Duo Bizart

Claude Debussy : 6 Epigraphes antiques (1915)
1. Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d’été
2. Pour un tombeau sans nom
3. Pour que la nuit soit propice
4. Pour la danseuse aux crotales
5. Pour l’égyptienne
6. Pour remercier la pluie au matin

Nikolai Kapustin : Sinfonietta for Piano 4-Hands Op. 49 (1986)

1. Overture

2. Slow Waltz

3. Intermezzo

4. Rondo

A duo of pianists on 1 and 2 pianos, the duo b!z’art was founded in 2004 by Geoffrey Baptiste and André Roe after their studies, having met in the class of Professor Evgeny Moguilevsky at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels. b!z’art or bizarre? Endowed with a strong artistic personality, motivated by a constant search for cohesion and precision, this duo (or rather a single person with 20 fingers?) is out of the ordinary and déjà vu… Passionate and committed musicians, Geoffrey and André like to share their love of music wherever they can take it, with great simplicity and complicity with the public. Every year, they make numerous tours across Europe (Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Baltic Republics, Slovenia, Croatia,…) as well as in China. Influenced by their musical tastes ranging from romanticism to 20th century music, their concerts revolve around strong and original themes (An American in Paris, Aboard the Orient Express, Tales and Legends…) combining undisputed masterpieces with unjustly forgotten works. Alongside these recitals, they also offer musical performances where the concert is lived as a “complete” experience, combining music, theatre and visual projection, during which they ensure that the spectator lives a passionate artistic story. In addition, they attach great importance to sharing their passion with the young and regularly propose educational concerts for children, whether in partnership with cultural institutions (cultural centres, theatres, festivals, etc.) or directly in schools.

Geoffrey Baptiste Having always been attracted by playing music with other people and by the pleasure of communication it provides, it is not surpising that, at the end of his studies at the Conservatory’s of Liège and Brussels, Geoffrey persued a carrer as a chamber musician and a orchestral pianist. He founded three chamber music ensembles: the duo b!z’art, the duo dzeta (piano and violin, with Aude Miller), and the trio Oxymore (with the violinist Emilie Belaud and clarinetist Pierre Xhonneux). Besides these chamber music concerts, Geoffrey has given over 100 concerts since 2006 as a piano and celesta player within the Liege Royal Philharmonic. He also works with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonie Zuidnederland. In January 2010, he played the Fantasy on Polish Airs of F. Chopin, accompanied by the Liege Royal Philharmonic conducted by François-Xavier Roth. Parallel to his artistic activities, Geoffrey shares his passion for music as a piano teacher and accompanist in several music academies. Geoffrey is also a winner of various competitions in Belgium, France and Italy, including Dexia Classics where he was honored as a chamber musician and as a concert pianist.

André Roe Born in a Belgian and English family, André graduated from the Royal Conservatories of Liège and Brussels (class of E. Moguilevsky), the « Koninglijk Conservatorium van Brussel » and the « Ecole Normale Alfred Cortot de Paris » (class of S. Markarov). He obtained numerous awards for young musicians in Belgium, France and Italy, including Dexia Classics as well as the Peleman’s Prize awarded by the Belgian Composers Union for his interpretation of the national repertoire. André shares his love of music with the public with the duo b!z’art, but also as an orchestral keyboard player. He frequently collaborates with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra, the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Air Force Music of Belgium, the Royal Opera Orchestra of Wallonia, The Lucilin Ensemble, the Solistes Européens Luxembourg. He played the continuo part (organ, harpsichord) of nearly a hundred Bach Cantatas (Chapelle des Minimes) and among others, the piano part of Stravinsky’s Petroushka and Firebird (Luxembourg Philharmonie), Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana (Paris Philharmonie), SaintSaëns Carnival of Animals (Liège Philharmonie), and the glockenspiel part in Mozart’s Magic Flute (Wallonia Royal Opera), Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie,… André passes on his passion as an accompanist and piano teacher at the Ettelbruck Music Conservatory in Luxembourg, after having taught at the Royal Conservatories of Liège and Brussels as well as at the « Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie » in Namur.