Jeroen Vanbever
"...they are amazing, thank you for making this simple, yet highly effective product. It sure helps preventing sticky keys."
- Jeroen Vanbever (Circling Saxes, Zerkalo Quartet, Solo Artist, Freelance Saxophonist and Educator)
Belgian saxophonist, composer and educator Jeroen Vanbever feels as good on a classical stage as in a jazz club.
Jeroen is a member of the renowned Belgian saxophone quartet, the Circling Saxes. For more than 30 years they have been coloring the national and international music landscape. Jeroen has been their regular baritone saxophonist since 2013.
In addition to this saxophone quartet, he is working on a new project with the Zerkalo Quartet. This Brussels string quartet won numerous prizes at home and abroad and was laureate of the Supernova competition organized by Klara and Musiq'3. With this unique combination between saxophone and string quartet they bring contemporary music, cross-over compositions and new Belgian music.
The collaboration between Bart Van Caenegem (known from the Frivolian Raspberry) and Jeroen is one that focuses on Third Stream compositions. Third Stream is a symbiosis of classical and jazz, the ultimate crossover. Composer Jeroen D'hoe wrote a new Third Stream composition especially for this duo: "Ella's Blues". Both musicians earned their spurs in classical and jazz settings and thus form the perfect duo for these compositions.
With his solo project, Jeroen also touches the boundaries between the different genres of music. For this he uses his four saxophones, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone, which are supported by tape, electronics, running stations and sculptures by, among others, the Belgian artist Sammy Slabbinck (collaborated with Leonard Cohen).
As a freelance saxophonist Jeroen is regularly asked to play along with the "Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen", "the National Orchestra of Belgium" and "Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra". With the latter he performed at the Festival Musiq'3 and participated in a tour through Germany.
In addition to his practice as a professional musician, pedagogy has always been an important part of his career. Currently, Jeroen is a saxophone (jazz & classical) teacher and interplay at the Muziekacademies of Willebroek, Geraardsbergen and Turnhout and occasionally also gives music workshops and internships via Youth & Music or in his own organization.