Jacqueline Fontyn was born in Antwerp where, shortly after her fifth birthday, her parents entrusted her to the care of the excellent Russian pedagogue Ignace Bolotine, who gave her daily piano lessons and encouraged her taste for improvisation. She was six years old when he wrote down her first little composition, a minuet alla Boccherini. Aged nine, she began to write pieces for the piano herself. At fifteen, she decided to become a composer. In 1970, she was appointed professor of composition at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, a post which she left in 1990 in response to numerous invitations from foreign universities and conservatories, particularly in Europe, the United States, Israel, Egypt, Asia and New Zealand.

She is a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium; in 1993, in recognition of her artistic achievements the title of Baroness was conferred upon her by the king.

The Trio Spilliaert (Jean-Samuel Bez, violin, Guillaume Lagravière, cello, and Gauvain de Morant, piano) has, with the support of the Musicabel association, set itself the task of interpreting and championing Belgian repertoire by programming a work by a Belgian composer in every concert they give, a decision which enables them to introduce a host of unsuspected treasures and lesser-known composers to the general public.

Keen to present the music of today, the three musicians are involved in interpreting contemporary music, producing numerous compositions and collaborating with festivals such as Belgian Music Days and Osmose.

Frequent award-winners in international competitions, First Prize in the Svirél (Slovenia) international competition, in 2018, the Trio won the Lège-Cap-Ferret Prix of the city during the Open Cap Ferret. Active on the Belgian and international scene, the Trio Spilliaert has performed at the Wallonia, Musicorum and ProPulse festivals in Belgium, as well as the International Festival in Poitou, the Varga and Marbach festivals in France.

The Trio Spilliaert is also interested in broadcasting to young audiences and created the Monsieur Pâque show for Jeunesses Musicales de Wallonie-Bruxelles.