The Dutch tenor, Geert Berghs, studied medicine in Nijmegen, with minor in music science. In those years he played piano a lot and he received singing lessons by Nelly van der Spek. After his promotion in 1988 by Tom Eskes, he continued his singing studies with Margreet Honig and graduated in 1992 with her. Since that time, he has dedicated full-time to develop into a versatile singer and he also received further vocal training including with Jelle Draijer, Kurt Equiluz and again Nelly van der Spek. Currently, he is trained by Henny Diemer. Also, for he some years in succession he participates in acting and movement classes.
Geert Berghs' repertoire ranges from Baroque to the 20th century. His solo parts includes J.S. Bach's Passions (arias and Evangelist parts), cantatas, the Christmas-Oratorio (BWV 248), George Frideric Handel's Messiah, Die Schöpfung by Haydn, Rossini's Messe Solenelle, Les Noces by Igor Stravinsky and the Nicholas Cantata by Benjamin Britten, with conductors such as Jos van Veldhoven, Daan Admiraal and Daniel Reuss. With the Brabants Orkest and Het Gelders Orkest he performed the arias in Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244). In 2002 he sang solo at St. Peter's in Rome with Orchestro di Lazio in W.A. Mozart's Krönungsmesse and in 2003 he also toured Italy as the Evangelist in J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245), for which he received very positive reviews.
In the field of opera he has appeared in works by W.A. Mozart (title role in Idomeneo), Verdi (Carlo in Giovianna d'Arco), Offenbach (Hoffman in Les Contes d'Hoffman), Lorzing (Baron Kronthal in Der Wildschütz), in operas by Purcell, Bononcini, Menotti and Wagner.
Geert Berghs had ensemble experience in the Amsterdam Baroque Choir under the baton of Ton Koopman and as a member of the vocal jazz and pop theatre-quartet Mezzo Macho. In recent years he has worked with the organist / pianist Tijn van Eijk. Together they did a concert of music including Monteverdi, J.S. Bach and Charpentier. For some time he has worked with the pianist Jacob Bogaart, with whom he gave several Lieder recitals with music by Korngold, Massenet, Debussy, B. Britten, Paul Hindemith and others. |