What’s on this week: 19-25 February

La Monnaie continues to livestream concerts and operas scheduled for this season. Up this week, it’s young Paris versus old Vienna as the house’s symphony orchestra offers both Mozart’s Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra and Symphony Nr 39. Carrying on the Mozart series is Der Schauspieldirector (The Impresario), his wonderfully amusing take on the vanity within the opera world itself. La Monnaie’s very reasonably priced tickets give access to the recordings for a week. Concert 21 February, Opera 19 February

French photographer Antoine Agoudjian spent three months in Nagorno-Karabakh, the centre of last year’s war between Azerbaijan and the Armenian ethnic majority. You’ll see the astounding results of his work during his talk The Armenians: An Abandoned People? sponsored by Boghossian Foundation (in French) 25 February 19.00

Filigranes bookshop, an expat favourite, has launched a series of talks with authors, 10-minute capsules that introduce us to local and international writers, their work, their philosophies, their passions. Most talks are in French, but in the case of international authors, they may speak in their native language and be subtitled in French.

Ghent’s Handelsbeurs livestreams Lithuanian singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, a master of the kankles, a kind of Baltic zither. Her chill blend of folk and minimalism is perfect for your Sunday morning. 21 February 11.00

Antwerp provider of classical and new music, Amuz, is livestreaming intimate concerts recorded in the gorgeous Sint-Augustinus Church. Next up are a trio of locals – soprano Deborah Cachet, harpsichordist Bart Naessens and cellist Edouard Catalan – presenting a programme of  Baroque composers, including Monteverdi, Handel and Cavalli. The videos are available to view following the livestream. 20 February 10.00

You will see a bit of yourself over the past year at the exhibition Instant Light at the Triforium Gallery inside the Solvay Library. Illustrator Benoit Van Innis, known for his simple line drawing portraits at Maelbeek metro station, creating a cartoon on the first day of the lockdown – and one every day after that for 96 days. They all hang here, reflecting the sometimes absurd everyday reality none of could have imagined until 11 months ago. Until 4 April, Rue Beliard 137 (Etterbeek)

Business communications coach Monica Dimitriu presents the workshop Decoding and Communicating with Difficult People. Hosted by Brussels Imagination Club, the workshop will teach participants the skills they need to approach colleagues and bosses because, as she says: “There are no difficult people, only people who at a certain moment display difficult behaviour”. 24 February 19.00

Imagine Belgium offers a tour of the country via virtual reality. Its Flybox programme makes you feel like you are sailing through the air over the Grand Place, Atomium, Liège’s Bueren stairs and the canals of Bruges. It’s a funky experience and operating now according to strict corona regulations.

There couldn’t be a more appropriate setting for the exhibition Fil (Thread) than Maison des Arts, a beautifully preserved 19th-century mansion built by a couple in the drapery manufacturing business. Nine artists who work with textile in fun and fascinating ways leave their mark across the already plush interior. Reservations required, including for the opening night reception on 19 February. Until 25 April, Chaussée de Haecht 147 (Schaerbeek)

Sophie Lenoir started her own photography business in early 2020. Bad timing, no? No, as it turns out. She took inspiration from the lockdown to create portraits of residents across Brussels outside their homes – a place they would see a lot of in the coming year. Lockdown Portraits is a fantastic look at the rich diversity that makes up Europe’s capital city. The current exhibition focuses on the people of Ixelles. Until 28 February, Boondael Chapel, Square du Vieux Tilleul 10 (Ixelles)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Works by Pieter Chanterie are the latest in Bruges’s Mind the Artist series, in which Belgian artists are given carte blanche to incorporate their own work inside the city’s museums. Chanterie’s paintings and bas-reliefs suggest folkloric stories or figures – if sometimes disturbing ones – so he has mingled them with the collection at the Museum of Folk Life. Until 13 June, Balstraat 43 (Bruges)

American artist Angela Washko is a long-time gamer, which led her to create work that introduces feminist awareness where none exists. This and a long-time relationship with the internet’s ‘manosphere’ has resulted in imaginative and eye-opening installations. The exhibition Point of View includes ‘The Game: The Game’, a dating simulator that gives players the chance to interact with infamous pick-up artists and seduction coaches. Until 25 April, Stuk, Naamsestraat 96 (Leuven)

Photos, from top: ©Hugo Segers, ©Ugne Henriko, ©Benoit Van Innis/Edificio, Courtesy Imagine Belgium, ©Pieter Chanterie/Musea Brugge