Young professionals programme

Presentation of the participants

It is a great pleasure to present the young singers who have been invited to participate in the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Paris in July 2009.

The selection committee chose the singers from 46 applications, basing their selection on several criteria. In addition to the basic qualification of excellent singing and presentation, factors such as age, national representation, voice types and categories as well as styles of singing ranging from classical to music theatre and various popular music styles.  The resulting mix of singers promises a fascinating picture of singing across Europe: the singers’ ages range from 20 to 30; they will represent Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.  Their voice types include soprano, mezzo, countertenor, tenor, baritone and bass; the stylistic panorama includes folk music, musical theatre, popular music styles of various countries, and of course opera, Lied, mélodies and art song.

Initiated by the European Voice Teachers Association, this project is being sponsored through several additional sources.  Government funding from Slovenia and Poland will support two singers; two other young artists, one each from Finland and Switzerland, will be sponsored directly by their national organisations, FINATS and EVTA.CH.  Furthermore, the partners of a European Union grant under the Leonardo da Vinci Partnerships Programme, co-ordinated by the French host organisation, AFPC, will carry the largest share of the project costs.

The singers’ programme will include two days of pre-congress rehearsals and coaching, a concert on the theme of the congress as well as singing for master classes and collaborating with voice teachers from around the world by preparing demonstration repertoire to be sung during presentations.

Prof. Norma Enns, President
enns@evta-online.org
March 15, 2009

Romana Beutel is currently studying voice at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität with Uta Schwabe. In 2007 she completed her bachelor’s degree with honors. She has participated in master classes with Angelika Kirchschlager, Barbara Bonney, and Patricia Wise, and was awarded prizes at the Prima la musica (2004) and Fidelio (2006) competitions. In Baden, she sang Serpetta in Mozart’s Gärtnerin aus Liebe and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. She has also sung Polly in John Gay’s The Beggar`s Opera, Poppea in Händel’s Agrippina, and the Bird in Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert at the Wiener Kammeroper. She has sung major works such as Brahms’ Requiem in Vienna and performed as far abroad as Venezuela.

Leonardo Cortellazzi (1980) graduated with honours in Marketing from the School of Economy at Parma University and subsequently with highest honours from the Music Conservatory Arrigo Boito in Parma. In June 2008 he also completed a program in opera studies at the Teatro della Scala in Milan.  He is currently studying voice with Maestro Lelio Capilupi. In 2003 he debuted in the role of Schmidt in Werther by Massenet. Subsequent roles have included Giocondo in Pietra del Paragone by Rossini, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Don Basili in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. In 2006 he sang the role of Fracasso in a recording of Mozart’s La Finta Semplice.

Guillaume Delpech discovered music by beginning violin lessons at the age of 7 at the Conservatoire National de Région de Bordeaux. He moved on to viola, then studied classical guitar with Olivier Chassain. He sang as well with the children’s choir of the Opera de Bordeaux from 1994 to 1996. Parallel, he pursued literary studies in Hypokhâgne and Khâgne, and graduated in 2004 from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Bordeaux. He began studying voice in 2003 with Jacques Schwarz, first in Bordeaux, then in Toulouse; he has also attended master classes  with Jean-François Lombard, Gabriel Bacquier, Mireille Larroche, and Jean Paul Fauchécourt at the Conservatory of Toulouse in association with CESMD. He participated in the prize-winning recording of Lamentatio by C. Festa for Arrion. He is currently continuing his studies in the Department of Ancient Music in Toulouse. He also teaches voice at the School of Music of Villeneuve-sur-Lot.

Hinrich Horn began his study of voice with Eike Tiedemann, Max Ciolek, and Philip Zenof (Sofia). He is currently completing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover, where he studied with Peter Anton Ling and Jacques Schwarz. Most recently, he sang the lead role in the university’s annual opera production: Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In addition, he has taken master classes with Ingrid Kremling, Irwin Gage, and Charles Spencer. His stage repertoire includes Renaissance music, roles such as  Papageno, Guglielmo, Figaro, and Bim in Heinz Holliger’s What Where. Concert performances have taken him to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and Indonesia. Together with his Lied partner, Fabiana Sisto, he was awarded second prize at two competitions in Pistoia and Brescia, Italy. In addition, he was given the prize for the most interesting program and best artistic presentation. He currently has guest contracts at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and the Staatsoper Hannover.

Aili Ikonen studied folk and jazz music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in 2008. Her most significant teachers have been Aija Puurtinen, Maija Hapuoja, and Ritva Eerola. She has performed at several renowned jazz festivals both in Finland and abroad, was featured as a soloist with the UMO Jazz Orchestra, and won first prize at the inter-Scandinavian Young Nordic Jazz Comets contest in 2004. In addition to singing and composing with Kvalda, Aili is working with several other bands such as Korpi Ensemble, Hereä, and Piiskaajat, which was the winner of the 2007 Finnish Folk Music Contest. In January 2009 she performed the role of Gill Bates in a contemporary “virtual opera,” Lovers of Mankind, which combined jazz elements with modern classical music.

