songs of nature

biographies

B’Rock

B’Rock was founded in 2005 in Ghent by harpsichordist Frank Agsteribbe, double bass player Tom Devaere, Thomas Bisschop and Hendrik Storme. B’Rock strives for innovation and a refreshing approach in its performances of a repertoire that covers no less than four centuries of music; the instruments are adapted to the period. Their specific sound is said to ‘exude theatre and colour’. B’Rock Orchestra often takes part in projects that create a fascinating dialogue between music and other art forms. The orchestra also commissions new work and collaborates with important personalities from the music and theatre world.

Ilse Eerens

Belgian soprano Ilse Eerens began her vocal studies at the Lemmens Institute in Louvain. She then joined the New Opera Academy in The Netherlands and graduated with a Masters degree, as a student of Jard van Nes. A regular guest at La Monnaie in Brussels, her roles for this house have included Noémie in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Amanda in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, Celia in Lucio Silla, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and La Vierge in Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher. She recently gave house debuts at the New National Theatre Tokyo in Sasha Waltz’ production of Matsukaze and at the Salzburger Festspiele 2018 as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte and in Gottfried von Einem’s Der Prozess with the Radiosinfonieorchester Wien under HK Gruber. Equally sought-after as a concert performer, Ilse Eerens’ repertoire ranges from Bach to Honegger and contemporary works.

Shuang Zou

Shuang Zou is a theatre director who engages passionately in multi-disciplinary work across music, film and stage. She was co-creator of the multimedia design in the Royal Danish Opera’s staging of Handel’s Messiah. She also worked as multimedia co-designer for Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at Schwerin Opera, and in the spoken dramas Lulu and As You Like It at the British American Drama Academy. She has directed her own Chinese translation of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days and an adaptation of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit for the National Theatre of China. She is also the book writer for the original musical The Wonderful Adventures of Nils for the Wuhan People’s Art Theatre. Since 2016, she is the artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival. She initiated the New Wave Program with immersive, site-specific opera and music-theatre productions in Taikoo Li Sanlitun, a downtown venue in Beijing. As a board member of the International Theatre Institute and the Music Theatre Now Competition, she has been instrumental in building collaborations between China and the West in recent years.

Dan Potra

Dan Potra is a Australian designer across the full spectrum of the arts, designing sets, costumes, concepts and animation for opera, theatre, large scale events, dance and film. Dan has received six Helpmann Award nominations for his design work in opera and theatre in Australia of which he has won three, including Best Scenic Design in 2008 for Dead Man Walking at the State Theatre in Sydney.

Mario Devetak

During his final year at the Fine Arts School of Gorizia (Italy), Marco showed a lively interest for filmmaking, especially for experimental and surreal cinema. He successively moved to the UK and graduated with First Class Honours in Film Studies at the University Of Wales, Lampeter. In 2007 Marco joined The London Film School to attend a two-years MA course in Filmmaking where he graduated in directing (2009) and has been working as a filmmaker and video designer since.

Peter Quasters

Peter Quasters (°1969) studied biochemistry at the Hogeschool Ghent. Following his studies he took an autodidactic approach to becoming a visual designer for the performing arts, specialising in lighting design. The lighting he creates is shaped by both abstract and sculptural notions. He has worked with such performing artists as Wouter Van Looy, Claron McFadden, Heiner Goebbels, Pierre Audi, Jean Lacornerie, Jorge Leon, Paul Koek, Letizia Renzini, Annelies Van Parys, Wim Catrysse, Wim Henderickx, Hilda Paredes and Kurt D’haeseleer.

Lieve Pynoo

Lieve Pynoo studied Fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Since 1987 she has been working as a theater costume designer at various theater houses and companies, including the former Blauwe Maandagcompagnie, Needcompagnie, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, The Enthusiasts, NTGent, KVS Brussels, Wunderbaum, Malpertuis and De Roovers. She worked with directors Ola Mafalaani, Arne Sierens, Alain Platel, Josse Depauw, Peter van Kraaij, Luc Perceval, Jan Lauwers, Michael Decock, Johan Dehollander and Piet Arfeuille. For the film she worked with Felix van Groeningen and for TV with Frank Van Passel. She taught at the theater department of the Antwerp Academy for several years and for eight years she worked as the right hand of the designer duo A.F.Vandevorst.

Muziektheater Transparant

Going from the artistic and social topicality, production house Muziektheater Transparant enters into an intensive dialogue with artists from various disciplines and wants to create, renew and present musical-theatre in its entire diversity for a wide audience. The voice is placed firmly at the centre of the projects, and it continually blends the old and the new. Also other disciplines like visual arts, film, video, graphics are integrated in the productions. The company pays particular attention to offering contemporary musicians the chance to develop and try new work. It works with composers like Wim Henderickx and Annelies Van Parys. Transparant is internationally active and it has performed at many festivals, including the Salzburger Festspiele, Edinburgh International Festival, the Holland Festival, the KunstenfestivaldesArts and at several European Capitals of Culture. This variety of shows, artists and production methods gives Muziektheater Transparant a unique national and international character.