Baroque Tune Learning Sessions
Free Baroque Tune Learning Sessions (BTLS) in 2026 in collaboration with SLAC (Leuven Municipal Academy and Conservatory)
Dates
Monday, September 20, 2026 – 6:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Monday, October 19, 2026 – 6:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Monday, November 16, 2026 – 6:30–9:00 p.m.
Location
SLAC Conservatory
Dirk Boutslaan 62, Leuven
–> likely in classroom 45
What to Bring
As a participant, all you need to do is bring an instrument tuned to 440 Hz.
Registration
Participation is free, but it would be very convenient if you could let us know via our contact form that you’re coming and which instrument you’ll be bringing.
What is TLS and how did this idea come about?
Nele Vertommen: “I was introduced to TLS by violinist Wouter Vandenabeele, in the folk music scene, when I was a young teenager. Over the years I took about nine one-week workshops with him, during which we learned melodies from near and far by ear, bit by bit. It was wonderful!
The first few measures go well, and the next ones stick too, but weaving all those bits together into a melody can sometimes be confusing. The feeling at the end of such a session, when you—as a group—truly know the melody, is so wonderful and special. The melodies I learned at those workshops are forever ingrained in me, and I have an indescribable connection to them. Since I also love playing Baroque concerts, and do that very often, I don’t go to jams or folk workshops as often as I used to, but I hope to attend another workshop like that during spring break!
Sheet music circulated “less” during the Baroque period than it does today, so musicians back then must have played a great deal by ear and “passed on” music to one another in this way, among others!
Every session, I will bring a few melodies with me—by composers such as Purcell, Philidor, and Charpentier—and I think there’s a good chance that you, as a participant, will have a few catchy tunes stuck in your head for the rest of the week!
