Harrie Van Der Plas, Caroline Bruker, Laurence Kalaidjian, Freier, Edén, Malmö Opera Orchestra & Dario Salvi
Biography Harrie Van Der Plas, Caroline Bruker, Laurence Kalaidjian, Freier, Edén, Malmö Opera Orchestra & Dario Salvi
Harrie Van Der Plas
was born in Rosmalen, the Netherlands and studied at the Conservatorium Maastricht and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. In 1996 he made his debut at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and in 2000 sang the title role in a production of Der Zigeunerbaron at the Seefestspiele Mörbisch, which was subsequently released on Oehms Classics. In 2002 he became a member of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich and was a regular guest at the Komische Oper Berlin.
Alongside appearances at numerous prestigious opera houses around the world, he has performed in La Bohème over 100 times, including at Oper Leipzig and Opera North, and as Don José in Carmen at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau and Volksoper Wien among others. Harrie van der Plas is also a successful oratorio and song soloist, and has performed at the Berliner Philharmonie, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels and The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. He has been a member of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe since 2016.
Caroline Bruker
American Coloratura Soprano, Caroline Bruker, received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina USA. In 2008 she moved to the Netherlands, where she continued her operatic and early music studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. After graduating from the Conservatoire, Caroline participated in the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Opera Studio in Rome under the instruction of Renata Scotto. Caroline has also participated in masterclasses with Cheryl Studer, Monserrat Caballé and Helen Donath. In 2016 Caroline received her Masters Degree in Opera from the Hochschüle für Musik Detmold, where she sang the roles of Blondchen from Mozart’s Die Entführung aus Serail, Zerbinetta from Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and Miss Havisham from Argento’s Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night.
As a concert singer Caroline Bruker has performed with multiple orchestras and international festivals throughout Europe, the Middle East, USA, Asia and Australia. Her repertoire ranges from early music to contemporary, such as Schütz Musikalische Exequien performed at the Konzerthalle Bamberg to Steve Reich’s Desert Music performed at De Doelen in Rotterdam. Her recurring performances include Bach’s Weinachtsoratorium, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
In the summer of 2014 she premiered a new English version of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen singing the role of the Vixen with the Trentino Music Festival in Mezzano, Italy. In 2016 she debuted with the Hamburg Kammeroper’s Theater für Kinder singing Woglinde in Wagner’s Das Rheingold. The following season Caroline gave her debut at Theater Osnabrück as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Laurence Kalaidjian
Born in 1995 in Hamburg, baritone Laurence Kalaidjian began his musical career in the New Boys Choir Hamburg at the Jugendmusikschule (2003–12), simultaneously studying violin with Henning Demgenski.
In 2015 he sang the role of Captain Igor at the Staatsoper Hamburg in the world premiere of Die Hamburger Sindbadauken. He has since appeared in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea and Blow’s Venus and Adonis. Recent engagements include the role of Melisso in Handel’s Alcina, Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane at Theater Lübeck.
In 2018 he won the Mozart Prize, and the year after was awarded Second Prize at the Elise Meyer Competition in Hamburg.
Kalaidjian is currently studying for a postgraduate degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Geert Smits, and during his studies has participated in masterclasses with Erik Battaglia and a concert tour to Shanghai, China.
Sönke Tams Freier
ass-baritone Sönke Tams Freier was born in 1989 in Hamburg, Germany. He began his career as a boy soprano soloist singing in concerts all over Germany. Freier received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, studying under the tenor Michael Gehrke.
He is a frequent soloist in churches and concert halls throughout Germany and has performed multiple concerts in the United States, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Malta, Belgium, France, Denmark and the Netherlands. His most recent operatic roles include Figaro from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Guglielmo from Mozart’s Così fan tutte with the Hamburger Kammeroper.
Freier has performed all over the world with the prestigious men’s quartet Quartonal including at festivals in Asia and Europe. After their highly acclaimed debut album Another Way on Sony Classical, Quartonal recently released their second album Everytime.
