The Ottawa International Writers Festival and The A B Series present legendary Dutch sound poet: JAAP BLONK

with an introductory performance by: The MAX MIDDLE SOUND PROJECT (John Lavery and Max Middle)

7:30pm
6 June 2008 St. Brigid's Centre for the Arts
314 St. Patrick Street (at Cumberland)
Ottawa

Presented with the assistance of The Royal Netherlands Embassy
Tickets, $15 / $12 for students & seniors, available at Nicholas Hoare Books, 419 Sussex Drive in Ottawa and from the Writers Festival Box Office: (613) 562-1243.

Reception with cash bar
FOR MORE INFORMATION: TELEPHONE: Max Middle, Artistic Director, The A B Series, (613) 859-8423
WEB: http://www.writersfestival.org/ http://www.theabseries.blogspot.com/ http://www.saintbrigids.ca/ http://www.jaapblonk.com/

** JAAP BLONK is a Dutch composer, performer and poet. In the late 1970s he took up saxophone and started to compose music. A few years later he discovered his potential as a vocal performer, at first in reciting poetry and later on in improvisations and his own compositions. For almost two decades the voice was his main means for the discovery and development of new sounds. From around the year 2000 on Blonk started work with electronics, at first using samples of his own voice, then extending the field to include pure sound synthesis as well. Recently he has been researching algorithmic composition of music, visual animation and poetry.

As a vocalist, Jaap Blonk is unique for his powerful stage presence and almost childlike freedom in improvisation, combined witha keen grasp of structure. He performed in many European countries, as well as in the U.S. and Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa and Latin America. With the use of live electronics the scope and range of his concerts has acquired a considerable extension.

Besides working as a soloist, he has collaborated with many musicians and ensembles in the field of contemporary and improvised music, like Maja Ratkje, Mats Gustafsson, Nicolas Collins, Joan La Barbara, The Ex, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble and the Ebony Band. He premiered several compositions by the German composer CarolaBauckholt, including a piece for voice and orchestra. A solo voicepiece was commissioned by the Donaueschinger Musiktage 2002. Onseveral occasions he collaborated with visual computer artist Golan Levin.

Blonk's work for radio and television includes several commissioned radio plays. He also makes larger-scale drawings of his scores, which have been exhibited.

He was the founder and leader of the long-standing bands Splinks (modern jazz, 1983-1999) and BRAAXTAAL (avant-rock, 1987-2005). He also has his own record label, Kontrans, featuring a total of 15releases so far. Blonk's recordings have appeared on Staalplaat, Bastaand VICTO.