Kim Versteynen

Belgian singer Kim Versteynen (1984) combines a fresh face with a warm voice in the modern jazz community: with a deeply researched focus on improvisation and interaction within the band, she takes the audience for an emotional ride. The creativity and intuïtion she shows in her music are supported by two Master degrees. In her jazz quartet, Kim In the Middle, she constantly pushes the boundries of musicality and genres and with her duo Kim Versteynen & Tim Finoulst she already won the 2013 Concours Des Jeunes Talents at the Leffe Jazz Nights in Dinant. As vocal coach she shapes and motivates new talent. Kim has a Master in Art History from the University of Ghent (B) and a Master in jazz singing from the Conservatory of Maastricht (NL). She attended lessons and masterclasses with Dianne Reeves, Sheila Jordan, Norma Winstone, David Linx, Jef Neve, John Abercrombie etc. During her studies in Maastricht she started her Kim Versteynen Trio with pianist Arne Van Coillie and double bass player Flor Van Leugenhaeghe. When drummer Luc Vanden Bosch joined the band the trio became the quartet Kim In the Middle with which Kim recorded her well received debut album in 2011. In April 2014 the second album Open & Close came out. The new 2018 album The 7 Year Itch introduced the new talented drummer Gert-Jan Dreessen. In 2012 she recorded the album Easy Street with the band Hepcats. First Time, the debut album of her price winning duo with Tim Finoulst (guitar) was released in 2014. The duo was the supporting act for the 2015 belgian tour of the Dave Douglas Quintet. Kim's involved in the cross-over project, Gershwin: classical music meets jazz. In 2017 3 new projects were born. Together with piano player Arne Van Coillie, she focusses on songs with interesting stories in the duo project Here's To Life!. She's the singer-in-a-diva-gown of the extended Hepcats with a personnel of 8. This real-deal swingband plays the music from the thirties and forties to which lindy hop dancers love to show their moves. You can also find her in international carillion towers for her cooperations with carillonneur Jan Verheyen. During her time at the Conservatory she started working as a singing teacher at the academies of Voeren-Riemst, Lanaken, Genk and Tongeren. Meanwhile, as a singing teacher specialized in jazz, she is associated with the academy of Genk, the Conservatory of Hasselt and the pre-professional secundary school, Musart, at Kindsheid Jesu, Hasselt. Her students now populate the international and national conservatories like Berlin, Amsterdam, Ghent, Brussels, Maastricht, etc.

Zeker — hieronder vind je een geüpdatete, professioneel herschreven biografie in het Engels, geschikt voor een jazzmuzikantenwebsite, programmaboekjes en persdossiers. Ik heb de taal aangescherpt, herhalingen vermeden en de focus gelegd op artistieke identiteit, ervaring en internationale relevantie.

Kim Versteynen – voice
Belgian jazz vocalist Kim Versteynen (1984) is known for her warm, expressive voice and her deeply personal approach to improvisation and musical interaction. Rooted in modern jazz, her music combines lyrical storytelling with an intuitive sense of freedom, taking audiences on an emotional and dynamic journey. Her artistic curiosity and creativity are underpinned by a strong academic background and years of experience on international stages.

Kim holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Ghent University (BE) and a Master’s degree in Jazz Singing from the Conservatory of Maastricht (NL). She further refined her artistry through lessons and masterclasses with leading jazz figures such as Dianne Reeves, Sheila Jordan, Norma Winstone, David Linx, Jef Neve and John Abercrombie.

During her studies in Maastricht, she founded the Kim Versteynen Trio with pianist Arne Van Coillie and double bassist Flor Van Leugenhaeghe. With the addition of drummer Luc Vanden Bosch, the group evolved into the quartet Kim In the Middle, with which she released her critically well-received debut album in 2011. This was followed by Open & Close (2014) and The 7 Year Itch (2018), the latter introducing drummer Gert-Jan Dreessen and bassplayer Cyrille Obermüller and further expanding the band’s sonic palette.

Alongside her quartet, Kim created and participated in a wide range of projects. Her duo with guitarist Tim Finoulst won the Concours des Jeunes Talents at the Leffe Jazz Nights in Dinant (2013). Their debut album First Time was released in 2014, and the duo toured Belgium in 2015 as the supporting act for the Dave Douglas Quintet. A second album is expected to drop in 2026. She also recorded Easy Street (2012) with the swing band Hepcats, and appears as the lead vocalist of the extended eight-piece Hepcats, performing authentic swing and jazz from the 1930s and 1940s for both concert audiences and lindy hop dancers.

Kim regularly ventures beyond traditional jazz formats, participating in crossover projects such as Gershwin: Classical Music Meets Jazz, and collaborating with carillonneur Jan Verheyen in unique performances in international carillon towers. In 2017, several new projects emerged, including the duo Here’s To Life! with pianist Arne Van Coillie, focusing on songs with strong narratives and emotional depth.

In addition to her performance career, Kim Versteynen is a highly regarded jazz vocal coach. She currently teaches at Knst. Hasselt, and is affiliated with the pre-professional secondary school Musart (Kindsheid Jesu, Hasselt). Her students move on to study at leading conservatories across Europe, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Ghent, Brussels and Maastricht, and grow into well-shaped musicians and professionals.