Brussels Calling: Heritage, the Romantic-Modernist Conservatoire & the Modern-Day Performer

Every year, the Polyphonic Performance Spaces research festival brings the best of artistic research to Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel.  This edition explores The Sound of Brussels: the city’s exceptionally rich sonic heritage, -past, present, and future.

This year’s programme pays tribute to the cultural and educational legacy of KCB, showcasing rare treasures from its library, highlighting connections with renowned instrument makers, and offering a future perspective on its evolving role in the musical landscape. Another hidden gem, the Coudenberg Palace, will be brought back to life through a series of lectures that illuminate the musical and historical context of the period 1500–1800. The journey continues into the interwar years, when Brussels emerged as a vibrant stage for international modernism. Composers such as Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, and Darius Milhaud found eager audiences for their work within the city, while Brussels also became a thriving hub for the international jazz scene, a legacy that continues to resonate powerfully to this day.

The Sound of Brussels invites exploration, there is so much to discover. Take your sense of adventure and join us for a series of lectures and workshops by internationally renowned performers and scholars!

Program:

9:30-9:45

INTRODUCTION

Jeroen Billiet / Kristin Van den Buys

9:45-10:45

WORKSHOP

Thinking about Listening: Music and Sound in Historical Practice

Sasha Rasmussen

11:00-12:00

LECTURES 

Brussels calling (1): aspects of musical life 

Benjamin Glorieux / Nuno Cernadas / Eleonora Perretta / Richard Sutcliffe / Chair: Jeroen Billiet

12:30-13:15

ECLECTIC LUNCHTIME CONCERT 

All presenting researchers

13:30-14:30

LECTURES

Brussels calling (2): the case of brassiness

Jens Demey / Paul Voet / Jeroen Billiet / Chair: Nuno Cernadas

14:45-16:00

GROUP DISCUSSION

Wrap up and conclusions

14:45-16:00

DISCUSSION

Wrap up et conclusions

Find the full festival program here.