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After graduation

About students and alumni

When you graduated you will build a career as solosist, sideman, improvisor, composer, arranger, session musician, studio musician, electronica wizard, teacher or a combination of these!

The young and succesful bands you see here below mostly consist of alumni. 

STEIGER

Gilles Vandecaveye - piano
Kobe Boon (*) - bas
Simon Raman (*) - drums

STUFF

Andrew Claes (*) – saxofoon+EWI
Joris Caluwaerts (*) - keyboards
Dries Laheye (*) – bas
Lander Geyselinck – drums
Mixmonster Menno – turntables

LINUS

Ruben Machtelinckx (*) - gitaar
Thomas Jillings – saxofoon

“This is an adventurous, extremely flexible group of players. They're not afraid to mix a bit of electronics in with their acoustic instruments, or to cross stylistic lines. Jazz, folk music, classical music and free improvisation are all fair game. There's also a feeling of welcome to listeners that is rare in experimental music”, Mark Sullivan over Linus+Økland/Van Heertum/Zach, All About Jazz, 14/11/17

POMRAD

Adriaan Van de Velde (*) – keyboards/elektronics

Pomrad a.k.a. Adriaan Van de Velde brings, a collection of razor sharp keyboard licks, phat electro grooves and thick funk straight out of Chocolate City. Pomrad's very first eps were cool calling cards that made a couple of heads turn. After his first solo performances, Pomrad assembled a full-blooded band, with a drummer and a second keyboard player beefing up his signature sound. Together they’re a party squad with a couple of nifty tricks up their sleeves. You want some cosmic funk, Herbie Hancock style? You got it. Hope you like your funk hot and steamy.

BRZZVLL

Vincent Brijs (*) · saxophone
Andrew Claes (*)· saxophone, EWI, darbuka
Stijn Cools · drums
Geert Hellings (*) · guitar
Dries Laheye (*) · bass
Maarten Moesen (*) · drums
Jan Willems (*) · keys

BRZZVLL was founded by Vincent Brijs in 2006. This Antwerp collective plays improvised dance music with a jazz-fusion, funk and rare groove sound like those of the 70’s: bass and drums very tight and funky, horns, guitar and keyboards very imaginative and sexy. The bands’ unique cross polination of cosmic jazz, spoken word & afrobeat makes them stand out in today’s jazz scene. Their debute “Days of Thunder, Days of Grace” was voted Best Belgian Jazz Album of 2008 by newspaper Le Soir. For their last two critically acclaimed albums, BRZZVLL worked together with spoken word artists Anthony Joseph (“Engines”, 2014) & Amir Sulaiman (“First Let’s Dance”, 2016). Both albums arose from one intense, even legendary, improvised recording session. In September 2017, however, they go back to the roots with a new instrumental album “Waiho”, Maori for ‘leaving’. No vocalist or soloists, but excellent psychedelic, cosmic jazz-funk in which BRZZVLL’s solid, characteristic sound comes forward.

SCHTNZL

Casper Van De Velde (*) – drums
Hendrik Lasure  – keys

LABtrio

Bram De Looze (*) – piano
Anneleen Boehme (*) – contrabas
Lander Gyselinck – drums

“The LAB trio-which is drummer Lander Gyselinck, bassist Anneleen Boehme and pianist Bram de Looze, then took off to a new shore of trioism, inducing a jaw-dropping, high level of musical experience through their miraculous interplay of characteristics including an amazing, mutual musical sensibility and agility, deep in-the-moment playing and delicate as well as thrilling timing, effortless execution and the sheer joy of performing. It all led to a great sound and gripping, infectious dynamics that rose, unfettered, to the apogee of the night.” Henning Bolte, All About Jazz – April 2014

LABtrio consist of three musicians with strong personalities, endowed with a fresh and adventurous approach to music. The trio’s acoustic universe conceals an urban jazz that flirts with electronic, underground and hip-hop cultures. Since the Trio’s founding in 2007, they have received several awards and prizes (including a superb double –  Audience Prize and Grand Prize – at the prestigious Avignon ‘Tremplin Jazz’ festival in 2011). Thanks to this price, they recorded their first album at the Studio la Buissone, Pernes-les fontaines in France. Their first album “Fluxus” released in October 2013 (Outhere records) – a real gem – constitutes testimony to what is the jazz of today, seen by this new generation of musicians.

