After a year of intense brainstorming sessions, countless café visits, and mountains of back-and-forth emails, the moment has arrived. On Sunday, November 5, 2023, the new concert series veelbeLEUVENd opens in Leuven with the sparkling Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 BWV 1048 in G and the spectacular Bach Concerto BWV 1065 in A minor, which will feature twenty musicians and no fewer than four Steinway pianos on stage. The seven-part series was curated by five young pianists, a violinist, and a horn player who (with one exception) are also performers at one or more concerts. They perform together with friends and acquaintances who were almost all born in the 21ste century and have a Leuven connection (studying, living, or born there) such as the Meraki Wind Quintet and the Tinel Ensemble.
NEW
Competitions where young musicians can present themselves to the public are plentiful, slightly older, professional musicians occasionally take the financial risk and organize one-off (house) concerts on their own dime, but a longer-running project where young people co-drive the whole thing alongside a cultural center from the grassroots up is, as far as we know, unheard of.
Annick Dumalin, programmer of 30CC: "We didn't invent hot water, I won't claim that, but as far as I know, other cultural centers don't do this. Now 30CC has had several years of experience with a new programming methodology, the so-called co-programming or circular operation, where residents of the city, such as students or neighborhood centers, independently fill in a program. Performances that come about this way are known to our audience under the name 'The Curators'. The concept of veelbeLEUVENd thus fits seamlessly with something we already know—the young musicians are a team of curators putting together a concert series. By the way, it wasn't my or our idea; it was pianist Lenny Bui-Vandeput who came up with it rather late last summer and managed to get us excited about it. Two weeks later we were already at the table, Lenny assembled a team around him, and the work could begin. We gave them a free hand and voilà, here they are with a full-fledged chamber music concert series from Bach to Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen."
The young musicians don't bear the financial responsibility, and for logistical support they can count on the city of Leuven, which provides rooms among other things, but otherwise they've carried the series from beginning to end.
How important is this for them, what does it mean for their career planning?
Lenny Bui-Vandeput: "That will be a bit different for everyone. Some musicians from our team, Brecht and Jonathan to name them, or An-Sofie who is concertmaster at the first concert, are already doing well in the circuit and have many assignments; their names are no longer unknown. For them this extra chance for exposure is welcome, for others it's essential."
Kirsten: Gedeshi: “Being a musician isn't just about playing excellent cello or piano, but also very much about networking. Not every master's student in music is naturally good at that, or is a competitive beast living from competition to competition. For all the others, the series is a gift!"
Lenny: "Doing promotion, social media, seeking sponsorship with all the heated discussions that entails, making technical records, determining what staff is needed, calculating the total cost, also factoring in our own compensation... That we get to learn and do all that without risking a financial hangover amounts to an on-the-job course in cultural management."
Kirsten:: "Yes, it's a nice complement to our artistic training, which barely addresses how we should market ourselves as musicians. I see how many talented peers struggle to communicate and become exhausted or disappointed when things don't go well. To be honest, sometimes you have to make yourself bigger than you are, or you need to naturally have the right friends. Some have a manager from their own wealthy family, which makes it easier."
Kirsten Gedeshi and Lenny Bui-Vandeput, who will perform a Rachmaninov concert on December 10, are participating in the conversation via Zoom from Korea where they are following an exchange program. If desired, they can receive guidance from a psychotherapist specialized in K-Arts. They notice that art is held in very high esteem in Korea and that young musical talent is treated and guided like young top athletes in our country. There is an entire system in place with structural support, guidance, physical and mental coaching. Music lessons, and we're only talking about the Korean DKO, don't last just 15 minutes but at least an hour or even two hours per week; on the other hand, that student is expected to practice four hours a day. But that's another debate, they say themselves.
DREAMS
With the first edition of veelbeLEUVENd will make a dream come true for some team members or curators. When (b. 2000) Received at age 15 (piano) and Martijn Susla (clarinet) started their studies at the Antwerp Conservatory four years ago, they swore to each other that one day they would play Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps, and on January 21, 2024, that dream comes true. "Together with Iola Cornelis (violin) and Emiel Vertongen (cello) we have built a bond with this work over the past years and we look forward to sharing our love for this music with others! The Quartet is also so diverse, the sixth movement is rousing, an adrenaline rush to play but also deeply moving—everyone plays the entire piece in unison as if we're chanting together. The first movement, on the other hand, is an evocation of early morning where birds and other natural elements gradually wake up and come to life; you might call it a soundscape. My highlights are probably the slow movements V and VIII, which possess an incredible, timeless beauty."
Because creating extra opportunities for young people has been on her bucket list for so long, Ann Sluys, piano instructor at the Leuven Conservatory, is the only 'older' member on the team, though she doesn't perform as a musician herself. "It always pains me when young musicians, even graduates, are expected to perform for free or peanuts, or feel awkward about asking for fair compensation", she says. "Beyond that, I enormously enjoy their energy and enthusiasm, and I'm certain that will shine through in their concerts too. You only experience this kind of freshness for a brief period in your life as a musician, and the audience gets to benefit from it".
Does this series now present the big names of tomorrow—those who will 'make it'?
Ann Sluys: “That's very difficult to say; in my view, talent only counts for 30%, alongside determination—you have to have the drive to keep investing in your own talent. Furthermore, you need to make contact with the right people at the right time. Some very talented young musicians remain under the radar for various reasons and go unnoticed by organizers or cultural centers, and that's precisely what this series aims to address. What is certain is that the screening was rigorous; many names were discussed behind closed doors, and many were eliminated as not yet ready. Everyone who performs in veelbeLEUVENd is at a high level. But predicting who will be Leuven's next Julien Libeer or Lorenzo Gatto is not the main concern of this concert series”.
CONTINUITY
Whether the veelbeLEUVENd concept will be replicated elsewhere remains to be seen. In any case, the first edition is well on its way to being a success—two concerts (Bach on 5/11 and Arenski-Piazolla on 18/02) already have waiting lists. The program for 2024-2025 is in the works. Perhaps the team will dream bigger next time than just chamber music? Perhaps there will be concerts on period instruments? The formula only seems to work when the team stays young and continuously reinvents itself—fresh blood will be constantly needed. The real test may come later, when the 'newness' wears off, but the fact is they've made an excellent start.
Veelbeleuvend, Sundays in Leuven from November 5, 2023 to May 26, 2024
by, through and with:
Lenny Bui-Vandeput, piano
Stijn Claeys, piano
Kirsten: Gedeshi, piano
(b. 2000) Received at age 15, piano
Kasper Delrue, violin
Jonathan van der Beek, horn
Ann Sluys, piano instructor
Robrecht Penders, 30 CC
Annick Dumalin, 30 CC
For the annual program: www.30cc.be/veelbeLEUVENd
About the Curators: www.30cc.be/curatoren
