About
Thanks to her versatility and captivating personality, soprano Elise Caluwaerts has grown into a renowned soloist both in Belgium and abroad. Her love for challenging repertoire – ranging from opera to multidisciplinary projects – led to various creations and remarkable collaborations with internationally renowned composers and ensembles.
Her recent album, Meine Seele, comprises the whole oeuvre of Alma Mahler and received raving reviews in oa BBC Music Magazine: “Elise Caluwaerts’ voice is light and youthful yet never superficial. That makes her the ideal interpreter for Mahler’s music that is so full of feeling. She brings out intimate details and surprises with long, supple lines that depict a whole emotional universe.”
During the Sydney Festival, she sang the highly acclaimed role of Lei in Pascal Dusapin’s chamber opera Passion directed by Pierre Audi. "Belgian soprano Elise Caluwaerts impressed with her supple sense of line and strength, displaying a soaring, pure-toned top register and richly coloured lower register." - The Australian, reviewing Passion at the Sydney Festival
Elise is currently and artist in residence at the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp where she programs a series of concerts with very rarely performed repertoire, mostly by female composers.
Elise started her career as a baroque singer, working with such conductors as Philippe Herreweghe, Jorid Savall and Simon Murphy. In 2016 she released an album with spectacular coloratura repertoire with the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. It lead to various major opera productions, such as Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira) with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra directed by David Stern and Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbieri di Siviglia (Rosina) under the baton of Vegard Nilsen. Highlight of the 2017-2018 season was the female leading role (Chuan Yun) in the creation of Enjott Schneider's opera Marco Polo directed by Kasper Holten in Guanghzou Opera (China) in May 2018. In 2019 Elise sang Mimi in La Boheme at the Copenhagen Opera Festival and a series of new year’s concerts with Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and Contessa with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege in 2020 as well as a concert tour with the cello 8-tet of La Monnaie: Ô-Celli.
In 2021, highlights include a Duos d’Amour concert alongside opera star Michael Spyres with OPRL and Gergely Madaras. In 2023 Elise sang the very challenging role of Armillia in Ravnen at Danish National Opera.
Elise Caluwaerts simultaneously studied at the conservatories of Antwerp with Lucienne Van Deyck (classical singing) and Brussels (early music), followed by the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where she graduated Cum Laude with Diane Forlano. She took master classes with Neil Shicoff, Craig Rutenberg, Marlena Malas, Elly Ameling, David Wilson Johnson, Jozef De Beenhouwer. Gemma Visser is her present coach.
Picture: ©Lalo Gonzalez