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To maintain a strong connection with the professional music world, the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp organizes numerous high-profile artistic projects annually. These projects often involve collaboration with other disciplines, international partner institutions, or professional organizations.

Students gain valuable opportunities to perform on prestigious stages in Belgium and abroad, such as

  • Belgium: De Singel, De Singer, Werkplaats Walter, BOZAR, CC Muze, Hnita, Rataplan, Jazz Middelheim Festival
  • The Netherlands: North Sea Jazz Festival, Bimhuis
  • Italy: Casa del Jazz Rome

Solo and Ensemble Projects

The jazz department offers students diverse ensemble opportunities, from solo performances to big band projects. Highlights include:

Vocal Ensemble: Comprising all voice students, this a cappella ensemble rehearses weekly for the annual Singers Night Concert in May. Voice students can also join other ensemble projects.
Ensemble Lessons: All students receive at least two hours of ensemble lessons per week, with master's students participating in an additional ensemble. Optional courses allow students to join specialized ensembles, such as those focusing on free improvisation or cross-over/contemporary jazz.

Breathing Projects

Advanced ensemble lessons for master's students are centered on the Breathing Projects, which engage internationally renowned jazz musicians for intensive two-week coaching sessions. These culminate in professional performances. Recent leaders include Gregory Hutchinson, Lionel Loueke, Ben Wendel, and Chris Potter.
Upcoming Breathing Projects:

  • 21 November 2024: Stéphane Galland @Rataplan
  • 12 December 2024: Joelle Leandre @Werkplaats Walter
  • 20 December 2024: Jorge Rossi @De Singer
  • 7 February 2025: Wolfgang Muthspiel @De Singer
  • 27 February 2025: Ben Sluijs and Maud Vanhauwaert @Rataplan
  • 27 March 2025: Bo van der Werf @Rataplan
  • Annual Jazz Middelheim Festival Collaboration

Since 2012, jazz students have performed annually at the Jazz Middelheim Festival, led by international coaches such as Mark Turner, Dave Douglas, and Joe Lovano. This collaboration continues to provide unique performance experiences, even after the festival's organizational changes.

Master’s Solo Projects

Each Master 1 student organizes and performs a solo project annually, designed to encourage students to step outside their comfort zones. These projects allow complete artistic freedom in genre, instrumentation, and location, with the only requirement being that the jazz student performs solo.

Interdisciplinary Projects
The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between the jazz department and other disciplines, including classical music, dance, spoken word, and visual arts. Projects span artistic creation and research, such as studies on injury prevention.

Key interdisciplinary initiatives include:

Jazz and Dance Collaborations: Annual projects uniting jazz and dance students.
Spoken Word Collaborations: Students work on equal footing with spoken word artists, such as Maud Vanhauwaert or Jurgen Delnaet, to create performances showcased on professional stages.
ContemPLAY: An international project in partnership with the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Vilnius) and Escola Superior de Música (Porto). Participants, including jazz musicians, classical musicians, and media artists, create interdisciplinary performances during a week-long residency in Vilnius.
NextDoors Project Week: This annual initiative introduces students to other disciplines through workshops and projects led by conservatory researchers and teachers.
Big Band Projects
Highlights of Big Band Collaborations:

2018: To celebrate the jazz department's 25th anniversary, a big band with an international lineup was formed, directed by Bert Joris and featuring Joshua Redman. Performances included De Singel and CC Muze.
2019: A collaboration with DePaul University Chicago included contributions from Chad McCullough and Dana Hall.
2022: Post-pandemic, a big band project featuring Chris Potter performed at Bimhuis Amsterdam and De Singel.
ARKestra

Established in 2022, the ARKestra is a big band combining students from Codarts Rotterdam, Hochschule für Musik Köln, and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp. The ARKestra has performed twice at the North Sea Jazz Festival and provides students with invaluable networking and big band experience.

International Projects
IASJ Membership

Since 2018, the conservatoire has been a member of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ). Two students annually participate in the IASJ meeting, collaborating with peers worldwide.

Jazz’s Cool Project

A partnership with the Saint Louis College of Music (Rome) expanded in 2021 to include conservatories in Aarhus/Aalborg, Helsinki, The Hague, Krakow, and Budapest. The Jazz’s Cool Project brings together six international ensembles for a week of rehearsals in Rome, culminating in performances at Casa del Jazz and additional concerts organized by partner institutions.

Masterclasses
The jazz department hosts masterclasses for ensembles and individual instruments. Renowned musicians who have led recent sessions include John Scofield, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, and Billy Hart.

Student-Led Music Projects
Each student organizes an annual music project, handling all aspects, including genre, instrumentation, location, and promotion. This essential curriculum component develops organizational and performance skills critical to a successful music career.