André Dumortier’s teaching has had a profound effect on many generations of musicians. These include not only pianists, but also conductors but also conductors, composers and instrumentalists from a wide range of composers and instrumentalists. It was above all the way in which he that fascinated his students. His lessons were first and foremost lessons in music. Gifted with a vast culture, he had a great passion for philosophy passion for philosophy, a keen interest in the arts in general and, in his specific and, in his own particular field, he was passionate about finding what at the heart of scores. His curiosity was lively, always on the alert open to all currents of musical creation.

A brilliant virtuoso in the Liszt tradition, André Dumortier won the Eugène Ysaÿe International Competition in 1938. He distinguished himself in the presence of other great names, including Emile GUILELS, Moura LYMPANY (Mary JOHNSTONE), Jacob FLIER, Arturo BENEDETTI MICHELANGELI and Rose SCHMIDT, as well as a number of other pianists who left their mark on their era. His repertoire was very extensive. He played many Concertos (W.A.Mozart, L.v.Beethoven, F.Liszt, P.I.Tchaikovsky, S.Prokofiev, J.Absil, L.Jongen, C.M.von Weber). He performed recitals with bravura and elegance, and particularly distinguished himself as a quartet player. For many years he was the pianist of the Belgian Quartet in London.  His concerts took him to many European countries.  He has made a number of fine recordings, including a remarkable performance of two sonatas by César Franck (Prelude, Chorale and Fugue; Prelude, Aria and Finale). André Dumortier trained at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where he taught piano for several decades. He has also taught at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

André Dumortier was also the inventive, tireless and radiant director of the Tournai Conservatoire, his adopted home. From 1954 onwards, he played an active role in the town’s artistic life, organising concerts at the Conservatoire, twinning with the town of Troyes and setting up the Maison de la Culture de Tournai. In his retirement, and from 1975 onwards, he organised advanced piano lessons, which led to the creation of a biennial event for young talent from Belgian, French and Luxembourg conservatoires. This biennial event prefigured the International Competition created in 2003 under the impetus of composer and conductor Pierre Bartholomée, one of his former piano students.

In 1988, in an initial series of interviews with RTBF, André Dumortier summed up the links between music and spirituality in a few words: “Music is, in short, a language linked to the Universal and which expresses Beauty. So for me, it’s a reflection of what is defined by some as the Eternal, by others as the Infinite or the Absolute”.