Biography
Leen Braeckman (1996) is a classical guitarist who was born and raised in Ghent, Belgium. Leen discovered her love for the guitar when she was six years old, and started studying at the Music Academy of Deinze in Belgium.
After having successfully completed this degree, Leen decided to take the next step in her musical career, and entered the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. In 2018, she obtained the degree of Bachelor in the Arts (Music Performance) under the guidance of the Belgian award-winning classical guitarist Johan Fostier. Apart from majoring in classical guitar at the Conservatory, Leen was given the opportunity to study the lute as an elective.
During her first years at the Conservatory, Leen also spent two summers in Carrión de los Condes, Spain, where she attended the workshops of Belgian guitarist Raphaella Smits, and Cuban guitarist Rene Izquierdo. These experiences led her to continue her studies with Rene Izquierdo, a world-renowned guitar virtuoso and excellent pedagogue, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (USA). Apart from her regular studies, Leen was also an active member of the UWM Classical Guitar Student Organization and regularly performed in collaboration with the Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society.
In 2020, she completed her Master’s Degree in classical guitar performance.
During her years of studying with Johan Fostier and Rene Izquierdo, Leen took masterclasses from some of the world’s most renowned and established guitarists such as Raphaella Smits, Marcin Dylla, Rovshan Mamedkuliev, Paul O’Dette, Amadeus Duo and more. Over the years, Leen has attended several guitar festivals including Antwerpen Gitaarfestival (Belgium) , Cordefactum Gitaarfestival (Belgium), and Indiana Guitar Festival and Competition (USA).
In 2021, Leen obtained an additional Master’s Degree in Music Education at the School of Arts in Ghent. Currently, Leen teaches guitar and ensemble in two music academies in Belgium. Apart from teaching, Leen regularly performs in collaboration with other guitarists, both solo and in duo.
