Karel STEYLAERTS studied at the Brussels Conservatoire with Carlo Schmitz and afterwards at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with Maria Kliegel.

As a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra he had the privilege to work under great conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein and Antal Dorati.

He was a prize winner of the 1990 Tenuto competition.

In that same year he founded the Pianofortetrio Florestan (later Tröndlin Pianoforte Trio) with whom he made several recordings playing on period instruments for the Viennese label Koch- Discover.

He has been Principal Cellist of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the “Beethoven Academie” for many years. Since 2008 Karel Steylaerts is Principal Cellist at the Brussels Philharmonic.

In 2006 he founded “TrioFenix”, a string trio with whom he is regularly invited to perform in many national and international festivals.Their recordings for the label Fuga Libera are highly-praised.

He teaches at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles.

His plays a cello made by Lorenzo Ventapane in Naples in the year 1834.