Philibert Mees (13 May 1929, in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

– 29 June 2006, in Mechelen) was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...

composer and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

. He was murdered in June 2006. In 1952, Mees obtained a degree at the Koninklijk Conservatory, the Royal conservatory of Antwerp. He studied under the pianists

Stevan Bergmann Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

and Geza Anda. Mees formed a duo with BRT violist

Roger Nauwelaers Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

since the 1980s. In 1999, Mees received the ''Fuga'' prize, awarded by the Union of Belgian Composers. Mees was killed in his home in Mechelen in July 2006 by two knife wounds to his chest. His body was concealed in a bed cover and plastic hidden under his bed. Two days later, police apprehended a suspect after investigation of Mees' phone records. The musician's twenty-year-old neighbour, Bilel Gheribi, a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n immigrant, was sentenced for his murder in 2009.

References

*'' De Standaard'', ''Verdachte bekent moord op Mechelse pianist'', 13 July 2006 *'' Het Nieuwsblad'', ''Speurders zoeken naar dader en motief'', 4 July 2006 *'' VRT Nieuws''
''Flemish pianist murdered''
6 July 2006 *''Radio 1'' ( VRT), ''Het Journaal'' (15h), 6 July 2006 * 1929 births 2006 deaths Belgian composers Male composers Belgian pianists Belgian murder victims People murdered in Belgium 20th-century pianists 20th-century Belgian male musicians {{belgium-composer-stub