Masterclass Wednesday morning
Wednesday 20 May / 10.15 - 12.45 am
Master class for professional song duos by Robert Holl, bass-baritone and Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
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.
Robert Holl
Koetshuys
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 2, 3703 CB Zeist
Bernarda Fink
Small Hall
Evangelical Brotherhood
Zusterplein 20, 3703 CB Zeist
Robert Holl / bass-baritone
After his studies, Robert Holl became one of the most successful Lieder singers of our time. He won several prizes and worked with renowned conductors with whom he performed at home and abroad. Besides his engagements with various opera houses, he also made a name for himself as a concert singer with a great predilection for German and Russian songs. Holl received several high honours, including honorary membership of the Wagner Society in October 2021 and an oeuvre-Edison in 2022.
Holl is praised for the expressiveness of his interpretations and the intimacy he manages to evoke in his listeners. He is also a popular and sought-after teacher. He has been professor of song and oratorio at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna since 1998. In 2016, he became artistic director of the International Song Festival Zeist at its foundation. In May 2022, he passed the baton to bass-baritone Henk Neven and pianist Hans Eijsackers. This year, he is teaching the festival's master class for the tenth year.
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.