Tom Pauwels (Bornem, Belgium, 1974) studied guitar with Dirk De Hertogh at the Bornem Academy, then with Albert Sunderman at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he obtained a Master’s degree in classical guitar with distinction. As part of the Socrates programme, he pursued advanced studies for one year at the Musikhochschule in Cologne with Hubert Käppel, followed by studies at the Musikhochschule in Münster with Reinbert Evers.
In 1995, he joined the Black Jackets Company, an experimental contemporary music collective composed of four composers and five performers. Since then, he has been continuously active in contemporary music, performing on both classical and electric guitar. A thesis on the contemporary guitar repertoire earned him the title of laureate of the Orpheus Institute, with Jan Michiels as thesis supervisor.
From 1999 to 2001, he collaborated with Champ d’Action, an experimental ensemble based in Antwerp; from 2002 to the present, he has been co–artistic director of Ictus; as a freelance musician, he collaborates with the Belgian–British collective Plus Minus.
He has taught guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Belgium) since 2000, where he now teaches exclusively contemporary music. His interest in the performing arts has led him to collaborate with choreographers Xavier Le Roy (Mouvements für Lachenmann), Maud Le Pladec (Professor and Poetry), and Andros Zins-Browne (The Funerals).
