Martine Mergeay, the classical music critic for La Libre Belgique since 1991, has stepped down from her post. Her departure marks the end of a career trajectory that began with psychiatric nursing before a late-night deadline at the Queen Elisabeth Competition led to her role in Belgian journalism.
The Bottom Line
- The Catalyst: Martine Mergeay’s career at La Libre Belgique launched on June 1, 1991, following a hurried midnight assignment covering pianist Frank Braley’s victory at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
- The Background: Before joining cultural weekly La Cité in 1987 and later La Libre, Mergeay worked as a night-shift nurse and trained in psychiatric liaison at Saint-Pierre Hospital, alongside studying Indian music in Benares.
- The Legacy: Mergeay’s tenure is remembered for bridging the gap between classical artists and readers, blending music criticism with deep human empathy.
Long before her byline became a staple of Belgian cultural commentary, Mergeay built a foundation far outside the traditional newsroom. Influenced by her mother’s nursing background, she completed psychiatric nursing studies and worked in psychiatric liaison at Saint-Pierre Hospital. She also helped open a welcoming home for young people leaving prison, experiences she later credited with shaping her core journalistic philosophy: the art of listening.
“I felt extraordinarily good: talking to people, entering their lives, understanding who they were,” Mergeay recalled of her early years. That deep-seated curiosity about human nature ultimately translated into her writing, even as she shifted her focus from healthcare to the arts.
An Immersive Musical Education
Music was an ever-present force in Mergeay’s life long before she penned her first review. Growing up in a musical family where her father played the violin and her mother the piano, she performed in a vocal trio with her twin sisters. In the late 1960s, while working night shifts as a nurse to make ends meet, she met her husband, musician and flutist Michel Dumont.
The pair made the choice to study Indian classical music at Benares Hindu University amid the late-60s global wave of interest inspired by Ravi Shankar. Upon returning to Belgium with two children, Mergeay balanced her daytime work supporting those experiencing psychological distress with lively evenings filled with music, friends, and instruments in their home.
The Fateful Night at La Libre Belgique
Mergeay’s transition into mainstream print journalism happened by chance on June 1, 1991. At the time, she was writing classical music reviews for the cultural weekly La Cité, which she joined in 1987. On the night of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, her friend and colleague Thierry Lassence—who managed classical music coverage for La Libre Belgique—faced a debilitating health crisis related to HIV/AIDS and asked Mergeay to step in.
“Thierry said: ‘I don’t have the courage, I can’t go interview him. You’re going to do it yourself. And then you’ll go to La Libre and type your article,'” Mergeay remembered. That interview captured young pianist Frank Braley’s victory.
Arriving at the newsroom with handwritten notes, Mergeay sat before a terminal and worked frantically until 9:00 p.m., convinced law enforcement would intervene for unauthorized use of the equipment. Instead, the following morning, she opened the newspaper to find her article and byline across the front page. Editor-in-chief Jacques Franck later summoned her to his cluttered office, delivering a characteristic smirk before validating her work with a simple verdict: “It’s an excellent paper!”
| Year | Milestone | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Joined La Cité | Began chronicling classical music after coordinating a cultural space in Basse-Sambre. |
| June 1, 1991 | The La Libre Breakthrough | Covered pianist Frank Braley’s Queen Elisabeth Competition win on short notice for ailing colleague Thierry Lassence. |
| 1991–Present | Tenure at La Libre Belgique | Served as the publication’s dedicated classical music columnist. |
A Legacy of Connection Over Formalism
Reflecting on her run at the publication, Mergeay acknowledged occasional critiques that she was too close to the artists she covered. Yet she maintained that her primary obligation remained anchored to her readership. “I must not forget that I write for my readers,” she noted.
As she steps away from regular column writing, her presence remains woven into the fabric of Belgium’s classical music community. For generations of readers who opened La Libre Belgique to understand the nuances of a concert or a score, Mergeay provided not just analysis, but an invitation to listen closely.
