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The Belgian bass, Charles Dekeyser, started with singing lessons under soprano Martine Reyners at the age of 16 years at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Waterloo; then he studied at the Brussels Royal Conservatoire (Conservatoire Royal De Bruxelles) under bass baritone Marcel Vanaud . In 2008 he was nominated as laureate at the Concours National de Chant de Verviers-Prix Jacques Dôme. Then he continued his singing studies at the Flanders Opera Studio where he obtained in June 2010 the certificate of Laureate of the Flanders Opera Studio, voice option. He then studied for 4 years at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel tutored by José Van Dam. He therefore received a scholarship granted by Schelstraete Delacourt Associates nv-sa. In 2014, he participated in the Queen Elisabeth Competition where he becomes semi-finalist. During the 2015-2016 season, he is member of the International Opera Studio Opernhaus Zürich.
During his artistic training, Charles Dekeyser participateD in many master-classes both in Belgium and abroad with under more Helmut Deutsch, Graham Johnson, Sarah Walker, Micaela van Gegerfelt and Pietro Rizzo. As laureate at the Académie européenne de musique du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, he participateD in master-classes with Susanna Eken, Sarah Connolly and Jean-Yves Ruf. In 2013 he is admitted by ENOA (European network of opera academies) to participate in workshops with Nelly Miricioiu at the Latvian National Opera in Riga (Latvia). In Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh (UK) within the framework of the Britten Pears Young Artist Program, he participateD in master-classes on Schubert Lieder with Christoph Prégardien, Malcolm Martineau and Richard Stokes.
At the International Opera Academy Charles Dekeyser participated in several opera productions impersonating the characters of La Mort in Brackx' La Mort au Bal masqué and of Melisso in George Frideric Handel's Alcina. At the Opera Royal de Wallonie in Liège, and at the Opera of Rouen, he sang the role of Sarastro in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. In 2010 he made his debut at the Flanders Opera, in the role of L’Ombra di Nino in Rossini's Semiramide. In 2011 he is invited by La Monnaie in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots and in 2012 he sang in Alban Berg's Lulu. At the Verbier Festival 2014, he sang Don Fernando in L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio and Brander in Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust. At the Flemish Opera, he performs in <3RT 2GET, an opera production about W.A. Mozart/Da Ponte. During the 2015-2016 season, he made his debut at the Opernhaus Zürich as Philidels Geist and the Waldgeist in Purcell's King Arthur and as the Doctor in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.
Charles Dekeyser performs under the baton of renowned conductors such as Alain Altinoglu Giovanni Antonini, Christian Arming, Laurence Cummings, Charles Dutoit, Fabio Luisi, Marc Minkowski, Ludovic Morlot, Herve Niquet, Sir Christopher Warren-Green, Almo Volmer, Alberto Zedda, and others.
Charles Dekeyser is also developing a high affinity for oratorium and Lied repertoire. He gives several recitals with pianist Dmytro Sukhovienko (Bozar Brussels, Euterpe Kortrijk), and with the Ensembl'Arenski (Euterpe Kortrijk). Also as soloist he has sung in G.F. Handel's Dixit Dominus; Mélodies Russes (M.I.M. Brussels); Chamber music projects on Johannes Brahms; W.A. Mozart's Requiem; Juanelo, the Charles V oratorium (Brossé); C’est moi le monstre, production with P. Platel (Festival van Vlaanderen); Donizetti's Messa di Gloria; J. Haydn's Die Schöpfung; Rossini's La Petite Messe Solennelle, G.F. Handel's Messiah. In 2012, with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, he performed J.S. Bach's St. Matthew passion (BWV 244) in several European concert halls, performances which also take him to the Festival of Beaune, The Festival Ré Majeure (Ile de Ré) and the Köthener Bach Festtage.
With the National Orchestra of Belgium, Charles sang in 2013 F. Schubert's Mass No. 1 at the Gala Concert soloists Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Bozar Brussels). Again with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, he sang W.A. Mozart's Mass in C minor and J.S. Bach's cantatas in Japan and several European concert halls and Les huit scenes de Faust by Berlioz (MC2 Grenoble). Then, at the Vlaamse Opera, he sang Scènes de Faust with soprano Liesbeth Devos and pianist Lucas Blondeel.
At the Festival de Wallonie, with the soloists of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Charles Dekeyser participated in the concert l'Amour à la Chapelle, l'Amour dans la Musique. With Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, he sang J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232) in Essen, Amsterdam and Lausanne, concert that he performed again in Vienna in March 2014. He also impersonated the role of Paulus in Felix Mendelssohn's Paulus with the Brussels Philarmonic and Vlaams Radio Koor (Flagey, Brussels). With the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and Collegium Vocale Gent, he sang as soloist in W.A. Mozart's Grosse Messe. At La Monnaie, with the Orchestre symphonique de la Monnaie he sang the bass solo in the concertante Igor Stravinsky's Pulcinella, concert performed again during the Christmas Concert 2013 at the Royal Palace Brussels. As part of a tribute to Gerard Mortier, he was invited by the Flanders Opera to sing Lieder von Mahler and for Odegand by Night (Ghent Festival of Flanders 2014) he sang the romantic recital Nacht und Traüme. As laureat of SWUK 2015, he realized the recording of the CD "To the Music/An die Musik". Also in 2015, with the G.O.V. Charles made his debut as Christ in J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) and he sang in Madrid W.A. Mozart's Requiem with the Orquesta Y Coro Nacionales de España.
During the Mozartwoche 2017 in Salzburg, Charles sings W.A. Mozart's Requiem under the baton of Marc Minkowski. After that, he makes his debut at the Grand Théâtre du Luxembourg, in the role of Pietro in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, a producion of the Flanders Opera. |
