Frans Roovers (NL)

Play, discover and experiment with us.

During Cultura Nova, the café at the Nieuwe Nor will be transformed into a playground for electronic music for the very first time. No stage, no rules, no pressure to perform. Bring your own analogue or modular synth and make music together with others. Sometimes a bit chaotic, sometimes magical, but always surprising.

The evening will be led by Frans Roovers, a lecturer in sound engineering, music and a sound artist. He’ll help with ensemble playing and improvisation. You listen to one another, respond to one another and work together to build sounds and textures that emerge on the spot. Everyone plays through their own speaker; all the speakers are scattered around the room. That’s how you discover what playing together really feels like. ‘Bring Your Own Synth’ is therefore not a concert; it’s a meeting place, a playground and an experiment. Anyone with a synth can take part, whether you’re just starting out or have been playing for years: you take part at your own level.

The organiser, Frans Roovers (1973), studied electronics at the MTS and (ortho)pedagogical music practice and music teaching at the Maastricht Conservatoire. He worked for many years as a music teacher in secondary education and in higher professional education. He now lives and works in Heerlen as an educational consultant and lecturer in sound engineering. As a musician, he has performed at various underground festivals and exhibited a range of sound installations at art events and exhibitions in the Netherlands and Germany, all deeply rooted in electronic music.