Flat Earth Society (FES) was founded in 1999, when no- nonsense artist, former architect, clarinettist, saxophonist, keyboard player, composer and producer Peter Vermeersch, wanted to explore new horizons after having convinced music lovers all over the world with Maximalist! and the cult legend band X- legged Sally.

The music of FES, varying from strictly written sheet music to liberating improvisation, is 95% homemade. Streaks of music of other composers are used as inspiration, frequently arranged, adapted and integrated into FES compositions, adding a wide range of atmospheres and styles to the eclectic FES universe. FES, who dares to flirt with other disciplines like theatre and film, owns the ability to seduce a number of different audiences, from more select jazz listeners to a wild young rock public, and is at its best live on stage.

Flat Earth Society is: TOP ROW Marc Meeuwissen - trombone, Wim Segers - vibraphone, Michel Mast - tenor sax, Martí Melà - (bass)clarinet, Berlinde Deman - tuba, Peter Delannoye - trombone, Frederik Leroux-Roels - guitar, Kristof Roseeuw - double bass, Bruno Vansina - baritone sax & fl ute BOTTOM ROW Benjamin Boutreur - alto sax, Teun Verbruggen - drums, Bart Maris - trumpet, Peter Vermeersch - (bass)clarinet, Peter Vandenberghe - piano & keyboards, Pauline Leblond - trumpet

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*IF YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT ON THE MAP, PLEASE CONTACT INFO@FES.BE FOR A BOOKING

fi rst performance February 18th Cartoons, Antwerp (B)

› larf music theatre with Josse De Pauw

› MINOES soundtrack feature fi lm directed by Vincent Bal

› HELIOGABAL big band opera commissioned by Gerard Mortier at the Rühr Triennale

› The armstrong mutations

› FES ft. Uri Caine

› The Oyster Princess silent movie by Ernst Lubitsch (1919), score by Peter Vermeersch, fi lm accompanied live by FES

› Modernski research project 20th century works; Stravinsky, Kagel, Joplin, Dissevelt, Morricone

› Answer Songs vocal project with Esther Lybeert

› FES meets jimi tenor

1999

2000 & 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

› zilke music theatre; an existential variety farce with a twist of bitter

› Modernski research project 20th century works: work in progress

› FES with john watts

› Hearsee a varied fi lm concert with all kinds of fi lms, spheres, lengths and from different periods

› R.I.P. funeral repertoire, death songs for 15 FES musicians. They all die, one by one, until there’s nobody left ...

› The Boat & THE berg The Boat & The Berg – the story of the Titanic – composition for FES & soprano on texts by Josse De Pauw

› FES FT. Ernst reijseger

› 13 jubilee tour› Modernski research project 20th century works: work in progress

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

› terms of embarrassment FES & Mauro Pawlowski Homage to Frank Zappa

› revue ravage music theatre on texts by Tom Lanoye

› s.s.belgenland Film concert ‘Around the world in 133 days’, Cruise 1927-1928 with footage from the Red Star Line Museum, Antwerp (B) Film and music composed by Peter Vermeersch › modernski research project 20th century works: work in progress

› Boggamasta with David Bovée

› The Oyster Princess 100th anniversary tour of ‘Die Austernprinzessin’(1919) › 20th Anniversary ‘Best of’ tour Best Of selection of 20 years of repertoire and more unreliable music!

› Boggamasta new album

2014

2015

2016

2017 & 2018

2019 & 2020

2020

projects

Former FES concerts include:FESTIVALS Ciclo Nova, Bogota, Medellin & Bucaramanga, Colombia (2018), Zappanale, Bad Doberan, Germany (2018), Ottawa International Jazz Festival (2014, 2016), Rochester International Jazz Festival (2014, 2016), Vancouver International Jazz Festival (2006, 2007, 2016), Festival Música Estranha, Saõ Paulo & Rio de Janeiro (2015), Tokyo Jazz Festival (2014), Ljubljana Jazz Festival (2015), Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige, Bolzano (2015), International Jazz Festival Nisville (2010), Skopje Jazz Festival (2010), Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (2007), Ghent Jazz (2003, 2008, 2016), Jazz Middelheim (2003, 2009, 2012), North Sea Jazz Festival (2006, 2008, 2012), JazzFest Berlin (2006), Moers Music (2005), London Jazz Festival (2007), Jazzfestival Saalfelden (2007), Festival de las Artes de Naucalpan, Mexico City (2008), Festival Músicas do Mundo, Sines (2008, 2015), Jazz à Luz (2008), Bath Music Festival (2013), Brighton Festival (2009), Europa Jazz Festival, Le Mans (2009), Jazz festival Montreux (2009), Vossa Jazz (2010), Sziget Festival, Budapest (2010), Pordenone Silent Film Festival (2006), Ruhrtriennale (2003) a.o.

