Frans Blanker (Rotterdam, 8 May 1973)

from september 2021: founder of Atelier 21, gallery owner
composer (autonomous and commissioned)
performing musician: saxophone, piano, Live Electronics (EWI, keys, VST’s, soundscape programming), percussion
fine art photographer & videographer
curator of the arts
Education

RMDS (Rotterdamse Muziek en Dans School, currently: SKVR, link (interview with Frans, Dutch only)
Mavo voor Ballet en Muziek, currently: Codarts Lyceum, link (interview with Frans on the occasion of the 60th anniversary, Dutch only)
Rotterdam Conservatory (Codarts), Saxophone/Jazz

From 1985 (a.o.):
• Various performances with Cape Verdean (Danilo Tavares, Grace Evora, Jorge lizardo) and Surinam/Antillean musicians from and in Rotterdam
• Josephstreet Katapult Gang - SKVR orchestra 'Oude Westen Rotterdam’, performances (a.o.) Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Toon Je Kunst (De Doelen, Rotterdam), Stuif es in, Radio Rijnmond
• Havo voor Muziek en Dans Big Band under the guidance of Jacques van de Veerdonk - performances in France (cultural exchange 1989, Rennes) and Japan (World Expo 1990, Osaka)

From 1992 to 2020 (a.o.):
• Loïs Lane - 1992 t/m 1993, tv and live performances (a.o.): De Kuip/Rotterdam, Thialf, RAI, support act Youssou N’Dour/Dakar, Senegal and cd-recording
• North Sea Big Band - performances on lead alto (a.o.) De Doelen (Grote Zaal with Louis van Dijk) and cd-recordings with Ferdinand Povel, Ack van Rooijen, Chuck Findley, Conte Candoli in Studio 44 by Max Bolleman
• Bob Brookmeyer Big Band - performances Rotterdam Conservatory and radioconcert Tros Sesjun
• Total Touch - performances (a.o.) ‘Paradiso Amsterdam’, nightclub ‘Naar Boven’, and cd-recording
• Lynn Collins - European tour, (a.o.) London, Paris, Berlin (Tränenpalast)
• Plexus (jazz sextet) - tour Indonesia (Jak Fest, Djakarta)
• All The King’s Men - 1994-1996 with Jan van Duikeren, Lo van Gorp, a.o.
• Candy Dulfer - tour 1998 V.S., (a.o.) New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaï and cd-recording
• Corrie en de Grote Brokken from 1994 - several tours Dutch stages as Paard, Nighttown, Patronaat, Paradiso, Dr. Anton Philipszaal, North Sea Jazz Festival '99 and cd-recording, see link
• New Cool Collective Big Band 1998 - 2001, (a.o.) North Sea Jazz ’00 and ’01, Big Mondays café Meander, Jazzcafe London and cd-recording
• The Postmen - tour 1998 (a.o.) Pink Pop, Westergasfabriek and cd-recording
• Golden Earring - album-recording ‘Paradise In Distress’
• Hans Dulfer - album-recording ‘Big Boy’
• Zuco103 - album-recording ‘Outro Lado’
• Pieter de Mast - composition assignment and album-recording 'Windstreken' review 'Aki no kaze', 2005
• Maurice Rugebregt - album-recording 'Sioh Maluku'
• Metalektro 2008/2010 - AV project; composition, soundtrack programming and videography videolink, 2008
• Instant Ovulation 2009 - AV/Instant composing project in association with (a.o.) painter Daniëlle Luinge
• Zonnemaire Buitengewoon - various collaborations with organiser Jaap Verseput
• Sonnema - Latin-jazz from Schouwen-Duiveland, with John Muis
• Von Neumann Machine 2011 - Project album; electronic dance music in irregular time signatures link
• Scapes 2016 - AV project in association with Atelier Victoria Kloek
• Muziek in de zeilen 2019 - a musical sailing adventure with Wiebe Radstake
• Mark Ritsema’s Roxy Jazz Music - 2018/19, performances (a.o. Dizzy, Rotown, Nacht van de Kaap, Jazz in de Gracht) and album recording link
• Theatergroep Zierik 2019- composition and performing pianist, percussionist and saxophonist, ‘De Jossen’ (Tom Lanoye). 2022 - composition and live acoustic piano accompaniment 'Struisvogels op de Coolsingel’

Freelance saxophonist with:
• Back To Basic (Theo Braams, Tjeerd van Zanen) support act Joe Cocker (Ahoy Rotterdam) and Tower Of Power
• Swinging Soul Machine (Carré Amsterdam, Otis Redding jr., The Three Degrees)
• Cubop City Big Band
• Ruud Bos Big Band (Barend en Van Dorp - tv, a.o.)
• Little Big Band (duo with Carlos Lake, support act Oleta Adams, PWA Zaal a.o.)
• The JayHorns (with Jel Jonge) Wisseloord Studios (various), Paul de Leeuw Show (tv), ‘t Dak eraf (tv), a.o.
• John Sinclair & Mark Ritsema (poetry & music)

• Various interdisciplinary projects with Live Electronics (VST’s, samples, EWI/keys) 2020-2025, including - Sabotage in de speeltuin, Angelika Geronymaki, Tato Wesselo, Bibian Scheepstra a.o.
• Extern examinator Codart’s final saxophone exams

From 2001 to present:
Founder Mefisto Music Publishers. First publication 'Studies For Saxophone' (MM001, 2001): free download (pdf) here

Various publications and assignments, o.a. Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (2004) and Het Orgelpark Amsterdam link (performed by o.a. Hayo Boerema, organ and Isabella Scholte, soprano - 2006)