Saxophonist, composer and professor, Jorrit Dijkstra will teach a two-day master class focussing on collective improvisation in ensemble situations.
The activity will revolve around a series of exercises on improvisation techniques in which participants will learn to play in a group, strengthening communication.  They will be able to create music forms right on the spot based on a simple melody or song or even from scratch.
Dijkstra’s idea is to invite students to get off the beaten track and put their trust in their colleagues, rather than relying on a tune or chord changes. He places special emphasis on expressiveness, dynamism, listening and reaction, and tries to experiment with the emotional responses of the audience.

During the master class, he will present some of his own compositions and other pieces by soprano saxophonist, Steve Lacy, centred around collective improvisation.  He will demonstrate how to get the most out of electronics in terms of ensemble improvisation, including the use of the Lyricon (a vintage analogical instrument that was used as the first electronic wind synthesiser).


Jorrit Dijkstra (Eindhoven, the Netherlands, 1966) makes his home in Boston, where he is a faculty member of the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. The music of this saxophonist, composer and professor is steeped in jazz tradition in spirit and sound, but crosses stylistic and cultural borders to express a strongly evocative personal vision.  Dijkstra spent his formative years on Amsterdam’s vibrant musical scene, interpreting jazz and world music, opting for free-style improvisation.

Since moving to the United States in 2002, he has deepened his affinity with the experimental artists of American music, while never losing touch with his Dutch musical roots. His current projects include BOLT and Matchbox, Music for Reeds and Electronics, the octet, Pillow Circles, and his solo performances as an electronic musician.  Dijkstra uses the Lyricon - an electronic wind instrument from the 70s - to broaden his musical palette with an idiosyncratic mix of cool jazz, free improvisation and electronic minimalism. As a composer he has received commissions from the North Sea Jazz Festival, the David Kweksilber Big Band, Tetzepi Big Band, Amstel Saxophone Quartet, and the Harvard Jazz Band. Dijkstra has released eighteen CDs as a bandleader, and has participated in projects ranging from Anthony Braxton’s Ghost Trance and Guus Janssen’s opera Noach to an outstanding live performance of the Texas “outsider” musician Jandek. He is co-founder of the independent record label Driff Records.   

www.jorritdijkstra.com / www.driffrecords.com

TARGET AUDIENCE: Musicians and students of contemporary music, jazz, classical and folk...

PRE-REGISTRATION: Students may sign up by sending an email to cgac.educacion@xunta.es or by calling 981 546 602/631. Applications must include the following data: full name, education, work area or interest, email and contact telephone.

Once registration has been confirmed, the selected participants will be given instructions on how to pay the registration fee.

MATERIAL: Participants must bring their own instruments. 

PLACES: minimum 5 / maximum 15 

REGISTRATION FEE: 15 €

COORDINATION: Virginia Villar