19/02/2026
Aujourd’hui, le monde de l’opéra belge perd un immense artiste.
J’ai eu la chance de croiser sa route et de le photographier à plusieurs reprises à la Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel
Au-delà de la scène, je retiendrai sa passion, son intensité et son humanité.
Merci pour ces moments d’art et d’émotion.
Reposez en paix cher Maître, 🌟
In Memoriam: José van Dam | It is with unspeakable emotion and profound sadness that the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel announces the passing of its beloved Master in residence Emeritus, José van Dam, this February 17th, 2026. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.
Belgium loses its greatest ambassador of lyric art; the world loses a legend who, through his genius, marked the history of opera in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Music Chapel loses above all a mentor, a father figure, and an inexhaustible source of artistic integrity.
Beginning in 2004, José linked his destiny to that of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel at the request of Bernard de Launoit and Bernard Foccroulle. As the founder and Master in residence of the voice section, José van Dam did not merely teach: he passed on a torch. He was a Master in the noblest sense of the term: demanding yet generous, always in search of that excellence which lies at the heart of the institution’s mission.
The Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Masters and Artists in residence, and the entire team of the Music Chapel bow before this giant of music. Our thoughts are with his family, his loved ones, and the countless singers around the world whom he considered his musical children.
We will cruelly miss his voice, his subtle humour, and the serene gaze he cast upon the rising generation. But in every note that resonates at the Music Chapel, the echo of his mastery will continue to vibrate.
Thank you, Maestro.
Press release : https://musicchapel.org/en/news/2026/in-memoriam-jose-van-dam/
