Dutch soprano Ruth Willemse studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and graduated at the Prince Claus Conservatory in June 2013. After working as a mezzo with a strong and easy high register, she has moved into the soprano Fach. She is currently preparing roles such as Elsa, Pamina, Liu and Komponist.

 

At Dutch National Opera, she debuted as Maddalena in Reimsreisje (an adaptation of Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims for children). At Dutch Reisopera, she could be heard as both the Old Lady and Paquette in Bernstein’s Candide, Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Berta in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other roles include Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Concepcion in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare (under the baton of Michael Chance). At the Royal Concertgebouw, she participated in a concert performance of Madama Butterfly in de Zaterdag Matinee. Ruth Willemse has performed several times on Dutch national radio.

 

Ruth Willemse regularly gives recitals at concert halls in the Netherlands and abroad and festivals such as the Amsterdam Grachtenfestival. Her repertoire includes German Lieder, French mélodies and English song, with works such as Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, Strauss' Vier Letzte Lieder, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder and Schumann’s Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart.
 

In concert, Ruth Willemse has been heard as a mezzo in Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s C-Minor Mass, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Fauré’s Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Weihnachtsoratorium amongst many other concert works. She sang Händel’s Messiah at the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.