he was a student of adolphe samuel and karel miry at the royal conservatory of ghent. later on, he became a teacher at this institute, where he also conducted its choir and orchestra. as a student, he played the organ at the jesuit church of ghent, and later on he became an organist at the saint-barbaracollege. as a conductor, he worked at the royal opera of ghent and the royal dutch theatre of antwerp. aside of these, he also conducted several choir- and concert-societies of ghent, including the "société royale des mélomanes".