Champ d’Action

Pioneering Role

Champ d’Action, a contemporary music ensemble, was founded by the composer Serge Verstockt in 1988. At that time little contemporary music was performed in Flemish concert halls, and music by Flemish composers such as the internationally esteemed Karel Goeyvaerts, was rarely performed in their own country. This meant that in the first few years Champ d’Action played a truly pioneering role. Strong links with the contemporary art world in Flanders meant that the ensemble was almost immediately able to lay foundations in this broad field. This has led to its ongoing association with the MuHKA (Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp) and regular projects that link together art, multimedia and music.

(Photo: Bart Verstockt)

Creations

The enduring interest in the work of Flemish composers resulted in several new creations and the launch of a series of CDs of the work of Karel Goeyvaerts, the latter in association with the Catholic University of Leuven. The ensemble additionally introduced major works by foreign composers and commissioned works abroad so as to place the Flemish work in a critical and artistically exacting context.
The activities of Antwerp 93, Cultural Capital of Europe, signalled an important step in Champ d’Action’s development. The project prompted the ensemble to commission major works – from the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, among others – and it released a CD of new creations by Flemish composers. This was later followed by cooperation with the American Mode Records CD label. The first CD was devoted to Kaija Saariaho and was praised internationally. In late 2004 Champ d’Action started a CD series of its own, a collection of new work played and recorded for the first time. The recordings take place in Studio 3, Champ d’Action’s home base at deSingel in Antwerp. In autumn 2008 two more CDs will be appearing in the archive series: a recording of creations by Richard Barrett and the long-awaited second CD of work by Serge Verstockt.

Highlights

The highlights of recent years include collaboration with Irvin Arditti (deSingel, 2000) and a performance of Dick Raaijmakers’ eight-hour ‘Heiliger Dankgesang-Kwartet’ at the Holland Festival.
Its collaboration with the composer Serge Verstockt and the architect Werner Vandermeersch resulted in ten open-air performances of ‘Screens’ during ‘Summer in Antwerp’. The ensemble was able to perform ‘Screens’ once again, though in a revised version, in 2002, this time at the Concertgebouw in Bruges as part of ‘Format’ and Bruges 2002.
After an absence of five years, in January 2003 Serge Verstockt resumed his post as the ensemble’s artistic head. In 2004 Champ d’Action wrote a new electronic programme for the performance of Luigi Nono’s ‘Quando Stanno Morendo’, ‘Diario Polacco 2°’. It performed this work together with the actor Josse De Pauw, who made a Dutch version of the text. In the same year the ensemble reached a large audience on the Great Market Square in Antwerp with its ‘Bell Project’, which Serge Verstockt composed for carillon. It reached a similarly large audience at several halls in Flanders with several projects on early minimal music from America and Europe.
One of the more striking projects of 2005 was the ‘Great Minimal Project’ in association with Collegium Vocale, as part of the Klara Festival. In addition, Champ d’Action performed two ‘visions’ from James Wood’s new opera ‘Hildegard’ during the music@venture festival, and the first performance of a work by Wim Henderickx. The year ended with a special ‘time canvas’ at the MuHKA as part of ‘Music-Drawing, Drawing Music’.
In 2006 their activities included reprises of the Nono project at the Holland Festival and at the Bijloke in Ghent, in addition to the full performance of 'Hildegard' at Musica Sacra in Maastricht. Champ d'Action appeared at the Festival Wien Modern in Vienna for the first time, where they performed new creations by Serge Verstockt and other Flemish composers. For the Flanders Festival they performed Glenn Branca's 'Hallucination City Symphony 13 for 100 Guitars' in the Vooruit.
In 'Laboratorium', a joint venture by Champ d'Action, deSingel and Antwerp Conservatory, musicians and composers coached Conservatory students. These workshops resulted in short performances and a major concert in deSingel conducted by the legendary composer Vinko Globokar.
The 2007-8 season started with the premiere of Jan Fabre's 'Requiem für eine Metamorphose', with music by Serge Verstockt, at the Salzburger Festspiele. It was also performed at the Ruhr Triennale and in Vilnius.
Other highlights of this same season included a concert of new works in association with Slagwerkgroep De Haag and an American multimedia project with a focus on music from the sixties.
The near future will bring intensive joint ventures with Collegium Vocale Ghent, the Blindman Saxophone Quartet and Crew (Eric Joris). During the 2008-2009 season there will be a new ‘Laboratory’, with recent work by Phil Niblock, Tim Vets, Karlheinz Essel and Claudio Baroni. Students from Antwerp Conservatory will once again be taking part. Champ d’Action will be touring the production ‘Einstein on the Beach’ with Collegium Vocale, and with Blindman they will be paying tribute to the American composer James Tenney.

Official recognition

Champ d'Action receives operational subsidies from the Flemish Community and financial support from the City of Antwerp.
Champ d'Action is an artist in residence at deSingel.