The School is divided into four sectors: Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Theatre.
Music The Music sector is formed by: •
Academy of Music and Performing Arts (
AMPA), formerly known as the
Conservatorium •
Academie voor Muziekeducatie •
Rockacademie •
Master of Music History The
Conservatorium in Tilburg was established in 1918 by Hendrik Moller under the
RK Leergangen, a Catholic educational institution. Originally a private music school for children and amateurs, it grew into a more formal institution under the leadership of pianist and organist Willem van Kalmthout. In 1929, it moved into a building in the Bosscheweg, an area now part of Tivolistraat. In 1954, it became an independent institution under the Stitchting Brabants Conservatorium en Muziekschool. Under director Willem Goedhard, the Conservatoire, now known as
Brabants Conservatorium, obtained formal recognition from the government. The school grew as Goedhard managed to attract several talented teachers from the
Eastern Bloc. In 1971, the
Brabants Conservatorium moved to the former monastery on the Kampenbaan, known as the Cenakel, together with the
Dansacademie. Under the leadership of Andries Clement, who became director in 1975, the conservatoire grew to over 500 students. In 1984, it returned under the umbrella of the
RK Leergangen, which in 1991 merged with other institutions into the Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland, known from 1996 as
Fontys Hogescholen. As the facilities at the Cenakel were deemed unsuitable for the rising student numbers, in 1996 the
Fontys Conservatorium moved, together with the
Dansacademie, into the so-called
Kunstkluster, a new building designed by
Jo Coenen on the Bisschop Zwijsenstraat. In 2005, they were joined by the
Rockacademie,
Academie voor Theater,
Beeldende Vorming and
Architectuur en stedebow to bring all sectors of the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts under the same roof. In 2017, the
Conservatorium changed names to
Academy of Music and Performing Arts (
AMPA), coinciding with the switch to offering courses fully taught in English. The
Rockacademie was established in 1999 by Bertus Borgers and Gerard Boontje as an independent institution and it was originally located in the Veemarktkwartier, near the
pop music venue
013, before moving to the 'Kunstkluster' in 2005.
Former Directors • Willem van Kalmthout (1918-1943) • Phons Dusch (1944-1955) • Willem Goedhart (1955-1964) • Louis Toebosch (1965-1972) • Andries Clement (1975-1994) • Marcel Pinkse (1995-2000) • Martien van Woerkom (2001-2004) • Jan Wirken (2004-2011) • Raf De Keninck (2012-2019)
Courses of studies The AMPA currently offers a
Bachelor of Music taught in English, with programmes both in
classical music and
jazz. Next to instrument and ensemble playing, emphasis is also given to artistic research, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinarity, international connectedness and self-management. Additionally, the AMPA offers a pre-bachelor program as well as a course for musicians aged 8 to 18 known as the Young Musicians Academy. The Academie voor Muziekeducatie offers a
bachelor programme taught in Dutch, focused on
teacher training for musicians and preparing the students for a career in
music education. The Rockacademie offers a Dutch-taught
bachelor programme in
pop music, in which the students can experience different domains such as music,
business,
education and
sound & music technology and ultimately specialise as
performer,
session musician, business manager, skills and bandcoach,
audio engineer. The
Master of Music is a
postgraduate programme for musicians. The characteristic of this programme is that it is highly personalised: each students receives a two-year scholarship and must use it to tailor their curriculum in accordance with their artistic and professional needs. They can use their budget to take courses at Fontys as well as at other institutions or with independent artists.