VENUES La Usina del Arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2018), Teatro Mayor, Bogota, Colombia (2018), Lincoln Center, New York (2011), Museum of Moving Image, New York (2011), Kennedy Center, Washington (2011), La sala Rossa, Montreal (2016), Unterfahrt, Munich (2010, 2015, 2018), Domicil, Dortmund (2003, 2016), Porgy & Bess, Vienna (2013, 2015), A38, Budapest (2013), Hiroshima mon amour, Torino (2004), Rohstoffl ager, Zürich (2004), Paradiso, Amsterdam (2004), Elysée Montmartre, Paris (2004), Astoria, London (2004), Trafó, Budapest (2005, 2010), Wiener Konzerthaus (2006), Bimhuis, Amsterdam (2008, 2015, 2018), Philharmonie Luxembourg (2008) a.o.

cds

2000LIVE AT THE BEURSSCHOUWBURG(VIA RECORDS)

2000BONK(ZONK!)

2001LARF(ZONK!)

2002MINOES(ZONK!)

2002TRAP(ZONK!)

201313(IGLOO RECORDS)

2007DIE AUSTERNPRINZESSIN(CINEMATEK BRUSSELS)

2016S.S. BELGENLAND(RED STAR LINE MUSEUM)

2014BOOT & BERG(IGLOO RECORDS)

2014CALL SHEETS, RIDERS & CHICKEN MUSHROOM(IGLOO RECORDS)

2016TERMS OF EMBARRASSMENT(IGLOO RECORDS)

2017BOGGAMASTA(IGLOO RECORDS)

2018UNTITLED #0(IGLOO RECORDS)

2009CHEER ME, PERVERTS!(CRAMMED DISCS)

2003HELIOGABAL(KLARA)

2004ISMS(IPECAC & BOMBA RECORDS)

2006PSYCHOSCOUT(CRAMMED DISCS & BOMBA RECORDS)

2003THE ARMSTRONG MUTATIONS(ZONK!)

2009ANSWER SONGS(ZONK!)

dvds

Anniek Vanheeanniek@fes.beM + 32 (0) 497 812 832Belgium

Marc Meeuwissen marc@fes.be T +32 (0) 3 281 8001M +32 (0) 485 672 644

Flat Earth Society receives structural subsidies from the Flemish Government and the City of Ghent

www.FES.BE

THE OYSTER PRINCESS, ERNST LUBITSCH (1919) © Geert Brams

PROJECTS 2019-2020

100th anniversary of ‘The Oyster Princess’ (Die Austernprinzessin), Ernst Lubitsch 1919 / 64’00”On tour in 2019 and 2020 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of FES. For this reprise we use the restored Murnau version of the film, in truly exceptional image quality! Watch the complete film on: http://www.fes.be/PRO

‘The Oyster Princess’ tells the story of oyster tycoon Quaker, a man so rich he even has a butler to hold his cigar while he smokes. The one thing left that could possibly impress king Quaker, would be to have his daughter Ossi marry a bona fide prince. He finds a poor prince, prince Nucki, who in turn sends his friend Joseph to get an idea of what Ossi is like... ‘The Oyster Princess’ marks a turning point in director Ernst Lubitsch’ comedy work. He leaves the slapstick behind and evolves toward a sophisticated form of satire. The target of his humour in this case is the American bourgeoisie, personified by the wealthy businessman ‘the Oyster King’. Laced with sour humour, we hear the story of the boundless wealth of the American bourgeoisie in the twenties and the snobbish attitude of the impoverished European aristocracy. Lubitsch is known mainly for his Hollywood-period in the 1940’s and 1950’s with ‘The Shop Around the Corner’, ‘Ninotchka’, ‘Heaven can wait’ and many others.

