François Delporte

François Delporte was born on 2 August 1973. He taught himself the electric and acoustic guitar from the age of 17. Between 1994 and 1997, he played guitar and co-wrote songs for the rock band Rhésus in the Mons area. The group recorded a demo with Fabrice Alleman joining in on the saxophone. Since 1998, has taught courses in rock and hard-rock guitar in Mons. It is here where he became acquainted with Paolo Loveri, under whom he took jazz courses at the Brussels Academy.

Trained by the same Paolo Loveri, he entered the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel in 2000 to study jazz guitar under Fabien Degryse and Peter Hertmans. During this training, he participated in several ensembles and projects with – among others – Dirk Schreurs, Ron Van Rossum, Diederik Wissels and Kris Defoort, as well as with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker contemporary dance company (P.a.r.t.s.), with whom he participated in two performances, including the BrxlBravo festival at the Museum of Ancient Art. He also took part in the Festijazz (International Jazz Festival of Cape Verde) with the quartet Symbion and in the Flemish Jazz Meeting at CC De Werf with Kris Defoort.

In 2005, he graduated from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and won the Young Talents contest of the Blue Note Festival with aRTET (his own jazz quartet). At the same time, he began various musical projects, such as Kris Defoort & Strings (free jazz), Lisa Margo (French song), Fede (electro rock), F.O.X. (metal-jazz) and Commander Grek (fusion). He also joined Quetzal (jazz-funk), the KMG's (disco-funk) and participated in the festival Wien Modern in Vienna within the contemporary music group Champ d'Action.