The tenor Yves Saelens studied with Dina Grossberger at the Brussels Conservatoire and with Ed Zambara at The Juilliard School in New York (US). He won the Concours Nany Phillipart ‘96, Jeugd en Muziek Vlaanderen ‘97, New York Oratorio Society Competition ‘97 and the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition ‘97. He also became 2nd laureate of the International Mozart Competition ‘99 in Salzburg and was elected Young Musician of the Year 2004 by the Union of Belgian Music Press.

Saelens has performed all over the world as a soloist in cantatas and oratorios, as a recitalist, and as an opera singer with, among many others, L’Orchestre National de Lille, the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Anima Eterna, and La Petite Bande; under conductors like Reinbert de Leeuw, Marc Minkowski, Sigiswald Kuijken, René Jacobs, and Jos van Immerseel.

In addition to cooperating to CD recordings including Telemann's ‘Der Tod Jesu’, Orff's ‘Carmina Burana ‘and Schubert's ‘Kosegarten Song Cycle’, Saelens released solo CDs with Lieder from Robert Franz conducted by Jan Vermeulen and Lieder by Beethoven, Schumann, Grieg and Strauss, each time accompanied by the pianist Inge Spinette.