SPOTTED: Students Jazz & Pop Zwolle win prizes during Eurosonic Noorderslag 2022
- Music
- ArtEZ Prizewinner
The three-day pop festival Eurosonic Noorderslag focuses on new European pop talent. During the festival, which in 2022 took place online, several awards were handed out. Two students of the Jazz & Pop course in Zwolle won prizes. Mathijs Louwsma won the Cultuurfonds Pop Stipendium with his band The Vices. Jurgen Gerlofs, musical director and keyboard player of the band Blanks, won the Music Moves Europe Awards. Tilmar Junius, head of Jazz & Pop Zwolle: "I am very proud of these winners and ambassadors of the Jazz & Pop course!"
Mathijs Louwsma (The Vices)
Mathijs Louwsma studies Jazz & Pop in Zwolle and is the drummer for The Vices. The band won the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Pop Stipendium 2022. With this scholarship the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds annually rewards a promising artist or band.
The jury about the winner: "The Vices turns dreams into actions. The band is averse to opportunism and performance pressure and shows an enormous drive. No singles but albums are released, almost like a philosophical concept. The last few years have seen great strides and creative discoveries. In this way, the band was able to remain visible during Corona in an inventive way, and to offer inspiration to others."
Source: Prince Bernard Culture Fund
Watch the performance of The Vices at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2022 below.
Jurgen Gerlofs (Blanks)
Jurgen Gerlofs is a student of the Jazz & Pop course in Zwolle and is musical director and keyboard player of Blanks. The band was one of the four winners of the Music Moves Europe Awards. This annual award for pop music, co-funded by the European Union, honours emerging artists who represent the European sound of today and tomorrow.
The jury about Blanks: “Super catchy sophisticated synth pop with echoes of the 80s. Not just in the artistry and recording, but in the songwriting too.”
Source: Music Moves Europe Awards
Watch Blanks performing at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2021 below.