The Hidden Page

Award-winning Canadian soprano Elisabeth Hetherington established herself in the Netherlands as a striking interpreter of early, contemporary, and modern repertoire. She is praised for her flawless technique, expressive power, and the seamless integration of voice and movement, supported by her background as a dancer. With the dance company LeineRoebana, she created innovative productions, and she has also stood out on the opera stage with acclaimed roles at Holland Opera. As an expert in Elizabethan English, she gives masterclasses and lectures at renowned institutions across Europe and Canada. In 2024, she will receive the Dutch Music Prize in recognition of her versatile and boundary-pushing career.

Ekaterina Levental is a versatile performer who weaves personal stories with universal themes such as identity, displacement, and resilience, using her voice, harp, and body as instruments. Her autobiographical trilogy The Journey – The Border – Queen of Spades has been widely acclaimed and performed hundreds of times across the globe. With her powerful interpretations and playful stage presence, she touches audiences deeply, regardless of language or background. She moves effortlessly between opera, music theatre, and chamber music, with a repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary, including forays into folk music and chanson. Together with pianist Frank Peters, she recorded the complete songs of Nikolai Medtner, earning the international Pure Sound Award.

Originally from Bulgaria and raised in Hungary, tenor and composer Georgi Sztojanov has been based in The Hague since 2012. He studied composition in Budapest and The Hague, then completed his vocal studies with distinction at the Royal Conservatoire. Georgi specializes in contemporary music and has performed leading roles in Aus Licht by Stockhausen, De Materie by Louis Andriessen, and productions by Opera2day, Silbersee, and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. He frequently collaborates with composers, creating roles in numerous world premieres. Since 2018, he has been a permanent member of the Groot Omroepkoor, navigating effortlessly between baroque, modern repertoire, and bel canto.

Baritone Berend Eijkhout (1989) is a versatile singer who moves fluently between opera, music theatre, oratorio, and art song. He has sung roles such as Papageno, Il Conte, and Masetto, as well as in newly composed operas by Jan-Peter de Graaff, Chiel Meijering, and Calliope Tsoupaki. This season he returns to Dutch National Opera in A Song for the Moon by Mathilde Wantenaar, and has worked with ensembles including Holland Opera, Phion, and the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. His concert repertoire spans from Bach and Brahms to Rossini and Mendelssohn, and as a recitalist, he enjoys exploring theatrical and interdisciplinary formats. Composers and audiences alike value his musicality and expressive depth, with recent projects by Tsoupaki, Kris Oelbrandt, and Lucas Wiegerink.

Swedish conductor Andreas van Tol (formerly Hansson) is rapidly building a career across Europe, appearing with orchestras such as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Luzerner Sinfonieorchester. He won the Neeme Järvi Prize in 2021 and served as assistant conductor in Lucerne. In 2023, he made his opera debut conducting Die Zauberflöte on a Netherlands-wide tour with Opera2Day. Andreas studied in Norway and the Netherlands, and has taken masterclasses with renowned conductors including Riccardo Muti and Jaap van Zweden. He is the artistic director of the Polstjärnepriset Symphony Orchestra, a leading youth orchestra in the Nordic region.

Ria Marks is a Dutch theatre maker, director, and actress, known for her work with Orkater and her site-specific productions with Via Berlin. She has created music theatre with ensembles such as Ragazze Quartet, Slagwerk Den Haag, and Holland Baroque, collaborating with composers like Mayke Nas, Spinvis, and Peter Adriaansz. She also directed operas including l'Histoire du Soldat with Janine Jansen and Words & Beyond II by Seung-Won Oh. Her productions are characterized by a distinctive physical language that tells complex stories through visual and musical means. In addition to her artistic work, she teaches at theatre schools and conservatories and has led international workshops in cities such as Rio, Seoul, and New York.

Ernst Spyckerelle is an award-winning violinist and composer specializing in contemporary music. He studied at the conservatories of Liège and Amsterdam and completed his violin studies in Paris. As violinist of Ensemble Linea and artistic director of the Intercontinental Ensemble, he creates innovative arrangements and performances. His compositions for solo violin, chamber music, and film are performed internationally. Ernst collaborates with leading ensembles and musicians and performs across Europe and the United States.