After graduating as an engineer, Stefan Prins (Kortrijk, Belgium, 1979) studied piano and went on to composition at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp, Belgium, graduating magna cum laude. Concurrently, he studied “Technology in Music” at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels,”Sonology” at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and “Philosophy of Culture” and “Philosophy of Technology” at the University of Antwerp. In 2011 he moved to Cambridge, Mass., USA, to start a PhD in composition at Harvard University under the guidance of Chaya Czernowin and Hans Tutschku, which he obtained in 2017.

As a composer he received several important awards in Belgium and abroad, such as the “Berliner Kunstpreis für Musik” (2016), “ISCM Young Composer Award” (2014), “Kranichsteiner Musikpreis für Komposition” (Darmstadt, 2010), a “Staubach Honorarium” (Darmstadt, 2009) and the “International Impuls Composition Award” (Graz, 2009). In 2014 he became laureate of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for the Sciences and Arts in the Class of the Arts.

In 2012 the “Union of Belgian Music Journalists” elected him “Young Belgian Musician of the Year”.

Stefan Prins is, together with Pieter Matthynssens, artistic co-director of the Nadar Ensemble, and was one of the founders of the long-standing trio for improvised music “collectief reFLEXible” and the band “Ministry of Bad Decisions” (this last one together with percussionist Brian Archinal and e-guitarist Yaron Deutsch).

His music has been played by a.o. Klangforum Wien, Nadar Ensemble, Ictus Ensemble, Nikel Ensemble, Ensemble Mosaik, Trio Accanto, Ensemble Dal Niente, Ensemble Recherche, Athelas Sinfonietta, Ensemble Proton Bern, Zwerm Electric Guitar Quartet, Champ d’Action on festivals such as the Donaueschinger Musiktage, the Darmstadt Ferienkurse, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Eclat, Warsaw Autumn, Gaudeamus Festival, Musica Strasbourg, Ars Musica, Tzlil Meudcan, Impuls Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival & Ultima Festival.