BL!NDMAN IN TRANSITION

Dear friends, colleagues,

 
Forty years ago, in 1986, I began experimenting with acoustic solo performances among iconic artworks at what was then the Museum of Contemporary Art under Jan Hoet.

The following year, I brought together four saxophonists who, rooted in a ‘classical’ musical idiom, embraced an unconventional and inquisitive approach to composition, performance, and the exploration of new playing techniques. The premiere concert of the brand new BL!NDMAN QUARTET took place on the 3rd of March 1988 in a packed Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, during the opening of De stoute jaren / Les années chocs, an exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of the May ’68 revolution. Could it have been more symbolic?

Over the years, BL!NDMAN has grown into a music ensemble made up of several quartets, consistently and consciously presenting relevant performances — from and in relation to other art forms.

 

Thirty-eight years after that first BL!NDMAN premiere, and 2500 concerts later, I wish to pass on my life’s work, however personal it may be, to a new generation. I gave myself five years to find someone who could carry BL!NDMAN forward and lead it towards new horizons with contemporary insights and fiery drive. I have found these successors in the duo of music philosopher and dramaturg Tomas Serrien and composer-musician Ward De Ketelaere. Together, we are now working on a transition to the future.

Since spring 2025, I have handed over my role as artistic and musical director to them. I will remain active as general director until the end of 2027, but with a clear intention: to create space for a new generation. In 2028, the year in which we will celebrate forty years of BL!NDMAN, I will pass on the torch definitively.

 

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the people and institutions who have made, and continue to make, the BL!NDMAN journey possible.

I thank Kaaitheater, deSingel, Concertgebouw Brugge, Flagey, Toneelgroep Amsterdam / ITA, Mousonturm Frankfurt, Gessnerallee Zürich, Trafó Budapest, Archa Theater Prague, and so many other venues that offered BL!NDMAN residencies and programme our concerts.

I thank Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent, Paul Van Nevel and Huelgas Ensemble, Ictus, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Meg Stuart, Heiner Goebbels, Ivo van Hove, Jan Fabre, Johan Simons, Guy Cassiers, Kris Verdonck and Hans Op de Beeck, and all the artists with whom I have been able — and continue — to share unforgettable collaborations.

I thank the record labels Subrosa, BMG, Universal, EMI and Warner Classics for their trust.

I also thank the BL!NDMAN team behind the scenes, but above all the musicians, without whom my life’s work could never have existed.

And of course, I thank the audience — ever hungry for challenging art and poetry — for listening, for following, and for accompanying us on our journey.

 

All the best,

Eric Sleichim