Visual Arts The Visual Arts sector (Dutch:
Sector Beeldende Vorming) is formed by: •
Academie voor Beeldende Vorming (
ABV) •
Academy of Art, Communicatie and Design (
ArtCoDe) •
Master of Architecture and
Master of Urbanism •
Master Kunsteducatie,
History When Hendrik Moller established the
RK Leergangen in 1912, it included a
drawing course. Originally located in Amsterdam, the
RK Leergangen moved to
Den Bosch in 1913 and ultimately to Tilburg in 1918. After expanding with a section in
architecture, the institution took the name of
Academie voor Beeldende en Technische Vakken and from 1920,
Academie voor Beeldende en Bouwende Kunsten. From the beginning it offered a course that combined
teaching training with autonomous artistic expression. At the end of the 1950s, the architecture department separated from the institution, which then took the name
Academie voor Opleiding tot Teken- en Handvaardigheidsleraren. In 1972 the school changed names again to
Academie voor Leraren Tekenen en Handenarbeid and gained its current name,
Academie voor Beeldende Vorming, in 1978. When the school had moved to Tilburg in 1918, it was originally based in the Lange Schijfstraat and later moved to the Vincentiusstraat, to the Bosscheweg (now Tivolistraat) and then to the Professor Cobbenhagenlaan. The school had in the meantime become part of the Stichting Hoger Onderwijs Zuid-Nederland, known from 1996 as
Fontys Hogescholen. Following the impetus to group all arts education in Tilburg under the same roof, the ABV moved to the
Kunstkluster on the Bisschop Zwijsenstraat in 2005.
Courses of studies The Academie voor Beeldende Vorming offers a Dutch-taught
bachelor programme focused on
teacher training in the field of arts and design. Students learn art practice in different fields of the
visual arts while training to teach art in different context. They prepare for a career in
art education, in schools, museums and more. The Academy of Art, Communicatie and Design offers a Dutch-taught
bachelor program in
design. Students experience different fields of design, from
graphic design to
spatial design, specialising in one by the end of the course. At
postgraduate level, Fontys offers three
master's in
Art Education,
Architecture and
Urbanism. The
Master Kunsteducatie (Master in Art Education) is offered in Dutch over two years, while the two
MSc programmes in Architecture and Urbanism are offered in English over four years. All three are offered
part time and are oriented towards combining work and study at the same time.
Dance The Dance sector is formed by: •
Dance Academy •
Academie voor Danseducatie •
Master of Choreography.
History The
Dansacademie was established in Tilburg in 1965 and has since the beginning been closely associated to the
Brabants Conservatorium. In 1975 it moved to the Cenakel on the Kampenbaan, formerly a monastery, together the
Conservatorium. Both institutions moved to the new
Kunstkluster on the Bisschop Zwijsenstraat in 1996.
Courses of studies The Dance Academy offers a
Bachelor of Dance programme taught in English, with three different specialisations after a shared first year: two profiles in Dance Arts in Context, (
Contemporary and Contemporary
Urban), and one in
Choreography. The training and research programme includes a wide range of performance and movement practices. Students are encouraged to be creators of and performers in their own work. The Academie voor Danseducatie offers a Dutch-taught
bachelor preparing students for a career in
Dance education. The
Master in
Choreography is jointly offered by Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts together with
Codarts University of the Arts in
Rotterdam. At this
part time programme offered in English across Tilburg and Rotterdam, students are supposed to carry out research into questions initiating from their current practice.
Theatre The Theatre sector is formed by: •
Academie voor Theater •
Academie voor Muziek- en musicaltheater •
Academy of Circus and Performing Arts (
ACaPA) •
Master Performing in Public Spaces.
History The
Academie voor Theater traces its origins back to the
Academie voor Drama established in
Eindhoven by Ad Overweel in 1986, under the auspices of Hogeschool Eindhoven. This academy was originally located in a former monastery by the river
Dommel in Eindhoven. Originally, the Academie had three areas of study: acting, directing, and teaching. After a few years, the school profiled itself towards
teacher training specifically, with a program focused on 'docerend theatermaking' ('Teaching Theatremaking'). After being incorporated in
Fontys Hogescholen, the school moved to Tilburg and became part of the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in 2005.
Courses of studies The
bachelor programme in 'Docerend Theatermaker' ('Teaching Theatremaking') is offered in Dutch and combines acting and theatre practice with
Dramaturgy and
teacher training. Two
bachelor programmes are offered in the field of
musical theatre, one focused on
music and the other on
dance. Both are taught in Dutch. The Academy of Circus and Performance Art offers a
bachelor programme taught in English, training students in the profession of circus performer across a variety of
circus skills. == Building ==