger Bourland, Kjell Magne Andersen, and Jan Van der Roost.

Sculpting the Air

Release Date: June 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5852
20th Century
Chamber
Large Ensemble
Wind Ensemble
SCULPTING THE AIR is a collection of modern works featuring brass and flute instrumentations from composers Samuel Barber, James Adler, Russ Lombardi, Jan Van der Roost, Barry Seroff, Brian Gillett, Juan Sebastian Lach Lau and Richard Crosby. The works on this disc range from a rhapsodic wind quintet originally composed for winds, strings and piano to a musical representation of a familial argument to a spectral piece based on one of Satie's Gymnopédies.