For the 2005 edition of the Flanders International Film Festival – Ghent, Peter Vermeersch wrote the music and FES accompanied this film live. This project combines a director of historical importance with the refreshing FES approach and therefore appeals not only to the habitual audience of music lovers but also to film fans.

Best Of FES - 20th anniversary Best Of selection from 16 albums over two decades, unreleased material and more unreliable music.Listen to the complete longlist on: http://www.fes.be/FES20

BOGGAMASTA with David Bovée - new album in 2020David Bovée was the first FES guitarist from 1999 till 2003. After four years he left the band to develop his own project ‘Think of One’ (BBC Radio 3 World Music Award in 2004 and 2007). Bovée and Vermeersch went to work, wrote numbers and came up with raw and critical lyrics, instruments and cast were adapted. An exuberant repertoire, direct, energetic and frenzied music: feverish, delirious and groovy, and lots of electro! The first Boggamasta album was released in 2017 on IGLOO Records and toured in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Colombia and Argentina. Listen to the complete album on: http://www.fes.be/PRO

INFO AND BOOKINGS:

CAFe BUDAPEST, CONTEMPORARY ARTS FESTIVAL, BMC (2018) © POSZTÓS JÁNOS

CONTINUOUS PROJECTS

FILM PROJECTS MUSIC BY PETER VERMEERSCH PERFORMED LIVE BY FES

HearSeeA film concert with a variety of films, spheres, lengths and from different periods, in dialogue with new music:Fantasmagorie & Les Locataires, two short animated films by Emile Cohl - 1909 / 1’50” + 4’30”Obitateli (Inhabitants), obscure film by the equally obscure Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Pelechian - 1970 / 8’30”*The Mystery Of The Leaping Fish, Christy Cabanne and John Emerson, with Douglas Fairbanks - 1916 / 23’10”Ear to the ground, Kit Fitzgerald and John Sanborn - David van Tieghem drumming in the streets of New York 1979 / 4’33”*Revival of Organisms, anonymous Soviet film - 1950, re-edited by Trisha De Cuyper and Jan Lapeire - 2011 / 8’30”*Unconditional Lucifer, Wim Delvoye - 1999 / 7’*Twaalfde Groote Prijs Van Brasschaet, Van Volxem - cycling report from1932 / 12’*Meet Luke Devereaux, Trisha De Cuyper and Jan Lapeyre - 2011 / 5’32”*MA VOUT-O-REENEE, Geert Dijkers and Marc Meeuwissen, typographical scat - 2011 / 4’*Rain, documentary by Joris Ivens showing a passing rain shower in Amsterdam from various perspectives - 1929 / 11’42”*Vermicular Voyage, landscapes outside, landscapes inside, a picture montage by Peter Vermeersch - 2011 / 8’30”Alice in Wonderland, Cecil Hepworth, restored by the British Film Institute - 1903 / 8’30”

s.s. Belgenland Red Star Line ‘Around the world in 133 days’, Cruise 1927-1928 / 38’*The Red Star Line ship s.s. Belgenland sailed the world six times. Recently 16 rolls of film of its third voyage in 1927-1928 surfaced. They turned out to contain the travelogue of the Olsen family from Chicago, it must be one of the first home movies ever made. The footage was professionally restored by Cinematek, Peter Vermeersch re-edited and wrote a new score.

* Watch the complete films on: http://www.fes.be/PRO

MODERNSKI – A SELECTION OF LESSER KNOWN 20TH CENTURY WORKS ‘Modernski’ (referring to the nickname that Schönberg invented for Stravinsky), initiated in 2006 as part of the Flanders Festival, is a work in progress; the repertoire grows year by year.

A selection:Ebony Concerto, Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Stop Time Rag, Scott Joplin (1868-1917) Zehn Märsche, um den Sieg zu verfehlen, Mauricio Kagel (1931-2008) Intersections, Tom Dissevelt / The Skymasters (1921-1989) Non loin de la Chine, Ennio Morricone (1928)5 bagatellen, György Ligeti (1923-2006)Rapsodie Nègre, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)