PRESS RELEASE – Edwin Brys wins the first ‘Klankverbond Audio Award’

Edwin Brys <https://www.klankverbond.be/professionals#/edwin-brys> wins the first Klankverbond Audio Award.
With a career that spans more than four decades, Edwin Brys most certainly deserves this award, not only as a creator of radio programs, but also as professor and mentor.

During his entire career Brys worked for the VRT (Flemish Radio and Television), where he created the radio feature program ‘Piazza.’ Between 1993 and 1997 he produced – together with a team of eight colleagues – no less than 125 radio features.
A large number of these won prizes internationally (Prix Italia, Premios Ondas, Prix Futura, Prix Europa…).

But Brys is not only radio maker, he is also mentor and professor.
He is the founder of the EBU Master School on Radio Features, and is a lecturer at the RITCS (Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound) in Brussels, until this day. And he coordinates the international radio training programme of the Ake Blomström Award for young radio talents in Europe.

“Edwin is the pillar for independent radio feature makers in all of Europe,” says Wederik De Backer, former student of Brys and one of the nominees.
“He guides with a gentle hand and shepherds with professional expertise and love.
An entire school of radio makers has been shaped by Edwin; entire generations owe their métier to this living legend.”

Klankverbond is the interest group for Flemish audio makers.
In this capacity it will present this annual award to one of its members from here forward.
The award does not celebrate separate audio pieces, but the trajectory of a maker or organization. This can be a series of two or more works, or equally, as in the case of laureate Edwin Brys, an entire life in audio.

The other nominees were equally impressive: Katharina Smets <https://www.klankverbond.be/professionals#/katharina-smets> , Marie-Jeanne Wyckmans, Yves de Mey, Dieter Van Dam, George De Decker <https://www.klankverbond.be/professionals#/george-de-decker> en Wederik De Backer <https://www.klankverbond.be/professionals#/wederik-de-backer>. They and many others will be eligible again next year for the Klankverbond Audio Award.

The Klankverbond Audio Award will be presented on Sunday, March 3rd in the framework of Artefact Audiostories, a listening afternoon in STUK where audio, radio and sound art meet (and reinforce) each other.
On the program are, among others, The Quixtet & ChampdAction, Siona Houthuys & Berten Vanderbruggen, and the British choir Musarc.
Artefact Audiostories is organized by STUK and Het nieuwstedelijk.