Henriette Van den Boorn-Coclet (1866–1945) was a Belgian composer whose work reflects the richness of women’s musical creation in Belgium at the turn of the 20th century. Long overlooked, her music is now being rediscovered as an important contribution to the country’s musical heritage.

Born in Liège, she studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège with Jean-Théodore Radoux and Sylvain Dupuis, where she distinguished herself in harmony, fugue, and chamber music. In 1895, she became the first woman to take part in the prestigious Belgian Prix de Rome, competing among the selected candidates for this major composition prize. She later pursued a long teaching career at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, where she taught harmony for nearly forty years.

Her catalogue, rooted in the late nineteenth-century Romantic tradition, includes works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, and voice. Among her most notable compositions are the Symphony in F major (1904), the symphonic poem Renouveau (1913), and the Sonata for Violin and Piano (1907).

Today, Henriette Van den Boorn-Coclet is gradually reclaiming her place in music history. Her ambitious and expressive works bear witness to the talent of a composer who contributed to Belgium’s musical life at a time when women composers remained largely underrepresented.