Marie Karall started her musical training at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg and Conservatoire du IXe arrondissement de Paris studying voice with Anne Constantin. She continued at the Opera Studio in Rome with Renata Scotto. She currently works with Michele Command and Gabriel Bacquier. In addition, she has been awarded many grants and prizes, has had auspicious performances in London (Vernon Ellis/English National Opera), at the theatre of Montluçon, the Polish embassy in Paris and in the project Young Talents 08/09 led by Alain Duault. She has sung at the National Opera of Lorraine with Jose Cura, has performed Suzanne in Offenbach’s ''Un mari à la porte'' in several French productions. Future plans include an appearance at the Montpellier Opera and the Imperial Theatre of Compiègne, Eurydice in Gluck's  Orphée & Eurydice', Dorothee in Massenet's Cendrillon at the Massy Opera, and Taven in Gounod’s Mireille.  Further pléiades musicales  festival, in Bastia and Mâcon. Additional repertoire includes Charlotte (Werther), Leonora (La Favorite) or Dido (Dido & Aeneas).

Anamarija Lazarevič (1988) began her musical training studying piano with Lenka Naber at the Music School Ljubljana Moste-Polje.  She began singing lessons at age 14 with Pija Brodnik at the Music School Ljubljana Vič-Rudnik, where she is currently continuing her study of voice. Anamarija has performed at numerous school recitals, stage productions (operetta and opera ensembles), and charity concerts. She has been successful in many national competitions and, most recently, was awarded second prize at the International Singing Competition Ithaka in 2006. She occasionally performs with the Tine Rožanc folk group, with whom she sings a repertoire of national songs at concerts and festivals. She is also a student in the biotechnical department at the University of Ljubljana.

Gareth Nash joined the Morlais Male Voice Choir when he was 16; his first singing teacher was its accompanist, Rosalie Evans. He graduated from Trinity College (Carmarthen) in 2004 with a BA hons in Theatre, Cerdd, a'r Cyfryngau (Theatre, Music and Media). While at Trinity, Gareth trained under Marian Thomas and Janet Massochi.  A fluent Welsh speaker (and singer!), he performed the lead roles in both the Welsh musical Pum Diwrnod o Ryddid and the English language production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. In 2004 he won the Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award and went on to study musical theatre at The Royal Academy of Music, London. There he trained under Gareth Roberts, Mary Hammond, Seaphen Hill, and Ann-Marie Speed, while also attending numerous master classes before graduating in 2005. In 2006 Gareth spent six months on the P&O cruise ship MV Aurora as part of its theatre company, and from June 2007 to the present he has been playing the role of Joly in the West End cast of Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre.

After graduating with a Baccalaureat Litteraire in 2004, Julia Orcet followed a two-year course of study in Paris at the Ecole de la Manufacture de la Chanson. There, she studied vocal and stage technique, learned script-writing, and had the opportunity to work with professors such as Anouck Manetti and Michel Troise. Her training culminated in a performance of her own show at the Theatre Lavoir Moderne. The following year her success in a vocal competition (Le Mans Cité Chanson) granted her the honor of performing at the Palais des Congres du Mans. She has also appeared in artists’ first productions such as Laurent Malot and Eric Guilleton, performing at the Forum Léo Férré, at the Theatre of Ménilmontant, and the Theatre d’Etampes. She loves solo singing, but is also quite interested in choral music.

Cyrielle Sauvage (1988) became involved in the world of music at a very young age. She began her vocal studies at the age of 15 at the Conservatoire de Montereau fault Yonne with Armelle Cabral with classical then popular music repertoire. She was successful in many competitions 2001 – 2006, resulting in television appearances as well as studio recordings. In 2006 she began studies at the Institut Professionnel des Arts de la Scene Rick Odums in Paris, where she studied voice with Sarah Sanders, Laurent Mercou and Nathalie Dupuy, theatre with Guy Shelley and Stanislas Grassian, and classical dance, jazz and hip hop with Béatrice Marois, Christelle Chinonis, Millard Hurley and Jean-Pierre Chandler. She was cast for in vocal solos and roles at various school performances, including the "femme du peuple" for Le Roi Soleil, Doc (readapted for a woman) in West Side Story, and a smaller role in Hair. Today, Cyrielle works for two artist composers in a hip-hop reggae style as a singer and chorister giving opportunites to perform in great halls such as the Gibus or the New Morning. Cyrille is working on her first album with her group, Welcome. She most recently won second place at the Crescendo competition in Paris as an author, composer and interpreter.

