Jan Depreter

Jan Depreter started training in music at the age of five and received his first guitar age eight. He started like all his brothers and sisters with lessons at the Antwerp Academy and followed suit at the Lemmens Institute where he quickly obtained his First Prizes and concert diplomas for guitar at age 19. He continued training at the Royal Conservatories of Antwerp and The Hague, in the class of Zoran Dukic, where he obtained both Master and Performance Degrees. Jan Depreter is also a trained pianist and has a Degree as a singer, specialised in ancient music.

With 26 years of teaching experience at the Antwerp Academies, and four years as professor of guitar at the Conservatories of Antwerp and Mechelen, many of his students are already pursuing successful careers of their own.

Describe your approach to teaching. 
My approach to teaching is a personal responsibility and a tailor-made mission. The pendulum is swinging back once more to the need of the performer to understand the variety in tone colouring is in fact the essence of what defines the charm and makes our beloved instrument unique in the world of classical music. The epitome of an accomplished mission as a teacher is making one’s self redundant, having instilled the “eagerness” – the pupil’s spark, to explore and improve by themselves. 

What inspires your own work? 
Life – Death – Love 
Poetry – Painting 
and silence