Dutch avant-garde composer and performance artist, Jaap Blonk to give public talk

The lunchtime event, which is part of the guest lecture series, Inside/Out, hosted by the University’s School of Art, Architecture and Design (AAD), is free and open to the public and will take place from 12-2pm on Thursday 7 April at the Rose Bowl at the City Centre campus. Places can be booked at: bit.ly/JaapBlonk.

Jaap Blonk, who hails from the Netherlands and has performed across the globe, is a renowned and prolific composer/performer who uses his voice sounds, pure as well as processed, in a variety of contexts: from solo performances to small group improvisations and electroacoustic works to jazz ensembles and the symphony orchestra.

As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful stage presence and almost childlike freedom in improvisation, combined with a keen grasp of structure.

For almost two decades his voice was his main means for the discovery and development of new sounds. From around the year 2000 he started working with electronics, at first using samples of his own voice, then extending the field to include pure sound synthesis as well. He took a year off from performing in 2006 and used the time to revisit mathematics – a subject he had previously studied at university and failed to complete. This led him to research the possibilities of algorithmic composition for the creation of music, visual animation and poetry.

Professor Simon Morris, organiser of Inside/Out, said: “Jaap Blonk is an extraordinary world class performer – his inspirational vocal set will change the way you think about language and performance.”

The next and final lecture in the series introduces author Susan Ronald who will be talking about her latest book, Hitler’s Art Thief: Hildebrand Gurlitt, the Nazis, and the Looting of Europe's Treasures. It will be held on Thursday 14 April, from 12-2pm.

The School of AAD has practice at its heart - whether working in the studio spaces in Broadcasting Place or working site-specifically. Course staff are practitioners and researchers of national and international standing.