Singers

Sopranos

• Barbara Borden

  Having grown up in a musical family, the American soprano Barbara Borden has sung since childhood in choirs at school and in church.  She began her training as a professional singer at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and decided in 1981 to continue her study with Max van Egmond in Amsterdam.  Soon thereafter she was given a permanent position with the Nederlands Kamerkoor – so much for “a year in Holland”!

  Barbara has also made her name as a soloist with orchestras and various other ensembles.  She appears regularly in the Netherlands and elsewhere but, ironically, didn’t make her solo debut in America until 2001, when she sang in a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass conducted by Andrew Parrott. In 2005 she took part in a highly successful tour of the U.S. and Canada with Monteverdi’s Maria Vespers, in collaboration with Tragicomedia and Concerto Palatino. She can also be heard on numerous recordings with these two ensembles, and with, among others, Les Arts Florissants, The Tallis Scholars and The Schönberg Ensemble. In 2006 Barbara was nominated for a Grammy Award for her part in the recording of the Baroque opera Ariadne by Conradi.

  Barbara is married to tenor colleague Robert Coupe, with whom she has often shared a stage, though their common interests are not limited to music. They both love travelling, good food, zoos, Romanesque architecture, and they both hate cucumber!

• Heleen Koele

  Soprano Heleen Koele rounded off her solo voice studies at the Conservatory of Zwolle in 1991. Thereafter she was coached by Cora Canne Meijer, and currently by Charlotte Margiono.

  Heleen is active in as many areas of her profession as possible. For instance, together with pianist Steven Faber she forms a duo which gives song recitals throughout the country. They also recently recorded a CD of songs about youth, entitled: ”I am a person too”, a CD which was very well received by the press.
  Heleen has performed the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss with the Netherlands Youth Orchestra conducted by Jurjen Hempel.
  She also loves singing and acting in opera repertoire, for example in the title role in Suor Angelica and the role of Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Furthermore, Heleen is much in demand for oratorio, and as such has sung many diverse works: from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion to Verdi’s Requiem.
  Heleen has been a member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor since 1998, and has also sung many solos in that context, e.g. in Mozart’s Requiem conducted by Jaap van Zweden and in Thamos under Kenneth Montgomery.

  Her recent appearance as soloist in Brahms’ Requiem with the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Marcus Creed was a huge success. One quote from the press: “The most warmth was radiated by soprano Heleen Koele. Her gilt-edged voice infused “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” with a rare and intense glow.”

• Annet Lans

  Soprano Annet Lans was born in Haarlem and on leaving school studied Music Tuition and Solo Voice at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam.

  Since at first she was not primarily interested in a career as a soloist, she concentrated after graduation on coaching young singers and on performing in ensembles. For thirteen years she was a music teacher at the Geert Grote School in Amsterdam, where she was responsible for, among other things, final exams and all performances.

  Her singing career gradually took shape as she began to give solo recitals and to sing in Bach cantatas, as well as performing with close harmony ensembles and taking part in many productions of both early and contemporary repertoire. She also conducted amateur choirs in Haarlem and Amsterdam.

  In 2000 Annet made her debut as freelance singer with the Nederlands Kamerkoor, where she now has a contract as of the 2006/07 season.

• Margriet Stok

  Margriet Stok studied solo voice with Rita Dams and Diane Forlano at the conservatories of Arnhem and The Hague, and Baroque singing in particular with Marius van Altena. In addition she has taken part in various master-classes, with, among others, Carolyn Watkinson, Diane Forlano and Margreet Honig.

  As a soloist Margriet appears regularly in oratorio performances under renowned conductors. She has also sung in diverse Baroque operas, such as The Fairy Queen and Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, David and Jonathan by Charpentier, with William Christie conducting, and she recently took the role of Amor in Von Gluck’s Orfeo and Euridice.

  Margriet also sings with various solo ensembles specializing in the authentic performance of 16th- and 17th- century music. With the “Sospiro” ensemble she has given concerts in the Early Music Festival in Utrecht, the Festival of Flanders in Antwerp, and in various chamber music venues elsewhere in Europe.
  Margriet has been a member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor since 1998, singing a very wide-ranging repertoire with specialist conductors both at home and abroad.

Altos

• Marleene Goldstein
• Dorien Lievers
• Kathrin Pfeiffer
• Karin van der Poel

  Karin has been a member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor since 1996. After studying voice at the Utrecht Conservatory, she developed into a versatile singer, at home in all types of repertoire. Ensemble singing has always been a central theme of her musical career, and she has also managed to develop her skill as a soloist in many different respects. Although she originally showed a preference for song repertoire, she has also gradually grown to feel at home in the mezzo repertoire in oratorios from Bach to Rossini. Her voice has been heard in a number of opera productions too, and she has taken part in several premières of works by contemporary composers.
  Within the Nederlands Kamerkoor she has often appeared and continues to appear as a soloist, for instance recently in the première of the chamber opera Die Todesfrau by Hans Kox.
  Alongside her job with the Nederlands Kamerkoor Karin loves her work as a singing coach at the Utrecht School of the Arts.

• Nine van Strien

Tenors

• Stefan Berghammer

  Tenor Stefan Berghammer was born in Braunau/Inn (Austria) in 1970. After initially studying piano at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, he then gained a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was taught by Ian Partridge. Stefan belongs to a group of singing teachers who impart the method applied by Maestro David Jones (the Swedish/Italian School of Singing), and his knowledge of this technique is broadened by regular study with Jones. 

  Stefan has sung many solo roles in oratorio, particularly in Bach’s Passions, but also in Monteverdi’s Maria Vespers, for instance. He also has considerable opera experience. His roles include Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Dr. Blind in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, but he has also appeared in the Sound of Music Show and My Fair Lady in Salzburg.

