mezzo-soprano
Dutch mezzo-soprano Esther Kuiper studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and was coached by Marion van den Akker and Margreet Honig. She has been a member of Silbersee international workplace, which gave her the opportunity to specialize in contemporary music too. She became finalist and laureate of the Nicola Martinucci Competition (2019) and the International Vocal Competition ‘s Hertogenbosch (2014).
Esther performed with conductors like Jaap van Zweden, Markus Stenz, Riccardo Minasi, Carlo Rizzi, Antonello Manacorda, Vahan Mardirossian, Raphaël Pichon, Ed Spanjaard, Martin Wright, Pieter-Jelle de Boer, Gijs Leenaars, Karina Canellakis, Giampaolo Bisanti, Kenneth Montgomery and Daniël Reuss.She worked with stage directors like Simon McBurney, Damiano Michieletto, Katie Mitchell and Romeo Castellucci at theatres like Dutch National Opera and La Monnaie (Bruxelles), and concert halls like Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzerthaus (Berlin) and Palau de la Música (Valencia).
Recent engagements include Dritte Dame in Mozarts Die Zauberflöte at Dutch National Opera with Riccardo Minasi and Simon McBurney, Mahler's Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen at TivoliVredenburg (2023), and Waltraute in Wagners Die Walküre under Jaap van Zweden and several other parts like Pastorkyña/Barena in Janáčeks Jenufa and Zulma in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri (the last mentioned also recorded for CD) (NTR Zaterdagmatinee 2019-2022).
This season Esther will sing Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Orchestra of the 18th Century conducted by Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg and perform Händel's Messiah at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (2025). In 2026 Esther will cover the role of Marianne in Theory of Flames by Michel van der Aa at Dutch National Opera and she will perform at TivoliVredenburg with accordion player Vincent van Amsterdam.