Françoise Vanhecke (°1957) is a versatile, all-round artist. She is a vocalist, pianist, actress, vocal coach as well as a composer under the name of Irma Bilbao. She has perfected her art among top international artists and has been awarded a number of varied prizes. She has performed in the leading festivals and theatres throughout the world, with solo performances or in modern works from song to opera. Working closely with composers such as Stockhausen, Shmotova, Terzakis, Johnson, Buckinx, Kupper, Harvey, Goethals, Fontyn, Swinnen, Vande Gorne, Nuyts, Mendes, Van Daele, Meijering, Pesson, Rossé, Chassain,Tsepkolenko, Dinescu, Runchak…. She premiered more than 300 works and more than 80 works have been dedicated to her. She performed with Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, L’Itinéraire, Ensemble Vox Nova, Quatuor Danel, Prometheus Ensemble, Ensemble Duruflé, La Petite Bande, L’ Intercontemporain de Paris,… and with conductors such as Peter Eötvös, Gustav Leonhardt, Roland Kluttig, Etienne Siebens, Filip Rathé, Ed Spanjaard. In 2003 Françoise received a grant from the New York Women Composers.