The 'Koninklijke Harmonie De Verenigde Vrienden' has been in existance since 1870. It is one of the most reputable societies in the town of Avelgem. This small town has approximately 6.600 residents and is situated in the region of West-Vlaanderen in Belgium, not too far from Kortrijk. Together with the townships of Kerkhove, Waarmaarde, Outrijve and Bossuit, they form a community consisting of a population of 10.000.

The 'Koninklijke Harmonie Verenigde Vrienden' was established in 1870. It's most reputable member was the author Stijn Streuvels. In his autobiography 'AVELGHEM', he often makes memorable references to the organisation and the time that he spent with us. These references are also noted in our own book about our history which is titled 'K. H. De Verenigde Vrienden Avelgem 1870-1990' that was written by two of our musicians, Jan Desomer and Peter Tack.

Today the 'Koninklijk Harmonie De Verenigde Vrienden' consists of four formations. When counted together, we have more than one hundred members. The first formation started life as percussion ensemble. It's main task in the early stages of being formed, was to provide a better appearance for the entire group while marching in the street. It later became a fully separate part of the 'Koninklijke Harmonie De Verenigde Vrienden'. Under the guidance of Steven Coeman, the percussion ensemble, consisting of 25 enthusiastic members, has become a dynamic and ambitious group that not only explores classical percussion but also contemporary rhythms. Melodic percussion was added to create a more diverse musical experience. The group will continue to pursue the realms of rhythmic music so that they can portray new compositions in their upcoming concerts.

Kids, starting from the age of 8, can start playing music with the 'Harmomini's' under the guidance of Jesse Devos

The third formation is the 'Youth Orchestra'. It was established in 1976. When musicians start in the Youth Orchestra, they learn how to play music together under the skillful guidance of Bernard Cosaert. The Youth Orchestra acts as a stepping stone for young musicians to enter the 'Koninklijke Harmonie de Verenigde Vrienden'.

The largest formation is naturally the 'Koninklijke Harmonie De Verenigde Vrienden' themselves. The orchestra has been classed nationally in 'Uitmuntendheid', or 'Excellence Class' which is the third highest class in the country. Since 1988, Bernard Cosaert has been the conductor for the orchestra. Born in Oudenaarde in 1955, he won several music degrees in Leuven. At the moment he teaches music theory at the Academy of Ronse. He also composed for the orchestra and has to his credit songs like 'Feniks' and 'Avelgem 120'.

Every year, in the early months, the orchestra starts with a traditional concert where concert pieces are performed. The conductor Bernard Cosaert tries to incorporate several competition pieces to ensure that the orchestra keeps its high standards. These pieces are vigorously studied during the winter period. Several years ago, the orchestra decided to perform these concert within a certain theme and has been doing this ever since. Some of its latest themes have been film music, young Belgian composers, Stijn Streuvels, The Proms etc... From 2008 onwards, these concerts have been held in our local concert hall, Spikkerelle. This little concert hall is such a fantastic place for our concert, we have to provide two concert days, so that all of our supporters could be given the opportunity to listen to our hard work.

During the summer period the orchestra has a musical holiday. It has been a tradition since 1983 and not a single year has been skipped! The group travels to neighbouring countries to build team spirit and perform. France, Spain, Luxemburg, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, The Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and in England are all locations were the orchestra has been and performed. These concerts consist of lighter music that is easy to listen to such as film music, popular music, big-band classics,... and have always been enthusiastically greeted by the public. Also see the overview of musical holidays.

Another classic event on our yearly calendar is 'HamTamTam' at the end of August. People can eat while enjoying a concert performed by the Youth Orchestra and the 'Koninklijke Harmonie De Verenigde Vrienden'.

The orchestra can also be seen during the year at several other locations and events, such as the 'Braderie', the eleventh of November service, 'feesteworpstoet',... Several activities are also organised during the year such as walks, bike events, bowling evenings, quiz, Christmas party etc...

The yearly program ends with our 'Saint Cecilia' event on a Sunday at the end of November. The event starts with a mass in the church, followed by a feast in a local restaurant. After the feast, a dance event is held in our rehearsal area.

The rehearsals are on Mondays between 8pm and 10pm. Our rehearsal area named 'In d'Harmonie' is situated across the church parish.

Our uniform has been the same since 1985 and consists of a stylish but sober dark blue suit and has recently been updated with a cardinal red tie. Our logo has been embroidered in gold on the suits chest pocket as well as on our hat. During our summer concerts we wear a more appropriate and looser outfit consisting of a pair of jeans and a dark blue polo shirt.

Our biggest accomplishments such as our history book, first CD recordings dating from 1995 are all available for purchase. Samples of our CD can be found on the site under the tab downloads.

We would also like to mention that our orchestra has accomplished some amazing achievements during the provincial and national tournaments for bands. You can find more information on the matter on this website under the tab Historiek (History). Here you can also find some information about the different concerts we have performed during the last couple of years, such as our concert with Sonny O'Brien (2005 and 2018), Günther Neefs (2010) and Udo (2015) to celebrate 145 years of existence.