In 2026, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra - resident orchestra of the Queen Elisabeth Hall - will jointly celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elisabeth. The third Queen of the Belgians (1876 - 1965), she was both a passionate musician and a visionary patron.

Her commitment to young artists and to musical creation gave rise to institutions that are now indispensable, such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel - founded respectively in 1937 and 1939 in memory of Eugène Ysaÿe - as well as to a lasting symphonic legacy, embodied in particular by the Queen Elisabeth Hall. By celebrating this anniversary together, the three partners highlight the complementarity of their missions and their shared roots in a cultural project of international scope.

Queen Elisabeth Competition (Brussels)

The Queen Elisabeth Competition was founded in 1937 by Queen Elisabeth in memory of Eugène Ysaÿe and has become one of the most demanding and prestigious music competitions in the world. As an international springboard for exceptionally talented young musicians, the Competition reflects the sovereign’s vision of a meeting place for emerging talents, the public, and the great masters and virtuosos from around the world who make up the jury. With its unique focus on both the person and the musician, the Queen Elisabeth Competition remains a living monument to her visionary commitment to music and young artists. Discover more about our celebrations in 2026

Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Waterloo)

The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel was founded in 1939 at the initiative of Queen Elisabeth and Eugène Ysaÿe as a place of calm, focus, and artistic development. As an international center of musical excellence, the Music Chapel today offers young top-level musicians an intensive, tailor-made residency program, supported by mentorship, dialogue, and sharing the stage with great masters. In doing so, it continues Queen Elisabeth’s humanistic and visionary ideal: music as a space for growth, encounter, and transmission between generations. Discover more about the Music Chapel

Queen Elisabeth Hall (Antwerp)

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is part of a long-standing symphonic tradition in Antwerp that dates back to the early nineteenth century. Since its founding in 1955, the Philharmonie - known since 2016 as the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra - has grown into an international reference. As the resident orchestra of the Queen Elisabeth Hall and its cornerstone of the classical repertoire, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra stands for artistic excellence, international stature and a strong connection with audiences - values that were especially dear to Queen Elisabeth. Learn more about the Hall and the orchestra's celebratory activities