Rhea Vanhellemont holds a master’s degree in viola from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, where she studied with Leo Deneve and Steven De Roeck. She gained valuable orchestral experience in the Youth and Music Orchestra of Antwerp with Ivo Venkov and participated in the orchestral academy of the Philharmonie, working with renowned conductors Edo De Waart, Martyn Brabbins, and Philippe Herreweghe. Rhea also interned at Opera Vlaanderen for the production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten and joined the International Orchestra Institute Attergau (IOIA) in Vienna under Leopold Hager’s direction.
She has attended masterclasses with esteemed musicians such as Sander Geerts, Lilli Maijala, and Yves Cortvrint. Rhea is a core member of the Desguin Quartet (Supernova 2020 laureate), where she received coaching from notable artists and ensembles including Günther Pichler and Isabelle Charisius (Alban Berg Quartett), Gilles Millet and Guy Danel (Danel Quartet), Mathieu Herzog and Marie Chilemme (Quatuor Ebène), the Zemlinsky Quartet, and the Spiegel String Quartet. The Desguin Quartet was selected to be part of the European MERITA program.
Beyond her chamber music endeavors, Rhea is part of the ‘musical artist lab’ One Trick Pony by Liesa Van der Aa and performs with the jazz ensemble Grand Picture Palace, led by bassist Anneleen Boehme. She teaches violin, viola, group music, and artistic initiation at the academies of Berchem and Wijnegem. At the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, she is also teaching literature study for violin and viola.
On Sunday mornings, she conducts StrijkersXS, the youth string ensemble of AMAJ (formerly Youth and Music Antwerp). Additionally, she serves as a coach for the OpMaatorkest of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.
Rhea plays a viola made in 2023 by Noémie Viaud (http://noemieviaud.com), on loan from the Strings For Talent fund and the King Baudouin Foundation.
