- Culture , Student
- 25/04/2024
TU/e currently houses three music associations. Quadrivium for classical music, Modern for contemporary music and Studentproof for all jazz-related genres. “At first, there was only Quadrivium. They had a big band that wanted to become independent and from that, Studentproof emerged,” explains Joost Brandes, Activity Commissioner at Studentproof and saxophonist.
For a long time, Studentproof ranked among the smaller associations, but over the past four years, its membership has more than doubled. “Before the pandemic, we had 50 members and now we’re at around 125, so we’ve grown quite fast,” says Brandes proudly. He says this growth is thanks to a number of big events such as “Whiskey & Jazz” and “Gin & Jazz” where attendees could do tastings accompanied – of course – by jazz music. “This generated a lot of publicity, also among many people who didn’t know about us before,” says Emilia Beńke, secretary of Studentproof and pianist. Apart from that, the growing number of Studentproof bands also plays a role, she says. “We have 14 of them now, many of which have their own gigs. This also helps increase our visibility.”
Four celebrations
The lustrum month consists of four activities. A gala, a cantus, a jam session and the jazz festival. The first two activities are exclusively for members or former members, but everyone is welcome at the jam session and the festival; members, non-members, TU/e students and non-TU/e students. In fact, there is a “the more the merrier” policy, so be sure to bring your friends, Brandes emphasizes.
Jam session
The jam session will kick off on May 1, 8 p.m. at "Fifth NRE”. “It’s going to be a bit like our monthly jam sessions at Hubble, but on a slightly larger scale and a little more special because of the lustrum month,” Beńke explains. “Everyone is free to climb up on stage and make music together.” But of course, sitting back and listening is also perfectly fine. According to both Brandes and Beńke, Studentproof’s jam sessions provide an excellent opportunity to get to know the association. “It’s what inspired me to join Studentproof,” says Brandes. By the way, you don’t need to be versed in classical jazz to join the jazz association. “We stretch the genre a bit, as long as it’s jazz-related,” says Beńke.
Tickets for the jam session are completely free and can be reserved via this link.
The first Studentproof jazz festival
The month will be wrapped up in style at “Microstad” with the first-ever Studentproof jazz festival 'Jazzed Up'. “Gin & Jazz” drew 650 visitors last year. We expect the festival to break this record,” says Beńke. The lineup consists of 14 bands: 12 from the Studentproof pool and two external ones. “The external bands are the Eindhoven big band – Eindhoven Jazz Orchestra – and De Baron,” Brandes says. “Studium Generale sponsored De Baron for us. From what I’ve heard, they really know how to throw a party.”
Like the jam session, the festival is open to everyone, free of charge, you just need to reserve your tickets. This can be done via this link.
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