Clinicians

Doug Lawrence

Born in Louisiana and raised in New Mexico, Doug Lawrence spent over 25 years making a name for himself in New York City. Mr Lawrence has performed and recorded with a number of iconic artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Celia Cruz, Benny Goodman, Stevie Wonder, Buck Clayton, Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy Cobb, Clyde Stubblefield, Donna Summer, Rodney Dangerfield, Joey DeFrancesco and many others.

Mr Lawrence has appeared at virtually every major concert hall and performance venue around the world, and has performed for six U.S. Presidents, the Queen of England, the King of Thailand, the King and Queen of Sweden and numerous Heads of State. For the last 25+ years, Mr Lawrence has been the featured tenor saxophone soloist with the (twenty-time) Grammy® winning Legendary Count Basie Orchestra.

Vanessa Matthys

Vanessa Matthys is a Belgian jazz vocalist who moves effortlessly between intimacy and intensity, weaving together storytelling, improvisation and a deeply personal sound. Her music is rooted in the jazz tradition, yet constantly reaches beyond it – towards subtle textures, lyrical depth and unexpected colours.

Over the years, Vanessa has built a diverse and international practice. She has appeared as a soloist with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and collaborated with a wide range of musicians across the European jazz scene. In 2022, she toured Flanders and Austria with her father, pianist and composer Marc Matthys, presenting a tribute to Toots Thielemans, later released as the album Time Flies, Sit Back and Enjoy.

Her more recent work reflects a growing interest in reimagining repertoire. In collaboration with pianist Ivan Paduart, she explores the meeting point between the Belgian and American Songbook, blending original compositions with inventive arrangements that highlight her narrative approach to music.

Katiren Van Opstal

Katrien Van Opstal graduated as a jazz and pop singer in Ghent (2009) and then specialized in jazz and vocal technique. In 2015, she earned a scholarship to study style, vocalese and lyric writing with her mentor Justin Binek at the UNT, Texas. She is a certified Estill Voice Training Master Trainer.

Van Opstal started in January 2018 as a researcher at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp with the project 'Style, Sound and Voice Production in Vocal Jazz'. This resulted in the development of the 'Mixing Table Model', a model to clarify vocal technique in jazz. The project continues in 2020 in 'Clarifying Vocal Jazz: from insight to practice'.