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Lenneke Ruiten (Soprano) |
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Born: 1977 - Velsen, the Netherlands |
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Education and prizes |
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The Dutch soprano, Lenneke Ruiten, studied flute at the Music Conservatories in Alkmaar and Amsterdam in the Netherlands with Eugénie van der Grinten and Marieke Schneemann. She participated in master-classes with William Bennett and Peter Lukas Graf, and was the 2nd prizewinner at the National Competition for Young Musicians. At the same time she studied voice with Maria Rondèl in Alkmaar and completed her studies at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague with Meinard Kraak and Diane Forlano, where she received her performance degree with distinction. Since October 2002 she studied with the soprano Edith Wiens at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. Together with pianist Thom Janssen, Lenneke Ruiten studied at the Franz Schubert Institut in Baden near Vienna, Austria, and participated in master-classes in French and German Art Song with Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Hans Hotter, Robert Tear and Walter Berry.
In September 2001 Lenneke Ruiten won the first prize at the Erna Spoorenberg Oratorio Competition in Holland. In September 2002 she won five prizes, including the first prize, as well as the press prize, audience prize, Caroline Kaart prize for best Dutch singer and the youth jury prize at the prestigious International Vocal Competition in ‘s Hertogenbosch, Holland, live broadcasted in the UK. |
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Opera |
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In 2003 Lenneke Ruiten performed the role of Naturhistoriker in Detlev Glanert’s opera Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. She made her debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at the same theater in 2004. She sang Susanna again in the Bavarian Theatre Academy’s production. With the Nationale Reisopera she sang Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande and Ksenia in Boris Godunov. At the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in 2006 she sang Blondchen in W.A. Mozart's Die Entführung and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam she sang Elisa in Il re pastore and Mme Herz in W.A. Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor with Gerard Korsten and the Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra. She sang Clorinda in Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda conducted by Michail Jurowski in Cologne, and Angèle Didier in Der Graf von Luxemburg in Essen. She toured Switzerland with the Münchener Kammerorchester conducted by Christoph Poppen, performing W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
In 2008 Lenneke Ruiten made a very successful debut with the Netherlands Opera, singing Falke and the Hüter der Schwelle in Richard Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten. During the Holland Festival in 2009 she sang with the Netherlands Opera again, now in the role of Gabriel in the world premiere of Rob Zuidam's opera Adam in Ballingschap. In 2009 she made her debut at the Festival of Beaune as Despina in W.A. Mozart's Cosi van Tutte with Le Cercle de l'Harmonie conducted by Jérémy Rhorer and as Armida in Rinaldo with Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone. In 2010 she made her debut as Pamina in W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Opéra de Lausanne, where she will perform again in 2011 in the role of Almirena in George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo. |
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Concert |
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Lenneke Ruiten sang W.A. Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yakov Kreizberg at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerhard Markson at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa conducted by Rolf Beck in Japan. She was a soloist in a performance of W.A. Mozart's Requiem with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. Lenneke sang in St Matthew's Passion (BWV 244) with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester conducted by Peter Dijkstra in Munich and with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. With the Philharmonie der Nationen conducted by Justus Frantz she toured Germany with L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. She sang works of W.A. Mozart and Samuel Barber with Yakov Kreizberg and the Dutch Chamber Orchestra. She has also sung Johannes Brahms' Requiem, Francis Poulenc's Stabat Mater, Tippet's A Child of our Time and the role Filia in Carissimi's Jephte.
Lenneke Ruiten has also worked with orchestras and ensembles such as the Münchener Bach-Chor, Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Dresdner Barockorchester, NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Camerata Kilkenny, with conductors including Frans Brüggen, Alessandro de Marchi, Arnold Östman, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Ed Spanjaard, Jos van Veldhoven and Jan Willem de Vriend. She has also performed with the Brabants Orchestra under Jan Stulen and the West German Radio Orchestra under Alfred Walter.
