Belgian composer Wim Henderickx has passed away at the age of 60.

The Belgian composer was born in Lier on March 17, 1962, and kicked off his musical journey as jazz and rock drummer.  He would study percussion and composition at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and then studied sonology at IRCAM and at the Royal Conservatory of The Hauge.

As a composer, he was a specialist in opera, orchestra, and choral works, as well as wind bands and chamber music. Among his compositional trademarks was the use of electronics and the use of non-western elements including Indian classical music, and African rhythms.

Among his vocal compositions, he wrote three operas including “Triumph of Spirit over Matter,” “Achilleus,” and “Der Bekeerlinge,” which premiered in May 2022 at Opera Ballet Flanders as the company’s most successful contemporary production in over 20 years. He also wrote “Canzone” for voice and piano for the semi-finals of the 2008 Queen Elizabeth Music Competition.

Throughout his career, he was a professor of composition, analysis harmony, and counterpoint with such institutions as the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp (1986-95), the Lemmeninstituut (1989-2002), and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, among others.