About
About Jasper
Kevin De Borger
Composer — Bassoonist — Arranger
Jasper Charlet (b. 1997) is a Belgian composer, (contra)bassoonist, and arranger. He began his musical training studying bassoon with Geert Philips and harmony with Stefan Van Puymbroeck. At sixteen, he entered the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, where he earned Master’s degrees in both bassoon performance and composition, studying under Francis Pollet, Filip Neyens, Wim Henderickx, Alain Craens, and Luc Van Hove. He further enriched his education through masterclasses with composers such as Mathias Coppens, Georges De Decker, Jeroen D’hoe, Diederik Glorieux, Daan Janssens, and Frederik Neyrinck, as well as bassoonists Joost Bosdijk, Alain Cremers, Bert Helsen, Pieter Nuytten, and Rémy Roux, and contrabassoonists Karen Gevorkian, Simon Van Holen, and Hans Wisse.
As a composer, Jasper maintains a close partnership with I SOLISTI, Belgium’s premier wind ensemble. In 2019, his Octet for Winds was performed in a touring production with actor Jan Decleir throughout Flanders and the Netherlands. He is also a core member of I SOLISTI MakerSpace, a multi-year residency program nurturing young creators. Within this framework, he created the chamber opera Heyra at the age of 23, in collaboration with soprano Liesbeth Devos and conductor Martijn Dendievel.
His music has been performed widely, from chamber halls to major European stages. In 2025, his orchestral work Assin Íarthar was toured across Belgium and the Netherlands by the Euregio Youth Orchestra and performed in the prestigious Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. His works have also been featured on Klara’s Fingerprints compilations (Elegy for string quartet and Jörmungandr for clarinet quintet), and he has received commissions from the Desguin String Quartet, the Ryelandt Trio, pianist Aäron Wajnberg, and others. Notably, he contributed to a commemorative work marking the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Antwerp.
As a (contra)bassoonist, Jasper is a permanent member of La Passione and frequently performs with ensembles including Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Casco Phil, the Flanders Festival Orchestra, and La Chapelle Sauvage. He previously served as section leader in the Euregio Youth Orchestra, with which he toured Italy and Austria, and also performed with Youth Orchestra Flanders.
As an arranger, Jasper received his first professional commission at just 18, from Night of the Proms. He has since arranged for the Euregio Youth Orchestra, BRYGGEN Bruges Strings, and other ensembles. In 2025, his arrangement of Schubert’s Winterreise was performed by renowned tenor Ian Bostridge with BRYGGEN Bruges Strings. The previous year, he led the orchestration team for Osama Abdulrasol’s opera Barzakh at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen — a production that most recently qualified for the audience prize of the Ultima awards.
Concerts since August 2022
Compositions
Minutes of Music
Testimonials
Jasper's music is always idiomatically well-written. As a bassoon player, he knows what the sensitivities of being a musician mean, so his music is performed with great joy, an energy that also forces the audience to the edge of its seat. I have also worked successfully with Jasper on several occasions, each time delivering excellent work as musical assistant and orchestrator.
Mathias Coppens
Composer — Pianist
It is a pleasure to work with Jasper. An enthusiastic but also very skilled and talented composer who has already developed his own style at a young age, which is also enjoyed by various performers of his works. I am already looking forward to our next collaboration.
Peter Préal
Musical Supervisor Klara
I have had the pleasure to collaborate with Jasper on an extensive reworking of an Offenbach opera. Not only did Jasper show exemplary craftsmanship, but he also took on the historical material in a most creative and personal way. His enthusiast commitment, his critical ear, as well as his clear and correct communication are highly recommendable. I look forward to working with him more often in the future, both on his own compositions as well as in other capacities; without a doubt, Jasper is a valuable ‘compagnon de route’ for any project.
Stijn Saveniers
Conductor — Researcher
Photos
Kevin De Borger
