… mezzo-soprano Nina van Essen … combined passion with the ability to deliver glorious bel canto singing, … and … with beautiful tone and deep feeling. Opera, March 2024
From 2019 until 2024, Nina van Essen is a member of Staatsoper Hannover, where her repertoire includes Romèo in Bellini I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Il piacere in an adapted version of Handel’s La bellezza ravveduta nel trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. During the 2023/24 season, she will sing her first Gluck Orfeo. In 2025, the mezzo-soprano will return to Nationale Opera in Amsterdam and will go on tour with Les Talens Lyriques.
In 2022, she made her debut at Oper Leipzig, singing Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, a part she first performed at Amsterdam’s Grachtenfestival in 2017. 2019, the mezzo-soprano performed Gwendolen Fairfax in the Swiss premiere of Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest at Théâtre Equilibre Fribourg, followed by the French premiere at Théâtre de l’Athénée in Paris. During the 2016/17 season, the Dutch artist performed in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at Dutch National Opera. In 2017, she made her debuts at Théâtre Equilibre Fribourg and Théâtre de L’Athénée in Paris singing Masha in Shostakovich’s Moscow Cheryomushki. In 2018, Nina van Essen performed several parts in Delius’ A Village Romeo and Juliet at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; earlier that year she has sung the title role in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte in The Netherlands. She worked with directors including Andrea Breth, Julien Chavaz, Tatjana Gürbaca, Barbora Horáková, Nicola Hümpel, Immo Karaman, Béatrice Lachaussée, Lydia Steier, Elisabeth Stöppler, and Michael Talke.
As a concert soloist, Nina van Essen’s concert repertoire includes Bach’s Matthäus-Passion, Bruckner’s Requiem, Franck’s Die sieben Worte Jesu am Kreuz, Mozart’s Mass in C, Palmeri’s Misa Buenos Aires, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle and Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio.
She has performed under the baton of conductors including David Bates, Giulio Cilona, Karel Deseure, Mark Elder, Hartmut Haenchen, Antony Hermus, Boudewijn Jansen, Alexander Joel, Reinbert de Leeuw, Andrea Sanguineti, Michele Spotti, Jan Willem de Vriend as well as Stephan Zilias and with orchestras including Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Het Residentie Orkest, L’Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, and Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam.
First Prize + Best Femail Voice Award: Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino 2023
This biography is for information only and should not be reproduced. © Artistainternational, December 2023.
Bach: Matthäus-Passion: Erbarme dich….
Live recording 2023
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia/ Rosina: Una voce poco fa…
Live recording 2023