As twin sisters, Astrid and Emma Wauters have formed a duo since their first notes of music. They both started at the Stedelijk Conservatorium in Bruges and went on to pursue their own professional careers.
As a young talent, Astrid was invited into Marie Hallynck’s class at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, where she later obtained her Master’s degree. She then went on to obtain a ManaMa Chamber Music in Leuven. Emma earns her Master’s degree in Antwerp with Sophie Hallynck, and continues her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon with Fabrice Pierre. Emma wins various prizes at home and abroad.
As youngsters, they scored 99% in duo at the Vlamo chamber music competition, won a scholarship for chamber music groups (Horlait-Dapsens) and both received the encouragement prize from the Bruges Cultural Council. Astrid then concentrates on chamber music and founds the string quartet Akhtamar, with which she gives numerous concerts and master classes in Belgium and abroad. She is currently also specialising in baroque cello. Emma is a freelance harpist in the Brussels Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra Flanders, the opera orchestra of La Monnaie, Orchestre Philarmonique Royal de Liège, and many other smaller ensembles.
Playing together has always been an obvious pleasure for the sisters. They took master classes together with Wibert Aerts, Guy Danel, Donald Grant, Charles Watt… and gave concerts all over the country. They are currently working on the launch of their project ‘Kalimat’ (in collaboration with Lieve De Sadeleer). This year, they also started a collaboration with composer Martin Loridan.
Astrid and Emma are both teachers at the Stedelijk Conservatorium in Bruges. Emma is also a guest professor at the Luca School of Arts in Leuven.