Or in short, the USO
Concerts canceled
In consultation with KU Leuven we have regrettably decided that our Spring Concerts cannot take place on April 2nd and 3rd, because of the measures against the spread of the virus COVID-19.
Tickets that are reserved (and possibly already payed via bank transfer) will be refunded.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send an e-mail to info@usoleuven.be or to send us a message on our Facebook or Instagram pages.
For over fifty years, the University Symphony Orchestra (USO) of the University of Leuven (KULeuven) has been a well-established name in Belgium. The musicians of the orchestra are students of the University of Leuven, who have a passion for music and come together every Wednesday evening to share this passion. They are conducted by Edmond Saveniers.
The season starts at the beginning of the academic year and ends around the Easter holidays. The first series of concerts take place in November, first during a concert tour abroad, then in our home town Leuven. The second series of concerts take place in spring, both in Leuven and elsewhere in Belgium. We have had the honour to play in the Kursaal in Oostende, the Concertgebouw in Brugge, and many other places.
As the USO is a group of students, it is no surprise that there are also several other activities next to the weakly rehearsals, which create a fun and student-like group atmosphere.
The USO was founded in 1962 by Pieter de Somer, who was vice chancellor of the University of Leuven at that time. During the first years of its existence, the orchestra mainly consisted of professors. The following decades, the orchestra was led by conductors such as Maurits Goossens, Piet Swerts and Etienne Siebens. Since 1997, we have been able to count on Edmond Saveniers as our conductor and tower of strength. In the course of time, professors were replaced by students and since the late 1990s the orchestra has been completely composed of students of the University.
In 2012, the USO celebrated its 50th anniversary. This event hasn’t passed by unnoticed. The USO staged Gustav Mahler’s beautiful first Symphony, violinist Yossiv Ivanov played a gala concert in Leuven, we launched our own USO beer… In addition, a new project was brought to life: the European Student Orchestra Festival, an international festival where student orchestras from around Europe can meet. In November 2012, the Akademisches Orchester der Universität Stuttgart and the Orchestre Symphonique des Etudiants de Louvain-la-Neuve came to Leuven to participate in an international concert series.
