Quartet Instruments / Expo-Trials-Concerts-Drinks
SoFa Club (Sound Fabriek) is a temporary and shared workshop where Catherine Janssens and Pascal Gilis collaborate alongside their respective workshops. A space for active research: acoustics, sound adjustment, varnish techniques, and craftsmanship. A place where, after 20 and 40 years in the trade, one continues to learn.
Catherine and Pascal invite you to celebrate their 20 and 40 years of workshop in Brussels!
Why come?
Because a handcrafted string instrument has its own voice—but you need to know what to listen for. This weekend is an opportunity to develop that listening skill: understanding what is inherent in an instrument’s craftsmanship, what can be refined through setup, what reflects a luthier’s choices, and what can evolve over time in collaboration with a luthier.
Whether you’ve played your instrument for years without fully exploring its potential, are considering acquiring a new one, or are simply curious about what luthiers do and seek—this event offers a chance to satisfy your curiosity.
On-site activities
- Workshop tour — experience the workspace as it is, see instruments in progress, and ongoing experiments. A conversation, not a demonstration.
- Exhibition and trials in a soundproof studio — violins, violas, and cellos from our workshop to play, compare, and listen to, as well as a selection of historic bows.
- Exchanges with Catherine and Pascal — discuss your instrument, what can be done with it, and what you hear or seek without yet having formulated it.
- Friday and Saturday concerts in the afternoon and evening. Among them, the Meteny String Ensemble will perform exclusively on instruments from Pascal Gilis’s workshop range (Atelier de la Dyle – Meteny – Gilis Frères).
- Bar and food truck available both evenings.
Practical info
Free entry.
USQUARE. Ixelles Barracks — Building L (at MESS) and workshop in Building I, 3rd floor June 19 & 20 | 12 PM – 12 AM 227 Avenue de la Couronne, 1050 Ixelles
Catherine Janssens & Pascal Gilis, SoFa Club Workshop
Share this with your friends, colleagues, and string musician acquaintances to gather as many people as possible and share great moments!
Program
Friday, June 19 & Saturday, June 20 June 19 & 20 (2:00 PM – 10:00 PM) Free access to instrument exhibition Open workshop — come discover the craft of lutherie Guided tours of the workshop
Friday, June 19
- 2:30 PM – Cello duo concert (Karin Broeckhove & Emmanuel Tondus)
- 4:30 PM – Guided comparative trials on instruments from the exhibition
- 5:30 PM – Presentation “Musicians’ Kinesiology” with Géraldine de Meeus
- 6:00 PM – Baroque cello & harpsichord concert (Inès Morin)
- 8:00 PM – Meteny Orchestra concert
- 10:00 PM – Open Stage
Saturday, June 20
- 3:00 PM – Violin & harpsichord concert
- 4:00 PM – Presentation: Gut string setup in the era of Ysaÿe (Joanna Staruch)
- 5:00 PM – Violin concert (George Van Dam)
- 5:30 PM – Guided comparative trials
- 6:30 PM – Akhtamar Quartet concert
- 8:30 PM – Balkan Orchestra concert
- 10:30 PM – Open Stage