Dirk Schreurs started playing the piano at the age of 6. Having taken a solid classical training at the Music Academy of Neerpelt (Flanders), he graduated summa cum laude.
At the age of 15 he sat in with R&B-giants such as Bob Hall, Dave Peabody and the Deluxe Blues Band at the Belgian Folk & Blues festival, playing blues, boogie-woogie and gospel piano. At the European Youth Music Festival (1984) the Dutch Television (NOS) recorded Dirk's performance of the jazz-musical "On the town" scored by Leonard Bernstein.
In 1989 Dirk graduated as a Master in Germanic Philology at the Catholic University of Louvain. For three years he worked as a scientific researcher in the field of Computational Linguistics at the Linguistics Department of the Louvain Faculty of Arts.
He gave lectures on "Controlled Language" at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and at the Institute of Science and Technology of the Manchester University. The syntactic and the semantic aspects of linguistics and improvised music are still two of his major points of interest that had a tremendous impact on his compositions.
Moreover, Dirk came into contact with Enrico Pieranunzi, Trilok Gurtu, John Abercrombie, Jack de Johnette, Martial Solal, Daniel Goyonne, and David Kikoski, all of whom gave spiritual direction to his dynamic search for jazz and improvised music. As a youngster Dirk listened a lot to Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock records, which still have a big influence on his way of rhythmically approaching piano and keyboard improvisation.
He has composed and arranged over 250 tunes, many of which have found their way not only to the performing stage but also to the realm of radio & television around Europe. Next to playing the acoustic piano and electro-acoustic keyboards (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavinet), Dirk also likes to operate vintage synthesizers and modules.
Since 1985 he has been on stage and/or at studio sessions across Europe playing with numerous fine jazz musicians such as Koen, Johan and Peter Vandendriessche, Umberto Fillipetti, Fabien Degryse, Bruno Meeus, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Tony Gyselinck, Piet Verbist, Yves Baibay, Hugo Bogaerts, Pietro Lacirignola, Jeroen Van Herzeele, Roman Korolik, Mimi Verderame, Walter Baeken, Jean Borlée, Jan Mues, Lieven Venken, Eric Surmenian, Werner Lauscher, Frederik Leroux, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Nico Schepers, Lydia Van Dam, Thierry Gutmann, Frank Michiels, Dré Pallemaerts, Herman Pardon, Jan Servaes, Ron Van Stratum, Bart de Nolf, Christophe DeVisscher, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Henk de Laat, Eric Surmenian, Peter Verhaegen, Frank Deruytter, Carlo Nardozza, Dieter Limbourg, Robin Verheyen, and many more…
Morevover, the Belgian Artistic Promotion of SABAM selected "The Void" to be the award winning composition at the 2001 Hoeilaart International Jazz Contest. One year later, The Belgian Artistic Promotion of SABAM selected "Eva" to be the award winning composition at the 2002 Hoeilaart International Jazz Contest.
Since 1994 Dirk has been a professor of music, teaching piano/keyboards, improvisation theory, ensemble and jazz methodology at the Jazz Department of the Royal Brussels Conservatory
Dirk is currently working on stage with :
· Chromatic Banana
· The Scora Quartet
· DS Trio
· Solo
· Roman Korolik group
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