Lynn Cassiers is a Brussels-based singer and soundscaper in the new jazz and improv scene. She has worked with leading contemporary jazz ensembles such as Octurn, Lidlboj, The Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Mäâk, and Naga, among others. She is also part of bands like Lilly Joel/Lilly Joel Plays The Organ (Jozef Dumoulin), Holsen & Cassiers (Hilde Holsen), Tape Cuts Tape (Rudy Trouvé, Eric Thielemans), Flying Nimbus (Manolo Cabras), Sylvaine Hélary’s ‘L’Orchestre Incandescent,’ Airelle Besson Quartet, Oba Loba, Alexandra Grimal’s Naga & La Vapeur au-dessus du Riz, and Oriol Roca Trio featuring Lynn Cassiers.

In addition to performing solo and as a sideman, Lynn leads her own projects: ‘Imaginary Band’ (Clean Feed, 2018) and ‘YUN’ (Clean Feed, 2020). These are two mid-sized electro-acoustic ensembles that, despite a partially overlapping lineup, each have their own distinct sound and repertoire (featuring Erik Vermeulen, Marek Patrman, Manolo Cabras, Bo Van Der Werf, Jozef Dumoulin, Sylvain Debaisieux, Ananta Roosens, and Niels Van Heertum).

Lynn’s work incorporates a wide variety of styles, including free jazz, pop, rock, noise, film music, folk, and ambient. Over the years, she has developed a unique style, using electronics to manipulate her voice and create abstract sound textures in various musical contexts. Her work has been reviewed by the international press.

“…Lynn Cassiers, meanwhile, can safely be considered the most unique vocalist in Belgian jazz and improvisation…”(Enola magazine)

“…Cassiers is brilliant. She really couldn’t care less about genres and vested expectations: she creates her own sonic universe in which avant-garde pop (think Laurie Anderson), traditional jazz and free improv meet, in a wonderful mixture that avoids all the traps of doing this..”(freeJazzBlog)

“…Holsen and Cassiers are indispensable leaders of today’s generation of resolute musicians, moving headlong into a seductive, yet modest avant-garde that embraces all currents. They are the ones for whom Citizen Jazz continues to strive….” (Citizen Jazz)

BIO

Raised in a musical family, Lynn Cassiers was introduced to jazz at an early age, despite her teenage beginnings as a singer in her brother’s cover band. She studied jazz vocals at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she formed her first bands and immersed herself in its vibrant musical environment. However, her curiosity for contemporary music and other art forms soon led her toward the world of improvised music and sound art. Over time, she integrated a small set of electronics into her performances—a setup that has since expanded to meet her evolving musical needs.

In addition to performing solo and with various bands, Lynn has composed music for theater, silent films, and live projections. She has performed worldwide and had the honor of collaborating with artists such as Marshall Allen, Toshimaru Nakamura, Airelle Besson, Salia Sanou, Leon Parker, Lyenn, Akira Sakata, Vincent Glowinski (a.k.a. Bonom), Bruno Chevillon, Marc Ducret, Benoît Delbecq, Théo Ceccaldi, Gilbert Nouno, Nelson Veras, Pierre Perchaud, Oriol Roca, David Soler, Zingaro, Norberto Lobo, Joao Lobo, Erik Vermeulen, Manolo Cabras, Niels Van Heertum, Giovanni Di Domenico, Nick Roth, Gerda Dendooven, HSBG, Liu Heng, Brice Soniano, Daysuke Fuwa, Olifa Hsieh, Sylvain Lemêtre, and Michael De Cock.

Education & Recognitions

Lynn studied at De Kunsthumaniora Antwerp and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, training under Rachel Gould, Kristina Fuchs, Natasha Röth, John Ruocco, and Eric Vloeimans. She also participated in masterclasses with Jay Clayton, Dave Liebman, Mark Murphy, Ronan Guilfoyle, Billy Hart, and Judy Niemack, among others. In 2001, she was a laureate of the Axion-Classics competition, and in 2005, she was a semi-finalist in the Montreux Vocal Jazz Competition.

Lynn is currently a jazz vocal teacher at the Lemmens Institute/LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium, as well as at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in France.