Floor Vandevelde
Floor (°2000) naturally fell into the role of production coordinator a few years ago. Behind the scenes, she makes sure everything is prepared down to the last detail: from host families to location visits, cooking meals and picking up flowers, no task is too big or too small for her!​
Oh yes, in her daily life, Floor is an interpreter of Flemish Sign Language-Dutch. So, just like Lars, she waves her hands around a lot, but without a baton! :)
A short interview
What is the MSFO to you?
The MSFO grew from an orchestra where some friends played and my husband conducted to my own orchestra baby I care for deeply. It also made me grow, in so many ways. The last few years were heavily impacted (in a positive way!) by what the MSFO did and what I did for the MSFO. I have learned soooo much thanks to what I was able and asked to do.
Can you delineate your role within the orchestra?
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For the past few productions, I was (and still am) the production coordinator. This means I take care of everything that has to do with the orchestra: communication to musicians, locations and partners, finding host families, coordinating the different teams (catering & logistics for example), preparing the shopping lists for the meals during the production, hiring the vans, hiring the percussion, etc. It’s a lot of work, but what I get back from the musicians during the production week makes it all worth it.
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What do you cherish most from past MSFO concerts?
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The warm atmosphere and meaningful friendships between everyone, before, during and after the production week. For example, right before the dress rehearsal of our last production, Lars and I got some horrible news, and it was heartwarming how everyone was there for us. I absolutely appreciate each and every person involved in this very long process.
How would you describe music and music making?
I think my perspective on this might be different than for the others. I’m not the big specialist in classical music. I often don’t hear the pieces completely before the first concert. But that makes it even more special to me. I’m also an amateur saxophone-player but the level the MSFO-musicians have is something I admire and have the utmost respect for.