Johan Famaey

Johan Famaey, is a Belgian pianist, yangqin player and award winning composer.
Since 2023 he is the music director of the World Piano Day Festival which took place for the 1st time place on March 29th in the reputed concert hall Amuz Antwerp.

Johan Famaey has performed in China and Europe, solo and with orchestra. Some highlights include in 2008 his first performance with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra in the then newly-built Grand Theater in Beijing and most recently in 2023 he performed with conductor Dirk Brossé in Amuz, Antwerp.
Famaey is also an award-winning composer, whose works include musical, song cycli, piano solo, chamber music and symphonic pieces.
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Famaey masters many composition styles but throughout his compositions shine Chinese elements, which are obvious since he lived in Qingdao, China. Johan Famaey knows the Chinese instruments very well and performs also on the yangqin, a Chinese classical hammered dulcimer. His repertoire includes works for Chinese instruments such as erhu, pipa, yangqin, guzheng and xiao.

This has led to commissions by The Silk String Quartet (UK), Tangram (UK) and the Embassy of China in Belgium (China) with his works being performed in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Chongqing, …

Johan Famaey composes mainly classical, neo-classical music in a cinematic atmosophere. Since 2020 he released singles and albums as a token of his musical style.


Famaey has collaborated for his music with lyricist Helen Grant (UK), lyricist Mariana Roque (BR) , pipa virtuose Dr. Cheng Yu (UK - CH) , vocalist Charlotte Campion (BE), Art designer Victoria Moré (MX), Budapest Scoring Orchestra (BG), photographer Juan Ceballos (SP), ballet choreographer Eline Verstraeten (BE), concert violinist Marina Martín Maldonado (SP) and maestro conductor Dirk Brossé (BE).
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Famaey won the important Verdi Hallmark and Cantabile Piano Composition contests in 2019.
Johan Famaey views it as his mission to bring people together from different cultures and walks of life through music.
Since 2023 he is the Music Director of The World Piano Day Festival in Antwerp.