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Johannes Westendorp studied classical guitar with Hein Sanderink at the Fontys Conservatory of Tilburg (Netherlands). He continued his studies for two years at the Conservatory of Gent (Belgium) with Tom Pauwels for contemporary guitar music and courses composition and free improvisation with Dr. Godfried-Willem Raes.

He made Tijdwerk (2006, Muzieklab Brabant) a performance for transient and self destructing instruments. And …/Obstructie (2008, Faktor B), a counterreactive sound installation. He wrote the libretto for the opera Halfgeleiders (Productiehuis Brabant). Johannes is participating in the organisation of DE LINK concertserie in Tilburg. As a guitarist he performs regular with the electric guitar quartet Zwerm. In his solo guitar program for both electric and acoustic guitars he is focusing on American minimalism vs (European) new complexity.

Since 2008 he doing a master study artistic research at the University of Amstedam. Together with Pieter Verhees he is currently working on 'Inside Mount Lu – a sonic labyrinth' (2010, Muzieklab Brabant).

 

Bruno Nelissen (The Netherlands, 1978) finished his guitar and composition studies at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg in 2002 cum laude. In addition he studied composition with Peter Swinnen in Brussels.
Since then he has been working for many years as a composer of opera and musical theater. He wrote operas for Neukoellner Opera, Vocaal Lab Nederlands (commissioned by November Music Festival) and YO Int. Youth Opera Festival, Opera House, Kameroperahuis for Zwolle, Cluster Klank Collectief and the Oerol Festival. He wrote music for Quink Vocal Ensemble, Quatuor Danel, Egidius Quartet, Gaudeamus music days, Nadar Ensemble and De Volharding. In 2006 he won the Berlin Opera Prize, awarded by the Neukoellner Opera, and in 2004 he received the Anjer Muziekprijs. In 2007 he was one of the finals for the Composition Award of the Dutch Radio Choir.
As an electric guitarist he works with Mr.Probe, researching interdisciplinary experiment, and ZWERM. With these ensembles he played at festivals and concert halls in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, France and Italy. Also in 2010 he toured Europe with the Dutch band BEAM, along with the American lo-fi singer Daniel Johnston. 

 

Matthias Francisco Koole (Belgium, 1982) is active as a guitarist in written and improvised contemporary music. He studies with Tom Pauwels, is a founding member of the quartet ZWERM and plays regurarly with ensembles such as Champ d’Action and Collectief Reflexible. As a free-lance guitarist he has also played with Ensemble Cairn of Paris and the Brussels Philharmonic. In duo with Kobe Van Cauwenberghe he plays pieces by Lachenmann, Ferneyhough, Globokar etc. As a soloist he is currently working on a program with pieces that find themselves on the edge between music and performance (David Helbich, Simon Steen-Andersen, Mario Del Nunzio, Stefan Prins...) He has premiered pieces by Richard Barrett, Stefan Prins, Karlheinz Essl, Larry Polansky, Cristian Morales-Ossio, Nico Sall, Sérgio Ribeiro Lacerda among others...

 

Toon Callier (Belgium, 1983) studied classical guitar and chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. Afterwards he studied a 'master after master' in contemporary music at the conservatory of Ghent. His teacher was Tom Pauwels who is guitarist and artistic advisor of the Brussels based ensemble Ictus. Toon plays both classical and electric guitar. On his repertoire you find music of Hans Werner Henze, Fausto Romitelli, Steve Reich, Lois V.Vierk, George Crumb, Larry Polansky… Toon is a founding member of the electric guitarquartet ZWERM (www.zwerm.be), he is also artistic assisitent of the Belgian ensemble of contemporary music Champ d'Action (www.champdaction.be) and works as freelance musician with ensembles as Nadar, Besides and Brussels Philharmonic.