Born in 1979, he is a Belgian composer and performer whose music often includes and reflects on contemporary technologies and new media, thematising their relationship with the physical, performing body and the environments it inhabits.
After graduating as an engineer, he studied piano, composition and music technology at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire, Royal Conservatoire of Brussels, and the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. In 2017 he obtained a PhD in composition under the guidance of Chaya Czernowin at Harvard University. He has received numerous international awards such as the Kunst preis Berlin für Musik, Kranichsteiner Music Prize, and the ISCM Young Composers Award.
His music is performed worldwide by many of the leading ensembles for contemporary music, including at festivals such as the Donaueschinger Musiktage, Summer Courses in Darmstadt, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Eclat, Warsaw Autumn, Ultraschall Berlin, Gaudeamus Festival, Tzlil Meudcan, Impuls Festival, Huddersfield, Rainy Days Festival, Transit in Leuven, and Ultima in Oslo. Prins has cooperated closely with Nadar Ensemble, Klangforum Wien, Nikel Ensemble, Ensemble Mosaik, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Modern, Trio Accanto, Arditti Quartet, MusikFabrik, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, as well as soloists such as Yaron Deutsch, Stephane Ginsburgh, Rei Nakamura, Malgorzata Walentinowicz, Florentin Ginot, Severine Ballon, and Ning Yu. His music has been released under such labels as Sub Rosa, Kairos, Wergo and Neos.
Together with Pieter Matthynssens, Prins is the artistic director of Nadar Ensemble. He also performs regularly in the improvised music scene (electronics), amongst others with Yaron Deutsch in the Ministry of Bad Decisions. Much sought-after as a teacher, he has served as professor of composition and director of the Hybrid Music Lab at the Carl Maria von Weber High School of Music Dresden (2020–26), and will serve as associate professor of mixed composition at the High School of Music in Geneva from September 2026.
Selected works: In memoriam Luciano Berio for piano and bassoon (2003), No habrá una sola cosa que no sea una nube for flute doubling piccolo, oboe, clarinet doubling bass clarinet, bassoon doubling contrabassoon and piano (2003), A Room Without a View for fixed medium/tape (2004), Etude Intérieure #1 played inside piano / piano with marbles (2004), inDEPENDENCE for string quartet (2004), Erosie (Memory Space #1) for bayan/accordion and viola (2005), Memory Space #2 for recorder, percussion, electric guitar, piano, double bass and live electronics (2005), Memory Space #3 for trumpet and live electronics (2006), Ventriloquium for three improvisers including live electronics, percussion, electric guitar and cello (2006, rev. 2009), G.L.I.M. for fixed medium/tape (2007), FITTINGinSIDE for trombone, headphones and live electronics (2007, rev. 2020), Not I for electric guitar and live electronics (2007, rev. 2018), Ensuite for cello (2008, rev. 2010 and 2013),Fremdkörper #1 for flute doubling piccolo, percussion, electric guitar, cello and live electronics (2008), Körper for chamber orchestra (2009), Infiltrationen (Memory Space #4) for four electric guitars and live electronics (2009), Fremdkörper #2 for soprano saxophone, percussion, electric guitar, piano and live electronics (2010), Fremdkörper #3 (mit Michael Jackson) for clarinet doubling bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, accordion, keyboard, violin, viola, cello, double bass and live electronics (2010), Plug ’n Play for live electronics soloist and concert band (2010), This is it! for fixed medium and 2-channel audio (2010), Piano Hero #1 for keyboard, live electronics and live video (2011), Piano Hero #2 for keyboard, piano, live electronics and live video (2011, rev. 2013 and 2016), Hybridae for fixed medium and 8-channel audio (2012), PARK for four electric guitars and live electronics (2012), Generation Kill for percussion, electric guitar, violin, cello, four game-controller performers, live electronics and live video (2012), Generation Kill – Offspring #1 for percussion, cello, two game-controller performers, live electronics and live video (2012), Flesh+Prosthesis #0–2 for tenor saxophone, percussion, electric guitar, piano and live electronics (2012–14), I’m your body for amplified quartet, ensemble and live electronics (2013– 14), Mirror Box (Flesh+Prosthesis #3) for saxophone doubling soprano/tenor saxophones, percussion, piano doubling keyboard and live electronics (2014), Study for a Mirror Box for fixed medium and 2-channel audio (2014), Mirror Box Extensions for soprano saxophone doubling tenor/baritone saxophones, trombone, percussion, piano doubling keyboard, electric guitar, violin, cello, live electronics and live video (2014–15), Infiltrationen 3.0 for string quartet, FX pedals operated by two performers and live electronics operated by one performer (2016), Peel for fixed medium and 2-channel audio (2016), Piano Hero #3 for piano and live electronics (2016), Piano Hero #4 for keyboard, live electronics and video (2016), Hände ohne Orte for clarinet doubling bass clarinet, percussion, piano, cello and live electronics (2016– 17), Third Space for ensemble and live electronics with optional choreography/dance (2016–18), Mirror Box Reflections for instruments and live electronics (2019), This body functions effectively for horn (2019), inhabit_inhibit for six soloists, 16 musicians and live electronics (2019–21), Inhibition Space #1 for bass flute, bass oboe, bass clarinet and live electronics (2020, rev. 2025), under_ current for electric guitar and orchestra (2020–21), Situations for fixed medium video (2020–22), Inhibition Space #2 for bass clarinet and live electronics (2022), Inhibition Space #3 for tenor/baritone saxophone, percussion and live electronics (2022), Mesh for bass clarinet, trombone/euphonium, percussion, electric guitar, cello, live electronics and audience headphones (2022–23), Generation Kill – Offspring #2 for game controller, live electronics and live video (2023), Skin Deep #1 for soprano, trumpet, trombone/euphonium, two percussionists, electric guitar, piano, cello, live electronics and optional live video (2023), Cyborg Flesh for amplified string quartet, electric guitar and live electronics (2023–24), To the bone for double bass and FX pedals (2025).