Lenneke Ruiten has given concerts in major concert halls in Europe, including the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Kulturcasino in Berne, the Stravinsky Auditorium in Montreux, the Tonhalle in Zürich, KKL in Lucerne, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and Auditorium di Milano. She has also performed in Japan and New York, and in various festivals including the Holland Festival, Festival de Beaune, Rheingau Music Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Delft Chamber Music Festival and Schleswig Holstein Music Festival.
Lenneke Ruiten has made radio, CD and TV recordings for the WDR with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, performing music by Schubert, Bruckner, W.A. Mozart and Eibler. In 2008 a CD appeared with the title 'Musik der Wiener Hofkapelle' (Phoenix).
In addition to opera and concert singing, Lenneke Ruiten has a special passion for Lieder. She works with the pianists Thom Janssen and Rudolf Jansen. The Dutch broadcasting corporation AVRO brought out a live recording on CD of the song recital Lenneke Ruiten gave in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2003. In 2005 her CD 'Mélodies Françaises' appeared, to wide acclaim. In 2010 appeared a CD of Lenneke Ruiten singing concert arias and Exsultate Jubilate by W.A. Mozart, with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ed Spanjaard (PentaTone).
Lenneke Ruiten is also an acclaimed voice teacher. Among her pupils and/or singers who have attended her master-classes: Aaike Nortier (Mezzo-soprano). |
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Recent and upcoming engagements |
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Engagements in 2010 included: J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) with John Eliot Gardiner in Dortmund, Frankfurt, La Coruna, and Aldeburgh, and at the Bachfest Leipzig, Brighton Festival and Prague Spring Festival; Bach Solo Cantatas with John Eliot Gardiner during the Schleswig-Holstein Festival.
Engagements in 2011 included: Almirena in G.F. Handel's Rinaldo at the Opéra de Lausanne; Title role in world premiere of Suster Bertken in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (Saturday Matinee programme); World premiere of music by Nico Muhly in venues including Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; W.A. Mozart's Mass in C Major in Rome, Santiago de Compostella, Vigo; Concerts in Hamburg, Warsaw (International Chopin Festival), Munich Philharmonie, BBC Proms, Versailles; Concerts and CD recording of Carmina Burana with SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; CD recording of J.S. Bach's Cantatas with John Eliot Gardiner; CD recording with Die Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin for Harmonie Mundi; Tour with Paul McCreesh with Ein Deutsches Requiem by J. Brahms. |
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"The Dutch soprano Lenneke Ruiten does not just have an outstanding voice, easily capable of the widest range of volume and colour. She makes a song disclose the feeling that inspired the poetry". - The Irish Times |
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Sources:
Lenneke Ruiten Website
Dutch Divas Website (2007)
Thom Janssen (September 2010)
Photographer names are embedded in the photo URL's
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2009); Thom Janssen (September 2010) |
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Lenneke Ruiten : Short Biography | Recordings of Vocal Works under her name |
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Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works |
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Conductor |
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Works |
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Helmuth Rilling |
Soprano |
Video: BWV 51 |
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Peter Dijkstra |
Soprano |
BWV 244 [1st], BWV 244 [2nd] |
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Diego Fasolis |
Soprano |
[PV-1] (2022, Video): G.F. Handel: Opera Alcina, HWV 34 [Alcina] |
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John Eliot Gardiner |
Soprano |
Post BCP: BWV 11 [2nd], BWV 37 [2nd], BWV 43 [2nd] |
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Kees Koelmans |
Soprano |
Video: BWV 51 |
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Joachim Krause |
Soprano |
BWV 244 |
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Gijs Leenaars |
Soprano |
[V-1] (2018, Video): BWV 244 |
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Marc Minkowski |
Soprano |
V-4 (2014): BWV 245 |
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Hans-Christoph Rademann |
Soprano |
[C-6] (2018): BWV 19, BWV 149 |
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Links to other Sites |
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Lenneke Ruiten - Soprano (Official Website) [Dutch/German/English]
Lenneke Ruiten on Facebook
Dutch Divas: Lenneke Ruiten, