Music Productions

Since the very beginning in the Maximiliaan park, as well as in asylum centres until today, we have met many people with a background or a talent in music. Music has been always spontaneously around, and is part of our way to cheer each other up in difficult times. When we organised a crowdfunding in 2016, musicians volunteered to take the stage and help us collect funds…

That is how we kept on working together, organising small home concerts and also concerts for the bigger stage. It is there that the idea grew to start making musical productions where musicians from many orientations, traditions and influences can work together and take the stage.

EGGED ON BY MUSIC

Silent film with live music is a combination that appeals to both young and old. In the comic movie ‘Egged On’ by Charley Bowers from 1926, we see a man trying to build a machine to make eggs unbreakable… Fourteen musicians from various horizons and musical backgrounds East and West rehearsed for a year, developed a sound together, and worked on an original composition by composer Simon Ho with support of pianist Emma Hejink. Pop, jazz and rock mix with oriental ornaments into a groundbreaking musical and cinematic adventure.

Musicians

Simon Ho: Composition
Emma Heijink: Musical direction & coordination
Jens De Wit: Sound

Simon Ho: Rhodes
Emma Heijink: Piano
Saif Al-Qaissy: Voice & Percussion
Arezoo Alimomen: Voice & Percussion
Teuk Henri: Acoustic 12-string guitar
Hayder Abood: Percussion
Shahriar Sharifpoor: Santur
Hussein Rassim: Oud
Walaa Saad: Voice
Ananta Roosens: Violin
Mostafa Taleb: Kamanchech
Juliette Lacroix: Cello
Adrian Behbodi Sakha: Cello

Guests:
Alejandro Rivas Cottle: Piano
Patricky Clauwaert: Drums
Anne Bakker: Violin
Thomas Edima: Voice
Dahlia Mees: Violin & Chinese violin
Vera Cavallin: Harp

More Details

Film:
Egged On | Charley Bowers | 24 mins | USA, 1926

Project supported by:
Flemish Community Commission (VGC) and Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF)

With the cooperation of:
Zinnema, Charleroi danse, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Kunstencentrum Vooruit,
MOOOV festival, Festival Filmer à tout prix, Cinema Nova, Cinema RITCS.

Tour:
29/11/2017 Filmer à tout prix, Cinema Nova (Avant-Premiere), Brussels
25/02/2018 Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Premiere), Ghent
22/04/2018 MOOOV festival, UGC, Turnhout
15/06/2018 Charleroi Danse / Raffinerie, Brussels
09/09/2018 Theaterfestival, De Monty, Antwerp
24/11/2018 De Factorij, Zaventem
02/02/2019 Brigittines, Brussels
03/03/2019 DeSingel, Antwerp
21/06/2019 Malta Festival, Poznan, Poland
15/12/2019 Stadsschouwburg, Bruges
18/04/2020 Arenbergschouwburg, Antwerp (postponed)

COMING UP

From the success of Egged On by Music both from the audience and from the venues who presented the piece, an idea for new project slowly started to emerge. This time we’ll challenge ourselves to not only make music for a silent film, but also to produce ourselves a silent film within Cinemaximiliaan. Starting from a writing process and a collaborative filmmaking process involving a number of young directors, we aim to develop a silent film feature film with live music for the stage. Writer Sulaiman Addonia (Eritrea) will accompany the script writing process, film director Jaco Van Dormael (Belgium) will coach the directing, composer Simon Ho (Switzerland) and Hannibal Saad (Syria/Nether-lands) will compose original music.

The band will consist of some musicians involved in Egged On by Music, and some new musicians we met meanwhile.

The project will be premiering in October 2022 at Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Ghent) in the program of Film Fest Ghent. The piece is co-produced by Ancienne Belgique, Kunstencentrum Vooruit, Opera & Ballet Vlaanderen (Antwerp/Ghent), Concertgebouw (Brugge), Arenberg Schouwburg (Antwerpen) and BUDA (Kortrijk).

Asylum Center Jam Session

Next to the many film screenings and encounters at asylum centres, we also organise jam sessions where musicians can get to know each other and develop a network. If you’re interested to join a jam session, please contact us.