This year edition of the Pop and Jazz Platform (PJP) Meeting 2020 will take place at the KASK & Conservatorium / School of Arts Gent, in Belgium, on 6-8 February 2020. With a big pleasure and excitement, we can confirm that the following speakers will contribute to the conference:

  1. Lander Gyselinck has transformed from an emerging young talent to an established and respected name on the Belgian jazz and improvisation scene in a relatively short space of time. He is active in jazz groups such as Kris Defoort Trio, Michel Portal Quintet, Ragini Trio and as a session musician, producer and teacher.
  2. Murat Ali Cengiz is a freelance architect, composer and pianist. He is currently working on his cross-disciplinary audio-visual project: “Musicographics”, exhibiting and performing in the “Neuhaus” festival at the Nieuwe Instituut and the Rotterdam Architecture Month. His international project “No Musicians’ Land” is going to be performed at the Marina Abramovic Institute exhibition in Istanbul, 2020.
  3. Liew Niyomkarn works as a sound artist and musician. She improvises with synthetic sounds to flow with the atmosphere. The samples of sounds recall those of hidden natural sources. Her album The Secret of Mountains and Tropical Fruit is inspired by the novel Classic of Mountains and Seas, or Shan Hai Jing in Chinese, which is an ancient saga of intertwined topographical and mythological descriptions.
  4. Antwerp-based sound artist and musician Inne Eysermans creates musical performances and spatial compositions, often in combination with text and/or (moving) image. She has produced music and sound for film, theatre and radio/podcast. Her works encompass synthesis, resampling techniques, field recordings, found sounds and objects. In 2017 she joined as lecturer in sound/music at The Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp.
  5. Susanna Mesiä – In addition to her teaching career, Mesiä has been performing as a vocalist, musician and songwriter/composer in the Finnish music scene. As a researcher Mesiä’s interest focuses on popular music and jazz education, collaborative processes, social constructivist learning, higher music education, instrumental pedagogy and continuing professional development.
  6. Gert Keunen is PhD in sociology of culture and teaches music history and music sociology at KASK & Conservatorium in Ghent (B), PXL Music in Hasselt (B) and Erasmus Hogeschool/ Rits in Brussels (B). Gert Keunen also creates music himself (composer, director and sample artist). Under the name Briskey he released the cd’s Cucumber Lodge (2003), Scarlett Roadhouse (2006), Briskey Big Band Live At Ancienne Belgique (2008) and Before-during-after (2009).

Moreover, the PJP conference will feature usual successful sessions such as Open Floor and Surprise carrousel, as well as newly introduced sessions; New connections – PJP speed dating and Information Market. More information and detailed conference programme can be found on the event website. The registrations to the conference are open until January 31.

We are looking forward to seeing you in a beautiful city of Ghent!