Ward
De Vleeschhouwer
(piano)
started studying the piano at the academy 'E.Hullebroeck' in Ghent, Belgium. He continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent where he studied the piano with Claude Coppens and Daan Vandewalle, composition with Frank Nuyts and Luc Brewaeys and improvisation with Peter Vermeersch.
Ward’s musical enthusiasm goes further than academic music. His main interest goes to new music. Frequently he premieres new works from composers all over the world. Ward De Vleeschhouwer is active as a soloist and is a member of Duo Dicto and the unique Trio Thelema.
Ward have been playing in Belgium, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Peru, Japan and the USA. In 2003 he was invited by the theatre group Ernst/Serieus to play piano in the Oscar Wilde’s 'The importance of being Earnest". With this group he performed at several festivals,and did 2 successful tours in Belgium. Ward wrote many works for chamber music, and for several ethnic instruments. His music is often inspired by his deepest interest for folk music from all over the world.
In 2003 he founded the project 'A Tryst', performing his own music, combined with West-African traditional music and modern dance. From the theatre group NUNC he got in 2005 a commission to compose music for children for their new production ‘Raisonnez’. In 2006 Ward had a commision to compose music for the new big theaterproduction FORZA, by fABULEUS.
Ward is a member of COMAV (Composers of Flanders).
Peter Verdonck
(alto, tenor & baritone saxophone)
was born in Herentals, Belgium on 1 September 1979. He started the study of the saxophone at the Music Academy of Turnhout with Mark Verdonck, which he continued at the music department of the Heilig Graf Institute in Turnhout. After finishing his high school in 1998, he moved to Ghent to study with Willy Demey at the Royal Conservatory. There he took courses in composition with Lucien Posman as well and he graduated in June 2003 with highest honours for saxophone, chamber music and improvisation. In June 2007 Peter obtained the diploma for Postgraduate Concert Soloist at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with Hans De Jong. Furthermore he followed masterclasses with Hans De Jong and Claude Delangle.
Beside Thelema Trio, Peter plays with the Rhythm Junks and he’s the founder, composer and saxophonist of the metal band "Wretched Vixen". Furthermore he can be found in various ensembles and groups. This brought him to halls all over Belgium, but also the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, France, Germany, Peru and Japan. In 2005 he performed as a soloist with the Belgian chamber orchestra Prima La Musica in the Concerto for Alto Saxophone, String Orchestra, Accordion and Percussion by Belgian composer Raoul De Smet.
He composes chamber music for many different line-ups and he’s a saxophone teacher. A number of his works have been recorded by. Thelema Trio and Aranis.
Marco Antonio Mazzini
(Bb, bass & contrabass clarinet)
As a recital soloist, concerto soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, clarinetist Marco Mazzini has performed internationally in such prestigious places as Carnegie Hall (New York), Tama Center (Tokyo), Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (Brussels), Bijloke Concert Hall (Belgium) and the Paris Conservatory (Paris).
Marco Mazzini made his debut as a soloist with the Lima Philharmonic Orchestra, as a winner of the "Concurso Nacional de Conciertos" in Peru, under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
He has participated in many music festivals such as the International Clarinet Festivals (Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah), November Music Festival (Belgium, Netherlands), Festival internacional de Música Contemporánea (Lima), New Art Festival (Ohio), Ostrava Days (Czech Republic). In 2005, he represented Peru for the first time in the World Clarinet Festival in Tokyo.
In Europe, he has collaborated with composers and musicians like Frederic Rzewski (USA), Dirk Brossé (Belgium), Martin Smolka (Czech Republic), Lubica Salamon-Cekovská (Slovakia), SEM Ensemble (New York), Spiegel String Quartet (Belgium), Yuri Serov (Russia), Carlos Tarcha (Brazil), Viviane Spanoghe (Belgium) and the Ciurlionis String Quartet (Lithuania).
Marco Mazzini is particularly interested in supporting the performance of contemporary music. As principal clarinetist of the Ostrava International Orchestra (Czech Republic), he performs works by composers such a Stockhausen, Xenakis, Ligeti, Nono and Cage.
In 2006 Marco Mazzini founded Duo Dicto - a clarinet - piano duet - where he gets the opportunity to perform the most contrasting pieces by living Latin American composers, from tonal pieces for clarinet and piano, to solo works for contrabass clarinet and electronics.
Recent musical project includes his new Kinsa Trio, a young ensemble
dedicated to perform music written in Peru in the early XX century,
and the international Rok Clarinet Quartet.
Since 2005 he is a BG France and Gonzalez reeds artist.