Queen Elisabeth Hall. From then on, the orchestra had a dedicated music venue for its performances. The Flemish public TV broadcaster BRT also regularly called on the orchestra’s services. In 1970, Flipse retired. Various members of the orchestra served as conductor, starting with Valère Lenaerts, who was succeeded by Enrique Jordá three years later. André Vandernoot was the orchestra’s guest conductor from 1975 until 1983. From 1980, De Philharmonie joined forces with deSingel, fulfilling the dream of Peter Benoit, the founder of the Koninklijk Vlaams Conservatorium (Royal Conservatoire Antwerp), many decades later. The orchestra finally had a second, full-fledged stage in its hometown. Budget-wise, however, things became increasingly difficult. Flemish Culture Minister, Karel Poma, threatened to disband the orchestra. To this end, an audit was carried out that concluded that a drastic reorganisation was necessary. De Filharmonie van Vlaanderen (1983 - 1985) In response to the findings of the audit report, a new non-profit organisation was founded in 1983 under the name De Filharmonie van Vlaanderen. Emil Tchakarov was appointed as chief conductor and a new board of directors established. Following a change in regulations, the orchestra could now also organise concerts itself. Koninklijk Filharmonisch Orkest van Vlaanderen (1985 - 2002) In 1985, the orchestra’s name changed to Koninklijk Filharmonisch Orkest van Vlaanderen. In 1987, Günter Neuhold was appointed as the new chief conductor. He focused on works by Flemish contemporary composers such as Luc Brewaeys. In 1996, the orchestra was given a permanent place to rehearse, in the form of a new-build in Antwerp’s Eilandje neighbourhood. During the 1998-1999 season, Philippe Herreweghe joined the orchestra as artistic director. Since then, he has been permanently affiliated with the orchestra. deFilharmonie - Royal Flemish Philharmonic (2002 - 2017) The growing international interest in the orchestra gave rise to a new name in 2002: deFilharmonie (Royal Flemish Philharmonic). In 2008, Jaap van Zweden was appointed as chief conductor, Martyn Brabbins as permanent guest conductor, and Philippe Herreweghe as principal conductor. This created a solid artistic basis for the orchestra. In 2011, Edo de Waart replaced chief conductor Jaap van Zweden. In 2009, the decision was made to build a new Queen Elisabeth Hall, with deFilharmonie as the resident orchestra, after consultation with the Flemish Master Architect and with the support of the Flemish Community. After three years of renovations, the new Queen Elisabeth Hall was inaugurated by Queen Mathilde in November 2016