Masterclass Thursday morning
Thursday 21 May / 10.15 - 12.45 hours
Master class for professional song duos by Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano and Pauliina Tukiainen, piano
For musicians, staying in development after their studies is an essential part of their professional practice. Our master class is the place for young musicians to explore and renew their performance of songs. What makes this six-day, intensive course special is that singer and pianist take centre stage as an equal and inseparable unit. The closer their collaboration, the better they will be able to express everything that lies within songs. After all, a classical song combines poetry, music and history. The teachers are all seasoned song singers and pianists who will also be on stage during the festival. The knowledge and experience they bring and share makes the master class a special experience for you too.
On Saturday 23 May, the masterclass concludes with a presentation recital.
Bernarda Fink
Great Hall
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 12, 3703 CB Zeist
Pauliina Tukiainen
Small Hall
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 20, 3703 CB Zeist
Bernarda Fink / mezzo-soprano
Bernarda Fink is a sought-after singer acclaimed for the versatility of the repertoire she performs, which ranges from early music to 20th-century works. She has worked with leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Riccardo Chailly and Nicolaus Harnoncourt. She also performed several opera roles at Europe's leading opera houses and gives regular song recitals. In 2016, she gave a memorable recital at the first edition of the festival. Many of the CD recordings to which she collaborated have won awards.
Fink also gives master classes at the Wiener Meisterkurse and the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden bei Wien, among others. Furthermore, she has been a jury member at several competitions.
Pauliina Tukiainen / piano
Pauliina Tukiainen has built a reputation as a versatile interpreter of the song repertoire. Besides the recitals she gives with her regular duo partner baritone Arttu Kataja, she has also collaborated with the likes of Ingeborg Danz, Henk Neven, Christoph and Julian Prégardien and Marie Seidler. Many of her concerts were recorded and broadcast on international radio and TV stations. Tukiainen recorded several CDs, including two with Kataja. Besides her busy concert schedule, Tukiainen is a much sought-after teacher at conservatoires and for master classes and workshops. She is artistic advisor of the Bonner Schumannfest, where she set up a stage for young song duos. She also holds a chair of ‘liedgestaltung’ at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2026, she is one of the teachers at the festival's master class.