Marysol Schalit (1982) began studying singing at the Universität der Künste  Bern/Biel, where she completed her concert diploma with distinction in 2007. She is currently a member of the Swiss Opera Studio Biel and is continuing work toward a solo diploma. Studying with Marianne Kohler, she is also broadening her training in master classes with Krisztina Làki, Jadwiga Rappé, Cornelia Kallisch, Yvonne Naef, and Gérard Wyss. She is active as a concert singer, while also performing in several musicals, cabarets, and theatre productions. In 2007 she sang the part of Amour in Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice with the baroque orchestra Cantus Firmus. Recent roles include Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Biennale Bern and Theatre Biel/Solothurn and Flora in Benjamin Britten’s The Turn Of Screw. This season she will appear as Guadalena and Manuelita in Offenbach’s La Périchole. She has won awards from numerous organizations and competitions, including the Friedel Wald–Stiftung (2006), the Kiefer Hablitzel, the Hedwig Collard-Scherer Stiftung (2008), and the International Simandy Josef Competition in Hungary (2008).

Christina Sutter (1987) was born in Ahmedabad, India, and grew up in Olten, Switzerland, the youngest of five children. There, she began flute lessons at age 8 and piano at 12. During the last three years of high school she began singing lessons with Lucie Schibler and Daphné Mosimann. She then studied classical singing (since 2006) with Liliane Zürcher at the Hochschule Luzern/Musik, while also attending master classes with Margreet Honig and Klaus Mertens. She has most recently been singing with ensembles and choirs at the KKL Lucerne, the Stadttheater Bern, and the Sala Nervi in Rome. Apart from singing, she enjoys Latin and Middle-Eastern dance.

Erika Tordéus made her solo debut in Carnegie Hall at the age of 22. She has performed in the United States, England, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, singing with the American contemporary music ensemble ALEA III, the Cyprus State Orchestra, the Athens Chamber Orchestra, the Hamptons Festival Orchestra, and the Mellersta Upplands Chamber Orchestra. She has worked with a variety of noted conductors, including Lukas Foss and Simon Carrington. Erika did her undergraduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston (USA), her elementary opera studies at the Stockholm Opera Studio 67, and she is currently studying toward a master’s degree in opera at Gothenburg University in Sweden. Erika’s main voice teachers to date have been Susan Clickner, Iwa Sörenson, and Birgit Louise Frandsen Irestad.

Matti Turunen is studying sacred music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Pekka Kähkönen, voice, and Ville Urponen, organ. He previsiously studied music at the Conservatory of Joensuu with Rauno Keltanen, voice, and Janne Mertanen, piano. He has taken additional master classes in singing with Jorma Hynninen and Erkki Rajamäki, as well as Tom Krause, Matti Salminen, and Hannu Niemelä. This past season, 2008-09, he was a trainee at the Finnish National Opera, debuting as the Einarmige  in Strauss’s  Die Frau Ohne Schatten.  Additional roles to date are Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Menelaos in Women of Troy, and the Eremit in Der Freischütz. He has also composed two services for the Evangelical Lutheran Church, called Service of Young Fate and Service of Peace. He has broad tastes in music as well as food!

Maartje Waanders (1981) began music studies at the age of 9 with classical piano lessons. She then studied music education and pop and jazz singing at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Arnhem, where she completed her Bachelor degrees in 2003 and 2007 respectively.  In June 2009 she will receive her Masters degree at the Messiaen Academie. Her most significant teachers were Jolande Geven, Mariëlle Vester, Mathilde Santing and Ineke van Doorn. She has taken master classes with Alberto ter Doest, Tom Salisbury, Jeroen Willems and Hans Dulfer.

Currently, Maartje performs with several pop- and jazz bands and theatre groups. She is often asked as a soloist for orchestras and pop/gospel choirs, works in studios and sings backing vocals (e.g. Johnny Logan). Additionally, she has her own private practice in singing, and performs frequently with her personal pianist.

After completing a BA in Linguistics and German, Derek Welton went on to receive a master’s degree in music and recently completed the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Janice Chapman. His operatic roles include Silvano in Cavalli’s La Calisto, Vertigo in Gluck’s La rencontre imprévue, Podkolyosin in Martinu’s The Marriage, Falstaff in Salieri’s Falstaff, the Count in Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Guglielmo in Cosi Fan Tutte, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. His concert appearances include performances at venues such as the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall, where he has performed a wide range of choral and song repertoire. He has won three competitions to date: the 2007 Handel Singing Competition (UK), 2005 Geelong Aria, and 2004 Australian Youth Aria.

Barbara Zamek-Gliszczyńska (1985) was a member of the Alla Polacca Children’s Choir affiliated with the National Theatre in Warsaw. She continued her musical education in the Fryderyk Chopin Music High School in Warsaw where her teacher Hanna Rejmer prepared her for study at the Fryderyk Chopin Music University in Warsaw. She is now completing her second year as a student of Bożena Betley. Barbara has won several competitions: 1. Mieczysław Karłowicz National Vocal Competition in Kraków, 3. Krystyna Jamroz National Vocal Competition in Wrocław, and the 8. Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition “Pieśń Wieczorna” (Night Song).