Elise Caluwaerts
 

After studying at the same time at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp (classical singing) and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (early music), Elise decided to continue her musical education at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (NL) where she graduated cum laude in 2006, having taken singing lessons with Gerda van Zelm and Diane Forlano.

She has taken master classes with Peter Kooij, Elly Ameling, David Wilson Johnson, Ayala Sicron and Jozef De Beenhouwer. 

Elise's performances have been received to great acclaim. The Dutch press called her a very special Belgian talent and in Belgium she was offered a recital with ensemble Oxalys for Important Young Talents in the Brussels Palais des Beaux Arts and in November 2005 she worked as a soloist with the Concertgebouworkest conducted by Philippe Herreweghe in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Vredenburg in Utrecht.

In 2007 she will perform the lead role in ‘House’, a new opera by Wim Henderickx coproduced by La Monnaie, Muziektheater Transparant and the Zurich Theatre Festival.

She will also sing the world premiere in Beijing of ‘Wired’; Nicholas Lens’ newest composition for soprano and harp.

Operatic roles so far have included Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Ariel in Purcell’s The Tempest and the lead role in Blow’s Venus and Adonis as well as Arianna in Drift (an adaptation of Monteverdi’s L’Arianna, selected and awarded by the Flanders & Holland Theatre Festival 2004) and Messagiera in L’Orfeo also by Monteverdi. 

Elise has worked as a soloist all over Europe with conductors like Philippe Herreweghe, Jordi Savall, Reinbert De Leeuw, Facundo Agudin, Gabriel Garrido, Ivo Venkov, Jan Van Outryve and Chris Pouw and with ensembles as Oxalys (B), the Spirit of Gambo (NL), La Sfera Armoniosa (NL), La Primavera (NL) Le Tendre Amour (USA), a.o.

She has sung in the Flanders Opera (Ghent and Antwerp), the Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg and Concertgebouw, the Vredeburg, the Palais des Beaux Arts de Bruxelles, Radio France Paris and she has performed for numerous prestigeous festivals as the Festival de Beaune (F), Festival d´Ambronay (F), Festival du Périgord (F) Festival de Música San Sebastián (SP), Festival de Música Vigo (SP), Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht (NL).

 

picture: Andrea de Carlo