The Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (Dutch: ''Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten - FHK'') is a Dutch vocational university of the arts located in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...

, part of the Fontys Hogescholen. The School originated from the merging of various educational institutions that had existed in different capacity before being united under the Fontys group. Among the precursors of the School was the Brabants Conservatorium, one of the nine conservatoires in the Netherlands. The earliest predecessors of the School were originally part of the ''RK Leergangen'', a Catholic education institution that settled in Tilburg in 1918 after being originally established in 1912. The various art institutes that form the school came under the Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland in 1991, which in 1996 rebranded as Fontys Hogescholen. Since 2005, they have all been located in the same venue in a building known as ''Kunstkluster'' ('Art cluster'). Fontys offers various

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

and

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

degree programmes in English and in Dutch, across different fields in

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

Academics

The School is divided into four sectors: Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Theatre.

Music

The Music sector is formed by: * Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA), formerly known as the Conservatorium * Academie voor Muziekeducatie * Rockacademie * Master of Music

History

The ''Conservatorium'' in Tilburg was established in 1918 by Hendrik Moller under the ''RK Leergangen'', a Catholic educational institution. Originally a private music school for children and amateurs, it grew into a more formal institution under the leadership of pianist and organist Willem van Kalmthout. In 1929, it moved into a building in the Bosscheweg, an area now part of Tivolistraat. In 1954, it became an independent institution under the Stitchting Brabants Conservatorium en Muziekschool. Under director Willem Goedhard, the Conservatoire, now known as ''Brabants Conservatorium'', obtained formal recognition from the government. The school grew as Goedhard managed to attract several talented teachers from the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

. In 1971, the ''Brabants Conservatorium'' moved to the former monastery on the Kampenbaan, known as the Cenakel, together with the ''Dansacademie''. Under the leadership of Andries Clement, who became director in 1975, the conservatoire grew to over 500 students. In 1984, it returned under the umbrella of the ''RK Leergangen'', which in 1991 merged with other institutions into the Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland, known from 1996 as Fontys Hogescholen. As the facilities at the Cenakel were deemed unsuitable for the rising student numbers, in 1996 the ''Fontys Conservatorium'' moved, together with the ''Dansacademie'', into the so-called ''Kunstkluster'', a new building designed by

Jo Coenen Jo Coenen (born 30 September 1949, in Heerlen) is a Dutch architect and urban planner. He studied architecture at the Eindhoven University of Technology (graduating in 1975), and later held professorships at TU Karlsruhe, Eindhoven University o ...

on the Bischop Zwijsenstraat. In 2005, they were joined by the ''Rockacademie'', ''Academie voor Theater'', ''Beeldende Vorming'' and ''Architectuur en stedebow'' to bring all sectors of the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts under the same roof. In 2017, the ''Conservatorium'' changed names to ''Academy of Music and Performing Arts'' (''AMPA''), coinciding with the switch to offering courses fully taught in English. The ''Rockacademie'' was established in 1999 by Bertus Borgers and Gerard Boontje as an independent institution and it was originally located in the Veemarktkwartier, near the

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

venue 013, before moving to the 'Kunstkluster' in 2005.

Former Directors

*Willem van Kalmthout (1918-1943) *Phons Dusch (1944-1955) *Willem Goedhart (1955-1964) *Louis Toebosch (1965-1972) *Andries Clement (1975-1994) *Marcel Pinkse (1995-2000) *Martien van Woerkom (2001-2004) *Jan Wirken (2004-2011) *Raf De Keninck (2012-2019)

Courses of studies

The AMPA currently offers a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of pre ...

taught in English, with programmes both in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Next to instrument and ensemble playing, emphasis is also given to artistic research, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinarity, international connectedness and self-management. Additionally, the AMPA offers a pre-bachelor program as well as a course for musicians aged 8 to 18 known as the Young Musicians Academy. The Academie voor Muziekeducatie offers a

programme taught in Dutch, focused on

teacher training Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...

for musicians and preparing the students for a career in

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

. The Rockacademie offers a Dutch-taught

programme in

, in which the students can experience different domains such as music,

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and sound & music technology and ultimately specialise as

performer The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfor ...

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, business manager, skills and bandcoach,

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

. The Master of Music is a

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

programme for musicians. The characteristic of this programme is that it is highly personalised: each students receives a two-year scholarship and must use it to tailor their curriculum in accordance with their artistic and professional needs. They can use their budget to take courses at Fontys as well as at other institutions or with independent artists.

Visual Arts

The Visual Arts sector (Dutch: ''Sector Beeldende Vorming'') is formed by: * Academie voor Beeldende Vorming (ABV) * Academy of Art, Communicatie and Design (ArtCoDe) * Master of Architecture and Master of Urbanism * Master Kunsteducatie,

History

When Hendrik Moller established the ''RK Leergangen'' in 1912, it included a

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

course. Originally located in Amsterdam, the ''RK Leergangen'' moved to

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

in 1913 and ultimately to Tilburg in 1918. After expanding with a section in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, the institution took the name of ''Academie voor Beeldende en Technische Vakken'' and from 1920, ''Academie voor Beeldende en Bouwende Kunsten''. From the beginning it offered a course that combined teaching training with autonomous artistic expression. At the end of the 1950s, the architecture department separated from the institution, which then took the name ''Academie voor Opleiding tot Teken- en Handvaardigheidsleraren''. In 1972 the school changed names again to ''Academie voor Leraren Tekenen en Handenarbeid'' and gained its current name, ''Academie voor Beeldende Vorming'', in 1978. When the school had moved to Tilburg in 1918, it was originally based in the Lange Schijfstraat and later moved to the Vincentiusstraat, to the Bosscheweg (now Tivolistraat) and then to the Professor Cobbenhagenlaan. The school had in the meantime become part of the Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland, known from 1996 as Fontys Hogescholen. Following the impetus to group all arts education in Tilburg under the same roof, the ABV moved to the ''Kunstkluster'' on the Bischop Zwijsenstraat in 2005.

