Could Belgian composer Gustaaf Pape have known that 59 years after his death, his great-great-grandson Tim would also dedicate his life to music? Is it a coincidence that much of the sheet music and old music books that Gustaaf used for study and performance ended up in the home of the young six year old boy in the mid 80's?

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While young Tim enjoyed filling his days with reading comic books and drawing, he was far too curious to ignore the towering pile of music. In time, Tim figured out how to read the strange symbols and lines on the paper himself, using the old piano that once belonged to his great-grandmother. Tim loved trying to play the melodies he heard on the radio, but most of the time he just took a book from the pile of Gustaaf's music and tried to figure out what wonders were hidden within its pages. Sometimes he attempted to play difficult pieces by mysterious composers like Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Haydn, and Clementi. He loved books with weird titles like 'Salonmusik' that contained far too many notes but enjoyable melodies. Soon he was able to read music and became addicted to playing fresh compositions, even though most of the music he played was hundreds of years old.

When he was seven, Tim decided to learn how to play the saxophone. He didn't know why, but his mother took him to music school, where he enjoyed a great part of his youth learning about music. He adored playing the sax, but never stopped playing the piano and feeding his ears and soul with marvelous classical melodies.

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When he was 12, he found a Harry Connick Jr. CD on his coffee table. Neither his mom nor his dad knew where the CD came from. Tim listened to it a thousand times and developed a love for jazz and big bands. Tim fed this love for jazz by playing in a jazz quartet with his uncle, who played the bass. Fellow musicians in the band helped him understand what all of the strange jazz chords and scales were for.

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At 18, he decided to become a jazz musician, but he loved classical music so much that he took classical saxophone classes at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. Five years later, he received his master's degree in classical music and then immediately enrolled in jazz courses at the same conservatory. His instructors included great musical minds like Norbert Nozy, Kris Defoort, Jeroen Van Herzeele, John Ruocco, Erwin Vann, David Linx, Toots Thielemans, Bert Joris, Leon L'hoëst, Bart Bouckaert, and many more.

Tim became a big band leader when he was 21, a dream come true. He has also had experience playing and singing in different types of bands and orchestras, including metal, folk, rock, cover bands, big bands, concert bands, and choirs.

Tim lives in Aalst, Belgium, with his beautiful wife Kathelijne and adorable children Otto-Lou, Lily, and Juliette. His family is his greatest inspiration for his art.

Tim started composing simple melodies and pieces when he was 12 and has never stopped. While Tim leads a "double life" as a cartoonist and illustrator, he always returns to his music, to sing, play the saxophone or the piano, for one simple reason: the sheer joy of it!