Belgian soprano Katrien Baerts has been noted for her powerful and sensual voice as well as for her profound and heartfelt interpretation.
Season 2021/22 starts for Ms. Baerts with returning to the Ruhrtriënnale, where she will perform the leading role of Theodora in a new production of Olga Neuwirths 'Bählamms Fest' with Ensemble Modern. After this production two new creations will follow: the monodrama 'Parallax', composed for Ms. Baerts by Jan-Peter de Graaff, and Oscar Bettisons 'The Light of Lesser Being' with the Asko| Schoenberg Ensemble. Further highlights of the season are Ms. Baerts debut with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Carlo Rizzi performing Alban Bergs 'Sieben frühe Lieder', the breathtaking 'Quatre Chants' by Grisey with Klangforum Wien and conductor Sylvain Cambreling, and Schoenbergs 'Sechs Orchesterlieder' and the 'Altenberg Lieder' by Berg with Het Collectief conducted by Gregor Mayrhofer.
Ms. Baerts performed the role of Sie in 'Begehren' by Beat Furrer at the Salzburger Festspiele and made her debut at the National Opera in Amsterdam in a new production of 'Lulu'. She made her first appearance in Tokyo with 'House of the Sleeping Beauties' by Kris Defoort. Ms. Baerts performed several world premières: at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam as Clara in Loevendie's opera 'The Rise of Spinoza' as well as the title role in Zuidam's 'Suster Bertken'. In Jakarta, Indonesia Ms. Baerts created the title role in Prabowo's dance-opera 'Gandari'. Further roles include Pamina in 'Die Zauberflöte', Micaëla in 'Carmen', Amina in 'La sonnambula', Despina in 'Così fan tutte', Miss Wordsworth in 'Albert Herring', Stimme des Falken in 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' and Amore and Valletto in 'l'Incoronazione di Poppea'.
Her concert repertoire includes 'Stabat Mater' by Pergolesi, Bach's 'St. John Passion', 'Grosse Messe in c' by Mozart, 'Ein Deutsches Requiem' by Brahms, Mahler's '4th Symphony', 'Les Illuminations' by Britten, 'Lonely Child' by Vivier and 'Mysteries of the Macabre' by Ligeti, with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Ms. Baerts has worked with conductors as Richard Egarr, Vladimir Jurowski, Oliver Knussen, Reinbert de Leeuw, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Bas Wiegers. Her debut at the Barbican Center in London was enthusiastically received by the press.
Ms. Baerts is a graduate of the Dutch National Opera Academy and was selected to take part in the 'International Lied Masterclasses' by Udo Reinemann and guest professors. She was a semi-finalist of the Queen Elisabeth Competition and obtained a Master's degree at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in both voice and violin.