Courses of studies

The Academie voor Beeldende Vorming offers a Dutch-taught

programme focused on

in the field of arts and design. Students learn art practice in different fields of the

while training to teach art in different context. They prepare for a career in

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, de ...

, in schools, museums and more. The Academy of Art, Communicatie and Design offers a Dutch-taught

program in

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

. Students experience different fields of design, from

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

spatial design Spatial design is a relatively new conceptual design discipline that crosses the boundaries of traditional design specialisms such as architecture, landscape architecture, landscape design, interior design, urban design and service design as well as ...

, specialising in one by the end of the course. At

level, Fontys offers three

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Art Education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, de ...

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and

Urbanism Urbanism is the study of how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment. It is a direct component of disciplines such as urban planning, which is the profession focusing on the physical design and ...

. The ''Master Kunsteducatie'' (Master in Art Education) is offered in Dutch over two years, while the two MSc programmes in Architecture and Urbanism are offered in English over four years. All three are offered

part time Part Time (stylized as PARTIME) was an American pop band that was fronted by California-based musician David Loca (also credited as David Speck). Loca produced and wrote virtually all of the band's output, with most of their studio recordings c ...

and are oriented towards combining work and study at the same time.

Dance

The Dance sector is formed by: * Dance Academy * Academie voor Danseducatie * Master of Choreography.

History

The ''Dansacademie'' was established in Tilburg in 1965 and has since the beginning been closely associated to the ''Brabants Conservatorium''. In 1975 it moved to the Cenakel on the Kampenbaan, formerly a monastery, together the ''Conservatorium''. Both institutions moved to the new ''Kunstkluster'' on the Bischop Zwijsenstraat in 1996.

Courses of studies

The Dance Academy offers a Bachelor of Dance programme taught in English, with three different specialisations after a shared first year: two profiles in Dance Arts in Context, (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

and Contemporary

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

), and one in

Choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

. The training and research programme includes a wide range of performance and movement practices. Students are encouraged to be creators of and performers in their own work. The Academie voor Danseducatie offers a Dutch-taught

preparing students for a career in Dance education. The

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

is jointly offered by Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts together with Codarts University of the Arts in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. At this

programme offered in English across Tilburg and Rotterdam, students are supposed to carry out research into questions initiating from their current practice.

Theatre

The Theatre sector is formed by: * Academie voor Theater * Academie voor Muziek- en musicaltheater * Academy of Circus and Performing Arts (ACaPA) * Master Performing in Public Spaces.

History

The ''Academie voor Theater'' traces its origins back to the ''Academie voor Drama'' established in

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Dommel The Dommel is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands, left tributary of the Dieze. It is 120 km long, of which 85 km in the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop, Tongelreep, Run, Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merg ...

in Eindhoven. Originally, the Academie had three areas of study: acting, directing, and teaching. After a few years, the school profiled itself towards

specifically, with a program focused on 'docerend theatermaking' ('Teaching Theatremaking'). After being incorporated in Fontys Hogescholen, the school moved to Tilburg and became part of the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in 2005.

Courses of studies

The

programme in 'Docerend Theatermaker' ('Teaching Theatremaking') is offered in Dutch and combines acting and theatre practice with

Dramaturgy Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the Representation (arts), representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The term first appears in the eponymous work ''Hamburg Dramaturgy'' (1767–69) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing ...

and

. Two

programmes are offered in the field of

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

, one focused on

and the other on

. Both are taught in Dutch. The Academy of Circus and Performance Art offers a

programme taught in English, training students in the profession of circus performer across a variety of

circus skills Circus skills are a group of disciplines that have been performed as entertainment in circus, sideshow, busking, or variety, vaudeville, or music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by non-per ...

Building

The Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts is located in a building on the Bischop Zweijsenstraat, at the southern side of the Tilburg city centre. Known as ''Kunstkluster'' ('Art cluster'), this building includes a concert hall and is connected with a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

to the Stadsschouwburg, designed by Bernard Bijvoet and Gerard Holt in 1961. The ''Kunstkluster'' was developed in two phases. The first phase, completed in 1996, included the Concert Hall, the Conservatorium and the Dansacademie. The second phase was opened on 4 November 2005, when all other institutions previously located around Tilburg merged under the same roof. Designed by architect

, the new building incorporated existing elements, such as a 19th-century former

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

with an organ hall and

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

as well as a

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

former

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

built in 1895. The building is designed around a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

known as ''Muzentuin'' ('Garden of the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...

'). The various sections of the building have different architectural styles, but they are all connected through a long corridor along which the entrances to classrooms, rehearsal studios and other spaces are placed. The northern entrance is hidden behind a

patio A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed str ...

-shaped square, where the entrance to the Concert Hall is also located. The Concert Hall, with its 840 seats, is a distinct feature as it rises in a curved shape above the square building.

References

External links

Official Website in Dutch

{{Authority control Performing arts education in the Netherlands Music schools in the Netherlands Dance schools in the Netherlands Drama schools in the Netherlands Education in North Brabant Organisations based in North Brabant Buildings and structures in Tilburg