Founder of Musica Gloria, a baroque ensemble born out of his early years of training, Belgian flutist and harpsichordist Beniamino Paganini, 31, has cultivated an intimate and devoted approach to music since discovering Monteverdi in Bruges at the age of 7. 
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At 16, Beniamino Paganini began a bachelor’s degree at both Royal Conservatories in Brussels, then continued his studies at the conservatories in Leuven and The Hague, studying traverso with Jan De Winne, then Barthold Kuijken and Frank Theuns, as well as harpsichord with Fabio Bonizzoni and Patrick Ayrton. In 2020, he was named “Young Musician of the Year,” a prestigious title awarded by the Belgian Music Press Association. In 2021, he was selected by Radio Klara as one of its “Twenty Musicians in Their Twenties.” Today, at 31, he directs the Belgian ensemble Musica Gloria with his partner, oboist Nele Vertommen. Their most recent recording, Handel’s Chandos Anthems (No. 6 & No. 10): Tears Are My Only Food, was released on Etcetera Records.
How did you become a musician specializing in early music?
Beniamino Paganini: My parents didn’t play instruments, but they loved music. When I was seven, they took me to see Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin in Bruges, where I grew up. We were near the back of the hall, and I stood the whole time—I absolutely wanted to see everything! So, they took me to other concerts, understanding that something had been sparked… In Bruges you can start on a baroque instrument straight away, and I started on baroque flute at the age of 10. They had to order a special small one for me, which sounded a third higher, so I couldn’t start until November. I began learning the harpsichord at the age of 10, and when I turned 12, I switched to a standard-sized flute. My first professional performance as a soloist was a programme of Bach cantatas in Kortrijk, Belgium, when I was 16…
How do you manage to work on both instruments?
B. P.: Nowadays, my practising depends on upcoming projects. When I have a project coming with flute, then I’m doing a little bit more flute, when there’s a project with harpsichord, I’m a bit more on harpsichord, but it’s a balance which I have to search for. I’m touching a harpsichord every day because I’m an accompanist at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven!
You’re 31 and you’ve been co-directing the ensemble Musica Gloria for almost… twenty years! How did it come into being?
B. P.: Indeed, the first real performance under the name “Musica Gloria” took place in December 2006 in Bruges, when I was… 12 years old! Opportunities for chamber music in the music school were limited for baroque instruments, so I began gathering friends from school. We made arrangements of Flemish and Dutch Christmas carols for baroque ensemble. The string players had to retune their instruments to adapt to these baroque versions. The group evolved alongside my own musical development.
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