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The German mezzo-soprano, Bernadette Beckermann, discovered her ardour and enthusiasm for music during her early musical education at the Music Secondary School of her hometown Magdeburg. After she received the diploma at the Dresden Hochschule für Musik she went on to continue her singing studies at the Musikhochschule of Leipzig.
Exploring musical works with dedication and presence – in constant balance between well-founded theoretical knowledge, lively musical performance and a natural voice filled with expressivity – this is how Bernadette Beckermann aims to reach the listener with her singing. As a proponent of Early Music, she performs as a soloist and skilled ensemble singer with many small ensembles including Collegium Vocale 1704 conducted by Václav Luks, Vokalakademie Berlin founded by René Jacobs and led by Frank Markowitsch and Dresdner Kammerchor under the baton of Hans-Christoph Rademann.
In the framework of these engagements Bernadette Beckermann has taken part in numerous CD and radio broadcasting productions such as the critically acclaimed world's first complete recording of the entire works of Heinrich Schütz. She has given guest performances in festivals for instance Salzburger Festspiele, Musikfest Stuttgart, Bachfest Leipzig and Bachwoche Ansbach. She has drawn further artistic and musical inspiration from masterclasses with Dorothee Mields, Ingeborg Danz and Harry van der Kamp.
As a soloist Bernadette Beckermann performed various works of the baroque repertoire including J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) with the ensemble Wunderkammer, H. Schütz' Psalmen Davids at the Dresden Frauenkirche and Schlosskapelle, Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri at Nikolaikirche Leipzig and Gedächtniskirche Berlin, Charpentier's Te Deum at Aachen Cathedral and works of Erlebach at the festival Güldener Herbst.
On the opera stage Bernadette Beckermann showed her fine dramatic instincts by starring in many student productions, including Cherubino in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at Staatsschauspiel Dresden or recently as part of a historical informed production of the oratorio San Giovanni Battista by Alessandro Stradella. She gained experience in Baroque performing and historical gesture with Niels Badenhop and Nils Niemann. |
