HILDE VANHOVE Hilde Vanhove started her music education at the music school in Genk, Belgium at age 11. She obtained a final degree in solfège in 1978 and one of classical piano (government medal) in 1990. She finished successfully her jazz vocal studies at the Conservatory at Maastricht, Holland in 1997 (master degree of jazz vocals and vocal teaching).

She released the first CD under her own name, "Celeste" in 1997 with a guest performance by American jazz guitar player Al De Fino, the second one "You stepped out of a dream", in 1998. In 2003, a new CD, "Insense", was released, also on I-tunes store and spotify. The line up is: Michel Herr, piano, Hein Van de Geyn, bass, Billy Hart, drums and for 4 tunes Bert Joris, trumpet. In 2016, the album "Imagine" was released, also on I-tunes store, with a team of musicians, that she has been working with since the last 20 years. Johan Clement on piano, Bart De Nolf, bass, and Luc Vanden Bosch, drums. The album sells well, even in Japan.

She is a very in-demand free-lance musician and a studio-singer (a.o. for TV productions and for bands in many different styles). For her own projects, she works with different types of bands from duo to sextet. She performs in Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, England, Denmark, France and Italy (a.o. at the Padua Jazz Festival in 1999).Other jazz festivals that she participated: Jazz à Huy 2000 and 2002, Frameries Jazzfestival 2003 and 2004, Jazz à Liège 2003 and 2012, Audi Jazzfestival 2003 (Oupeye, with a solo performance), "Lust auf Jazz" Aachen 2003 (Germany), Jekerjazzfestival 1995, 1996 and 1997 (Holland) and the Jazzfestival Maastricht 2004 (Holland). Breda Jazz festival 2010 (Holland).
She also tours music halls, such as the December 2003 tour for "Jazzlabseries" with the Jef Neve Trio, a tour in France, in Sancerre, another tour in 2013 in Flaine, France, and in 2016 she sang at a gala jazz concert for the national TV in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Hilde shared the stage with well-known national and international musicians, like Michel Herr, Johan Clement, Ivan Paduart, Pascal Michaux, Jef Neve, Bert Joris, Gino Latucca, Uli Beckerhoff, Jiggs Wiggham, Gianni Basso, Claudius Valk, Kurt Vanherck, Peter Hertmans, Al De Fino, Joep van Leeuwen, Billy Hart, Bruno Castellucci, John Engels, Felix Simtaine, Jan De Haas, John Ward, Wolfgang Ekholt, Lieven Venken, Billy Hart, Hans Braber, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Gunar Plumer, Sal La Rocca, Hans Mantel, Werner Lauscher, Lindsey Horner, Roger Vanhaverbeke, Billy Hart, Frans van der Hoeven, John Peterson, Henk Haverhoek, Reggie Johnson and many others.

Hilde is a dynamic personality and is known for her passionate and professional way of working. Her voice is suited for many different styles (swing, bebop, ballad, bossa nova, samba and blues). In her choice of repertoire, this singer avoids the obvious and always looks for an original approach of the compositions. Well-known, but also less known "standards" are interpreted in a moving and refreshing manner. Besides her interpretations of the classic jazz repertoire, she writes her own music and also lyrics to the music of contemporary jazz composers (Bill Frisell, Peter Hertmans, Marc Mangen...).

Hilde has a warm sound and an uncomplicated, subtle, and personal singing style that is unmistakeable "jazz". Hilde sings in 5 languages (English, French, Brazilian, Italian and Spanish), and can present the repertoire and the band in English, French, Dutch and German. In the Belgian newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad" of 15-10-1998, she was called "one of the best jazz-singers that Belgium has ever known". Hilde was elected as "best Belgian female jazz-singer 1999" by the occasion of the listeners-poll of VRT3 (Vlaamse Radio en Televisie).

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