Royal Conservatory of Ghent
The Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Dutch: Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent) is a royally chartered musical institution. It is now a part of the University College Ghent. History. The Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Dutch: Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent) is a royally chartered musical institution, founded in 1835 under Leopold I of Belgium. The conservatory's founding director was Martin-Joseph Mengal. Other directors have included well known Belgian composers such as Adolphe Samuel and Émile Mathieu. The current dean is Filip Rathé. It is one of four conservatories in Flanders and eight in Belgium. In addition to classical instrumental  and vocal studies, it offers degrees in jazz, pop, music production, composition and instrument building. The Royal Conservatory offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees (including an English Master's degree in music), and an Advanced Master of Contemporary Music. The school also offers post-graduate degrees in music as well as a European Postgraduate in Arts in Sound. The school traditionally attaches great importance to the practice of chamber music. Since 2006, the school has mounted an annual opera production. The school has two main performance venues, the Miry Concert Hall and Club Telex. In 1995, the Royal Conservatory  was one of sixteen Belgian institutions merged into the University College Ghent. It provides training for about 480 students, with master's programs for drama and for music. Since 2011, together with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) it forms part of the "School of Arts" of the University College Ghent. Notable students and faculty at the conservatory have included François-Auguste Gevaert, who studied directly under Mengal in 1841, Paul-Henri-Joseph Lebrun, who studied here and became a professor, and Edouard Potjes, who served as professor of piano for 22 years.