  As well as working for the Nederlands Kamerkoor, Stefan regularly sings with the Huelgas Ensemble under Paul Van Nevel.

  He has won various singing prizes, including the Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize, the Croft Original Prize for Early Music, and a prize from the St. John’s Festival Choir Oratorio Singing Competition in London.
  Website Stefan Berghammer

• Alberto ter Doest
• Marc van Heteren

  Whilst studying medicine in Rotterdam, Marc van Heteren was an enthusiastic choral singer. Having graduated, he combined his work as a doctor with studying at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.

  He then took lessons from Udo Reinemann and followed courses with Margreet Honig, Maarten Koningsberger, Udo Reinemann, David Wilson-Johnson and Kurt Equiluz. At present he studies with Geert Berghs.

  Now that Marc has made his hobby into his profession, he regularly sings Bach cantatas and oratorios, including in March 2002 a first-time appearance in Toronto, Canada. In addition he has appeared as soloist in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Amsterdam Bach Consort, as explorer in a performance for children with the National Ballet Orchestra in the Concertgebouw, in a children’s opera in the YO! Festival in Utrecht, and recently in the Maria Vespers of Monteverdi conducted by Ton Koopman in Cremona. He has sung with the Nederlands Kamerkoor since 2001, being granted a contract in 2005.

• Mattijs Hoogendijk
• Albert van Ommen

  When he was 12 years old Albert van Ommen joined the North Holland Boys’ Choir in Alkmaar and there received singing and piano lessons. Starting in 1989 he studied at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam with Margreet Honig, Maarten Koningsberger and Paula de Wit, and in 1996 gained his qualification in music education.

  Albert then continued his studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, with Diane Forlano and Rita Dams, and in 1998 graduated as performing musician. Alongside these studies he was also studying at the Opera Academy set up by the conservatories of Amsterdam and The Hague. Here he sang the role of Lysander in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Cavalli’s Egisto, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Bartley in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, all of which productions were conducted by Kenneth Montgomery.

  Accompanied by his wife, pianist Natasja Douma, Albert has sung many recitals of lieder by Schumann, Schubert, Brahms and Strauss, but he is also active in the field of oratorio. He has worked with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra under Yakov Kreizberg and given concerts with pianist Rudolf Jansen.

  In a very different genre Albert recently sang backing vocals with the Dutch pop duo Bauer and the Metropole Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza.

  Alongside his work with the Nederlands Kamerkoor Albert also appears regularly with Paul Van Nevel’s Huelgas Ensemble.

Basses

• Peter Dijkstra
• Kees Jan de Koning

  Bass-baritone Kees Jan de Koning originally studied recorder at the Utrecht Conservatory. In 1983, around the time he was working for his diploma, he began studying voice, firstly with Peter Kooy and later with Herman Woltman.

  He rounded off his voice studies in 1991 at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where already the following year he was appointed voice teacher. Also in 1992 he gained a place in the renowned Nederlands Kamerkoor.

  In addition, Kees Jan’s bass voice provides the foundation for the internationally known Quink Vocal Ensemble. He also works regularly with other distinguished European ensembles, such as the Huelgas Ensemble, the Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam and Weser Renaissance, with all of whom he has made many CD recordings. As opera and oratorio soloist he has appeared with renowned conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Paul Van Nevel, Ton Koopman, Philippe Herreweghe, Reinbert de Leeuw en Tonu Kaljuste, and in this context too has contributed to various CD recordings.

• Gilad Nezer

  Gilad Nezer, born in Israel, began his musical career as a trombonist, and played both as a soloist and in orchestras. He also graduated as an engineer at the Technion in Haifa. In Israel he studied with Mira Zakai and won several scholarships. He was accepted to study opera at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where he studied with Barbara Pearson and Diane Forlano.

  Since 2004 Gilad has been a member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor. He also appears regularly with ensembles such as the Netherlands Vocal Laboratory, and as a soloist. His repertoire includes opera, contemporary music, oratorio, Baroque music, Jewish liturgy and songs.

  Roles that Gilad has sung recently include Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, the Mother in Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill, the title role in Telemann’s Pimpinone, Mumlal in Smetana’s The Two Widows, and solos in oratorios such as Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and many Bach cantatas.

  In August 2005 Gilad was appointed permanent cantor of the Liberaal Joodse Gemeente in Amsterdam.

• Jasper Schweppe

  Jasper Schweppe studied voice with Lodewijk Meeuwsen at Zwolle Conservatory, graduating in music education in 1995. He then continued his studies with Meinard Kraak at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, gaining his performance degree in 1998.
  Jasper has built up experience in many different styles of music, including Gregorian chant, early music, early Romantic song repertoire, oratorio and contemporary music.

  He has also performed in both concerts and CD recordings with various ensembles, such as the Huelgas Ensemble under Paul Van Nevel, the Tölzer Knabenchor under Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, Currende with Erik Van Nevel and Cappella Figuralis with Jos van Veldhoven.
  In 1999 in Paris he won the Musicora Découvertes, an international competition based around French 20th-century song. This resulted in various invitations to give recitals in France, among others from Radio France.

  Jasper has worked with orchestras including the Radio Philharmonic, conducted by Gert Albrecht, the Radio Symphony, with Alexander Rabari, and the Radio Chamber Orchestra with Kenneth Montgomery. He sang the role of Alie in Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes in an Orchestra of the 18th Century production under Frans Brüggen.
  With his accompanist Arthur Schoonderwoerd Jasper regularly gives song recitals, for example in the Musica Sacra Festival and the Early Music Festival in Utrecht.

  A CD he has made of Fauré songs on poems by Paul Verlaine is due to appear on the French Alpha label during 2007.
  Jasper has been a member of the Nederlands Kamerkoor since 2005.

  Website Jasper Schweppe