Boesmans was born in Tongeren and studied piano at the Conservatory in Liège, where he was also introduced to serial composing techniques by Pierre Froidebise. However, it was only after coming into contact with the "Liège Group" (Henri Pousseur, André Souris, and Célestin Deliège) in 1957 that he began to write music, as a self-taught composer. Starting in 1962 he participated in productions of the Centre de Recherches Musicales de Wallonie, collaborating with Pousseur. He was also active as a pianist with the Ensemble Musique Nouvelle. Also in 1962 he became a producer at the Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF), working with the radio orchestra there. From this experience he learned much about composing and orchestrating music. Recognition quickly followed, and in 1971 he won the Prix Italia for his composition Upon La-Mi (Visscher 2001).
He still works as a producer for the RTBF and is composer in residence at the La Monnaie opera house in Brussels.
Selected works
Opera
La Passion de Gilles (1983) Libretto by Pierre Mertens (Morris 1996,)
Reigen (1993); based on La Ronde by Arthur Schnitzler. Review in Le Monde pronounced it "the greatest opera of the last 75 years."
Wintermärchen (1999); based on The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare.
Julie (2005); based on Miss Julie by August Strindberg.
Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne (2009); based on Iwona, księżniczka Burgunda by Witold Gombrowicz.
Poppea e Nerone (2012); New orchestration, for a modern chamber orchestra, of Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea'. First performed at Teatro Real in Madrid, conducted by Sylvain Cambreling and directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski.
Au monde (2014) libretto by Joël Pommerat after his own play
Pinocchio (2017); libretto by Joël Pommerat after Carlo Collodi's 1883 The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Other
Violin Concerto (1980)
String Quartet No.1 (1988)
Surfing for viola and orchestra (1990)
Love and Dance Tunes for baritone and piano (1993); settings from Shakespeare's sonnets
Summer Dreams, String Quartet No.2 (1994)
Discography
Trakl Lieder; String Quartet [No. 1]; Surfing. Françoise Pollet (soprano), Orchestre du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, conducted by Sylvain Cambreling; Arditti String Quartet; Christophe Desjardins (viola), Ensemble Musique Nouvelle, conducted by Georges Elie Octors. Trakl Lieder recorded live, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 14 April 1990; String Quartet recorded at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, 24 March 1990; Surfing recorded at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 4 June 1990. CD recording, 1 audio disc: digital, 12 cm, stereo. Ricercar RIC 083065. Anloy: SPRL Ricercar, [n.d.].
Reigen. Cypres.
Wintermärchen. DG. Sung in German, in scene four the language changes from German to English and Boesmans introduces AKA Moon, a jazz/funk group.
