After his training as a recorder player, Peter Van Heyghen developed himself into an internationally renowned specialist on the performance practice of 16th-, 17t-h and 18th-century music. He regularly performs as a soloist and with his ensembles More Maiorum and Mezzaluna and is also active as a conductor and teacher.

For more than ten years he was the house conductor of the Brussels-based Baroque Orchestra Les Muffatti. Since 2016, though, he works on a regular basis with the Belgian Baroque Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble Il Gardellino. He thereby focuses on the rediscovery of forgotten masterpieces. Both as a recorder player and as a conductor he recorded numerous CDs for labels such as Accent, Eufoda, Opus 111, Passacaille, and Ramée.

He holds teaching positions for Culturally Informed Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In addition, he is regularly invited worldwide as a guest conductor, to lead masterclasses and workshops, and to present lectures and papers.