Schouwburg ( Jean Michel Van )
Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg ( JM VS )
Voice, performance, improvised music. Brussels. Born 1955. Member of Brussels’ Inaudible Collective & Workshops since 1984. Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg develops vocal improvisation and voice extended techniques from low throat singing to high falsetto, overtones and yodels, mouth noises etc.. . « Phonoetry » (phonésie in french) describes the poésie sonore of his solo voice performance « ORYNX » (Orynx –Phonésie cd Inaudible 003.)
Solos in London, Lille, Slovakia, Liège and Brussels. Interested in telepathic interplay and adapting his sounds with different partners/ groupings. Worked with pianist Guy Strale and percussion poet and graphic artist Kris Vanderstraeten,first as a guitar player(…). Became vocalist gradually since the early 90’s. Gingko 4 -JMVS, Guy Strale, flutist Adelheid Sieuw and guitarist Jan-Huib Nas- performed some years. (Freedom of The City 2006 cd Emanem 4139). Duos: guitarist John Russell, percussionnist Javier Carmona, singer Mara Pigeon, G. Strale, A. Sieuw and guitarist Pascal Marzan. The Mercelis Concert: John Russell / JM VS / Jean Demey (dblebass) cd Inaudible 006. SUREAU : Kris Vanderstraeten / Jean Demey / Van Schouwburg (Creative Sources CS112). Garden Gift: Adelheid Sieuw / John Russell / Jean Demey / JM VS Hurta Cordel 08 Madrid Performed with Jacques Foschia, Mike Goyvaerts, Lawrence Casserley, Paul Hubweber, Gianni Mimmo, David Leahy, Phil Minton and Ute Wassermann, Marco Loprieno, Jacques Fauville, Jean Coulon, José Bedeur, Michaël Delia,Timo Van Luyck, Hugh Metcalfe….
Festivals: Freedom of the City London, Sons Libérés Brussels, Hermes Ear Nitra, La Malterie Lille, Bevrijdt de Muziek Antwerpen, Hard Gaan Hasselt, Hurta Cordel 2008 Madrid with Garden Gift, R de Choc 08 Paris. Benjamin Péret’s Poems Performance with Jacques Foschia‘s radios. Workestra of Inaudible.Since 1999, Inaudible has organized continuously workshops & concerts with Belgian and Foreign improvisers in Brussels. Inaudible members : Strale / JM VS / Nas / Sieuw / Loprieno / Legros / Demey etc… JMVS writes on the subject of improvised musics and his “Spontaneous Music Ensemble and John Stevens’ Story” (1965-1994) was published in french magazine Improjazz.
Current groups are : Sureau with Kris Vanderstraeten percussion and Jean Demey double bass. Duos with Marjolaine Charbin piano and Audrey Lauro, sax alto. Garden Gift with Jean Demey, John Russell, guitar, Adelheid Sieuw, flutes & J-MVS. MouthWind with Lawrence Casserley and players Hubweber, Charbin, Sieuw and Foschia.
Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg | Photo by Dora Nedescky | Budapest | March 2010
Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg belongs to the band : Adam Bohman / Zsolt Sörès/ Oli Mayne/ J-M Van Schouwburg. Works with composer and electro-acoustic musician Dario Palermo. Projects and performances with Adelheid Sieuw, John Russell, Lawrence Casserley, Jacques Foschia, Gianni Mimmo, Angelo Contini, Paul Dunmall, Paul Hubweber and some others. Performed also with Mike Goyvaerts, Mara Pigeon, David Leahy, Javier Carmona, Phil Minton, Ute Wassermann, Pascal Marzan, Dan Warburton, Pat Wichers, Gianni Mimmo, Enzo Rocco, Stefano Giust, Mick Beck, John Jasnoch, Hugh Metcalfe, Heddy Boubeker, …. Extracts of Orynx were selected in Peter Strickland’s Katalin Varga soundtrack. Will play his singer’s role in the movie Berberian Sound Studio of director Strickland.
more on Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg can be found here…
AVAILABLE RELEASES featuring Jean Michel Van Schouwburg
Sureau | The Leuven Concert
The SUREAU trio is playing free spontaneous improvisations based on mutual listening, musical invention and sound exploration. Double bass, voice and percussion.
Five Rooms | No Room For Doubt
Gianni Mimmo, Angelo Contini, John Russell, Jean Michel van Schouwburg, Andrea Serrapiglio, Paolo Falascone
Marjolaine Charbin and Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg | Quelles bouches voleront en éclats
Following meetings during improvised music concerts in Brussels, graduated jazz pianist Marjolaine Charbin and autodidact vocal improvisor Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg began working privately as a rehearsal duo in February 2008. The mutual music clicked quickly and surprisingly for both improvisors.
Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Jean Demey, John Russell | The Mercelis Concert (Brussels 2006)
A radically genuine kind of expression. Unpedigreed music that can turn our mood for the better in the space of a few minutes. — Massimo Ricci


