DONDER

Harrison Steingueldoir (*) – piano
Stan Callewaert (*) - bas
Casper Van De Velde (*) - drums

 


IFA Y XANGO

 

Filipe Nader - sax
Viktor Perdieus (*) - sax
Niels van Heertum - euphonium
Sep François (*) - vibrafoon
Se‍‍‍ppe Gebruers (*) - piano
Laurens Smet (*) - bas
Ruben Pensaert - drums

‍‍‍"Ifa y Xango are clearly thinking well beyond the boundaries of what‍‍‍ is known and accepted within any given musical genre, be it jazz or rock or whatever. Monumentally trangressive, the music on Twice Left Handed / Shavings will delight some, and infuriate others. This album is easily one of the most adventurous, daring, and accomplished recordings of 2015." Dave Wayn, All About Jazz, ***** (09/11/2015)

Ifa y Xango released its debut album 'Abraham' in 2012. The album is a 'stream of music' - still separate tracks which eventually flow together and tell one story - based on the films of Lars Von Trier and the paintings of Pieter Brueghel and Jeroen Bosch. Ifa y Xango made use of its own invented script and three compositions (by Seppe Gebruers) to structure their improvisations. 'Abraham' has recently been‍‍‍ selected by the distinguished jazz magazine 'New York City Jazz Record' (US), by praising and entitling the album to be one of the 'Best Debut Releases 2013'. It was considered a big success by the Belgian press as wel. The second album “Twice left handed ‍‍‍shavings” is inspired by the band's love for experimental electronic dance music, trance music and musique concrète.

 

Offers to alumni

The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp cherishes its alumni, this is why we offer some privileges:

  • free participation in masterclasses (if places are available). Please check our calendar or newsletter for the dates.
  • the next academic year after graduation, you are a member of vzw Bolster for free. (this means free concerts and invitations to our main events)
  • for the rest of your life, you remain a member of our librabry for free! 

Alumni network

If you graduated from the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, the former Herman Terilinck Institute, Studio Herman Teirlinck of the Higher Institute for Dance, then you belong to our alumni. Feel free to post about your artistic activities, tag yourself and your friends in photos, search classmates and reminisce. Do you need an artistic companion for a particular project, then you might find who you are looking for on our Facebook group.

The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp likes to stay in touch. Alumni can enter or update their data through this form.

Continue studying? Sure!

Specialise your skills with a postgraduate degree. The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp offers several unique postgraduate programmes, which give you the chance to focus on specific elements which are important in your practice as a musician. The postgraduate training offers focused programmes with contact hours which are primarily set by the individual. This gives you the advantage of not only focusing on what is important for you, but doing this at a time that suits you. The Conservatoire already works together with relevant specialists and members of the profession. We pride ourselves on keeping our study programmes up-to-the-minute, and ensuring close links with an internationally relevant network.

You can follow a shortened programme of 60 credits after the master in Music and thus obtain an Educational master’s degree in Music. The programme provides various courses in teaching methodology, internships, project work and supporting courses. The programme concludes with a master’s thesis Art-educational project. You can also opt for an integrated Educational master’s programme in Music immediately after your bachelor in Music. Students/candidates must demonstrate that they have sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language by providing evidence of having passed level B2 of the Interuniversity Dutch-language Test for non-native-Dutch Speakers.

Research

Alumni and lecturers can question and enrich their artistic praxis as part of a research project. Within the Association of University & Colleges of Antwerp, you can start a research project or obtain a PhD in the Arts.