VI.BE

Hester is a violinist, sounddesigner and social worker based in Antwerp.

At the age of 8, she took up the violin and started off with classical music. But the need for self-expression and being creative, drove her to explore other genres as well: folk and world music, jazz, electronic music and sound art. This gave her the opportunity to travel with her music projects to Senegal, India, Italy, Sweden, Spain,…

Hester studied both classical music (the violin) at the conservatories of Antwerp and Ghent as well as sounddesign at the Film and Video evening school department of the Academy of Antwerp. She started working with beat makers, sound artists and visual artists such as Sixfingerz, Anne Van De Star, Oaktree, dancer Wibke Storkan (from Sacha Waltz) and the danish bass player Ida Duelund Hansen (Silvester, Hanne Boel,...). Often, her work goes together with extra-musical elements. All her work being either live, improvised or composed and made for listening on headphones, multiple speakers or in concert venues. Her work ‘the road illusion’ received an honorary mention in the Bozar competition about Pol Bury and became part of the Pol Bury exhibition in may 2017.

Everywhere she goes, she tries to collect sounds, rhythms and images. Her compositions are often inspired by her social-artistic work in South-Africa (with Transpiradansa and Southern Wind), Uganda (with Ethno Uganda and Breakdance Project Uganda), Congo-Kinshasa (with Beta Mbonda, Tshamala Mufubela and Alhime Eyenga),... and her work for Music Fund and the UN in Gaza.

Her current band is MONOMONO (together with Anne Van de Star). MONOMONO debuted in november 2017 with a first single 'Jouska'.

Her sound performance 'Epione' about ASMR sounds (created and live performed together with Ida Duelund Hansen), was first performed after a residency in the conservatory of Copenhagen (RMC) in september 2017 and presented at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) at the conservatory of Shanghai in october 2017.

As a musician, Hester performed on Dranouter festival; Ghent Jazz festival; Pukkelpop; Eurosonic;… and in venues like the Ancienne Belgique (Brussels), De Roma (Antwerp), DeStudio (Antwerp), Het Bos (Antwerp), De Centrale (Ghent), De Casino (St.-Niklaas), the BAT-centre (Durban, S-A), Dunkers Kulturhus (Helsinborg, Sweden),…

She recorded for Oaktree (PIAS), A/T/O/S/ (deep medi), Michiel Demalsche, Avondlicht (UnitDeltaPlus and Fog mountain), Oval Angle (LBAL017), Issa Sow (Homerecords), Bao Sissoko (Homerecords),...

Hester worked in social-artistic projects for HETPALEIS, De Ledebirds, Music Fund, Rocsa vzw, Artforum,... and is currently part of the empowerment team of De Munt / La Monnaie and freelances for Kunst in Zicht. She also coaches kindergarten teachers on how to implement music more in their daily activities.