Frank Nuyts was born in Ostend (Belgium) in 1957. He studied percussion, chamber music and piano in the Royal Conservatory of Music in Ghent as well as composition with Lucien Goethals and Karel Goeyvaerts at IPEM (Institute of Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music).
His first compositions are written in post-serial style. He wins the first prize in the national competition “Tenuto” of the Belgian Radio and Television (now VRT) with the orchestral piece “As if the hand never leaves” from 1979.'Sonivers II: Inmediaciones de la noche', a cantata for soprano, reciter, flute, chamber orchestra and tape was selected by the Belgian Radio and Television for the Italia Prize in 1982.
Around 1985 he is stylistically veering to post-modernism: elements of the so-called “commercial music” are from then on imbedded in compositions which remain multi-layered although rhythmically less complex. 'RastaPasta'(1986) for flute and solo strings and 'Woodnotes' (1987) for marimba and orchestra for the American virtuoso Robert Van Sice
In 1989 he founds with Iris De Blaere ‘Hardscore’, a group seeking
to establish the right instrumental sound for the new style. The group consists of electronic keyboards, amplified marimba, saxes, voice, electronic bass and drums. Six Books are currently composed for and recorded with this ensemble. Several times, Hardscore has been linked to other ensembles, as for instance in 1991 with 'When the tombs of brass are spent'" for large brass ensemble, conducted by Dirk Brossé.
In 1990 he wins “Le prix de la musique contemporaine de Québec” for his chamber music output and the Belgian “Muizelhuis composition prize”. In the nineties he writes a Second and Third symphony, a chamber opera (“Ga.n”, scored for an all electronic orchestra), and many pieces for chamber ensembles. The Australian vocal ensemble “The Songcompany” commissions a work for six solo voices “Airs à gogo” which is premiered during the Brisbane Music Festival in 1994. In 1995 he receives the 5-yearly Prize for Music of his hometown Ghent.
In the same year he writes ''Hard Scores for Orchestra'' for marimba, vibraphone, piano and large orchestra, premiered and recorded in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
In 1997, 1998 and 2000 he releases 3 CD's with Hardscore In 1998 he is composer in residence of I Fiamminghi (Belgium) . He composes Hard Scores Book 5 'Surf Wind and Desire' for De Werf in Bruges (1999) and Book 6 “Monkey trial” in (2000) for the Festival of Flanders. Writes in 2002 three sonatas for piano, which are premiered by three young pianists. Later in the same year, these works become the soundtrack of a chorography by Eddy Becquart, staged in an ancient mining site in Houthalen (Belgium).
From 2002 on he composes almost exclusively for the Brussels theater company "Ensemble Leporello” ( eg.Britannis (2002) & Bekket) (2004-5).
Composes in 2004 "Different from habit", commissioned by Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen.
In 2005 the "Oorsmeer festival" commissions his 4th Symphony ‘Fire trail’, performed by The Philharmony Orchestra. ‘Rats and rabbits’ is a commission for the Mozart 06 festival in Concertgebouw Brugge.
In 2006 Transit festival (B) commissions a piece for Schlagquartett Köln. For ‘The Songcompany’ he writes ‘Old Airs’ on a poem by Less Murray and ‘The XXX Songs’ on texts by jelle meander. Taman trio performes ‘Bajadillas’ on tour in the US.
In 2007 Spectra Ensemble, conducted by Filip Rathé, performs ‘The Abduction of the East’ for baritone and ensemble, while I Solisti del Vento commissions a piece for ‘De Singel’ (Antwerp) as part of a dance production, again choreographed by eddy becquart
‘The Wider World of Water’ a recitativo accompagnato is premiered in the World Fair in Zaragoza 2008 by pianist Iris de Blaere and actor Dirk Opstaele. Ensemble Emanon commissions a piano concerto ‘Innocence in admiration’ and performs it in ‘The Week of Contemporary Music’ in Ghent (pianist: Erwin Deleux, conductor: Raf De Keninck.) This piece is later selected by Iscm Vlaanderen.
Musa Horti sings ‘The Accidental Martyr’ in Musica Sacra (Maastricht), a vocal piece on a text by Tom Robbins.
In 2009 he writes a ‘5th Symhony (fetish)’ again for Emanon, which has been premiered in ‘Festival of Flanders Kortrijk’ in May 2011.
A second project for piano and actor ‘Arabian Night’ for the same performers and based on a play by Roland Schimmelpfenning starts to tour.
Tae Yoshioka (Jap) commissions the ‘11th Sonata’ and premieres it in November 2010.
In 2010, LOD commissions a chamber opera ‘Middle East’ based on a text by Philip Blasband. Johan Dehollander directs Ruth Rosenffeld (Israel) and actor Thomas Bellinck. This opera was performed for the first time in the opera of Ghent, and will tour in Europe for the next two seasons.
Ensemble Klang (Netherlands) plays ‘Sacha’ with drawings by the French comics writer Charles Berberian in festivals in Belgium (Transit), the Netherlands (November Music) and England (Huddersfield)
In 2011 he writes the chamberopera ‘Tongval’. In 2012 the monodrama ‘Noite Inquieta’. Both will be directed by Ronny Lauwers, head of Opera Studio Vlaanderen.
The Bijloke plans a complete performance of all the sonatas in 2012-2015.
15 sonatas of the foreseen 18 are composed already.
Wins in 2012 the Prijs Nieuwe Muziek van de Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen’ with Middle East.
He teaches composition and orchestration at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent.