Koen Kessels
Koen Kessels (born 1961) is a Belgian conductor and music director of The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Trained as a pianist, Kessels studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. He has conducted at the Opéra national de Paris, the New York City Ballet and the Vienna State Opera, among others. Kessels is an honorary professor at Birmingham University, artistic director of Inspiratum and on the artistic direction team at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp.