Gabriele di Franco, born in Italy and naturalized Belgian, is a multi-award-winning composer, writer, and guitarist, whose music blends jazz roots, classical influences, and modern grooves into emotionally rich, story-driven works. With a dramaturgical approach to composition, he crafts music that unfolds like a story — where every note is a character, every silence a breath in the narrative.
He graduated in 2014 with a degree in Jazz Guitar from the Nino Rota Conservatory (IT) and completed an additional year of studies at the renowned Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. In 2018, he earned a Master’s degree in Composition and Arrangement at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he studied under composers such as Kris Defoort, Lode Mertens, and Peter Swinnen. He also regularly takes private lessons with composers including Michel Bisceglia (BE), Ed Partyka (USA), and John Hollenbeck (USA).
He is currently pursuing a postmaster’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Michel Bisceglia, dedicated to researching how music can guide, transform, or emphasize scenes in cinematic and animated storytelling. As a final project, he is composing a new score for “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” (1926) by Lotte Reiniger — the world’s oldest surviving animated feature. This reimagining offers a space to merge historical film with contemporary musical insight.
Gabriele has developed an extensive discography and regularly composes for both large and small ensembles, which has earned him several awards and recognitions, including: 3rd Prize – “Spheres of a Genius” Composition Competition by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & JamMusicLab Vienna – “5-08-15 for Carla” for Symphony Orchestra (Austria, 2023) Special Prize – Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition – “Nguè” (Japan, 2023) 1st Prize – Scrivere in Jazz International Composition & Arrangement Competition for Jazz Orchestra – “Betsabea” (Italy, 2022) Special Prize & Mention – Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition – “Berlin” (Japan, 2022) Special Prize – Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition – “Acqua” (Japan, 2022) Winner Composer – European Composers (Sound of a Generation), SJO/CGN (Germany, 2021) 3rd Prize – Helsinki International Big Band Composing Contest – “Berlin” (Finland, 2021) Winner – Elevator Jazz Pitch, injazz.nl, Berthold Records – LULELA (Netherlands, 2019) Gabriele is also active in the opera and music-theatre field, in fact, in 2021 premiered LULELA – Lui, Lei, L’Altro (LOD muziektheater): a layered jazz concert with narration, where the fate of the protagonist—and the direction of the entire performance—was determined by the audience. In LULELA, Gabriele explored reading as a theatrical experience, transforming the audience into active participants who influenced the development of the story, chapter by chapter. This was achieved through the use of animated projections of text, providing a vivid and imaginative reading experience that fostered a strong connection between the audience, the narrator, and the performers.
For LULELA, Gabriele was the composer, writer, performer, and director.
In January 2021, LULELA was published in book form by Albatros il Filo, and received multiple awards and recognitions: High Mention for Cultural Merit – Mr. Hyde Awards 2021 2nd Prize – International Award “Europa in Versi”, Como 2021 Critic’s Award – Nero su Bianco, Mino De Blasio Literary Prize (10th edition), 2022 2nd Prize (Published Books Category) – Literary Award “Canti…di versi” (2nd edition), 2022 Gabriele is also passionate about teaching. He has experience in both public and private sectors as a guitar teacher and as an instructor in jazz arrangement, composition, and theory. He currently teaches Composition, Guitar, and Theory at the Wilrijk Academy Antwerpen (Belgium).

Machiel Heremans and Rebekka Van Bockstal, together No Wasabi, is an experimental guitar duo that takes the listeners on a musical trip with loops, echoes and other effects. The two guitar players met each other at the conservator of Brussels were they found out a shared passion for composing, effects, free improvisation and sound. These elements are also main aspects in the music of No Wasabi. The self titled first album is a powerful but intimate story in which echo plays an important part because of the album was recorded in a church. The combination of improvised sketches and composed music blends into a fresh creative collection of songs in which different boundaries are explored.

From a music-lover family, Pierre-Antoine Savoyat blows his first notes on cornet at the Conservatoire de Villefranche-sur-Saône (France). Curious and passionate, he tries and dug a lot of different music styles (free improvisation, jazz, piano, trending music,...) during his teenage years. As a self-taught musician, he composes his first bars at only eight years old. After studying at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Chalon sur Saône, where he obtains a triple musical diploma in Jazz (Olivier Py, Fred Nardin...) Classical Trumpet (Eric Planté) and Orchestral Conducting, and he also follows Composition and Organ lessons.

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Pierre-Antoine improves himself in the jazz department of the Koninklijke Conservatorium Brussel (Thomas Mayade, Jean-Paul Estievenart, Diederik Wissels, Stéphane Galland, Jeroen Van Herzeel...), where he got his Bachelor Degree with distinction and a Master Degree with Great Distinction (during his master he made an exchange-semester at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, Switzerland, with Matthieu Michel and Emil Spanyi). He also follows some important masterclass for him, with Alexandra Grimal, Philippe Catherine, Steve Coleman, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra...

On the Jazz and Improvisational scene, Pierre-Antoine is one of the rising musicians of Brussels. Leader of his own quartet Le Monde Merveilleux de Pépito (featuring Simon Groppe on piano, Fil Caporali on doublebass, and Oscar Georges on drums), he is regularly resident of the Sounds Jazz Club (with his band or as the artistic director of the club's big band). He is also a member of Bruteleiir Collectiif , the French quartet Sornette or Q-Some Big Band (where he also composed). He has also a duo with the German pianist Moritz Preisler. As an appreciated sideman, we can listen Pierre-Antoine in different projects like Stéphane Galland & the Rhythm Hunters, Elsiris, Orson Claeys 5tet, Joseph Bijon 5tet, and take part in the artistic process as an arranger for the French singer La Sido, or the Belgian Colline. He plays also with some other great names in the European scene: Aka Moon, Django Bates, Denis Badault, Franck Tortillier, Jesse Van Ruller, Gerry Hemingway, Gard Nilssen, John Ruocco... As a no border musician, Pierre-Antoine collaborate with groups from other styles: Aksak Fanfär (Balkan music), Boogie Belgique (electro), Napsis (pop)... and made an appearance on the album Globetrotter Side B, by the Californian singer Wil Key.

Pierre-Antoine is also an very active composer, already well-known on the British Brass Band Scene, his Sinfonietta n°2 Quatre Impressions commissioned by the Hauts de France Brass Band conducted by Luc Vertommen was acclaimed at the European Brass Band Championship 2022 in Birmingham, and imposed as a test piece of the Belgian National Championship 2023. He also work with Brass Band Buizingen, the European Youth Brass Band (2016, conducted by Erik Janssen), the French Air Force and Space Brass Band, Sophie Binet-Budelot (solo Horn of Hauts de France Brass Band) or Christine Rolland (solo Euphonium of Paris Brass Band). But outside of this area, Pierre-Antoine work also for other formation like Wind Band (Isère Wind Orchestra conducted by Eric Villevière, Lyon Metropole Orchestra conducted by Yoann Combémorel...), symphonic orchestra (Victor Hugo's Young Orchestra of Besançon conducted by Jean-François Verdier). In 2022, Pierre-Antoine was a finalist in the European Composer Slam Competition, organized by Orchester Im Treppenhaus from Hannover, conducted by Thomas Posth.

He won the 6th Angelo Inglese Competition for Band Composition, with a very emotional work Farewell, Reflections from Crisantimi by G. Puccini

Fil Caporali, double bass player and composer natural from São Paulo, Brazil. In 2016 was laureate with the Toots Thielemans Jazz Awards. His formation includes a bachelor at Universidades Integradas Cantareira, São Paulo (2009-2012), a master at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (2014-2016), a postmaster at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (2016-2018) and an ongoing PhD at Vrije Universiteit Brussel /Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel.

Fil’s projects as a leader/co-leader include Moon Souvenirs, Moanin’ Birds, Fil Caporali 5tet, Fil Caporali and Tsai Wen-Hui Duo.

He also plays in bands such as Commander Spoon, Margaux Vranken, Pauline Leblond Double Quartet, Synestet, Le Monde Merveilleux de Pépito, Aishinka, Amorosa, Via Toledo Jazz Quartet, Vestige, Hughes Maréchal, HU! among others.

Throughout his career he had the chance to tour in Europe, UK, China, Taiwan, Panama and Brazil at important venues such as Thrill Jazz Festival (Jazz Bar - Edinburgh), Brussels Jazz Festival (Flagey - Brussels), Festival Radio France de Montpellier, Jammin’ Jazz Tales (Auditorium Parco Della Musica - Rome), PIC Télémaque (Marseille) and others.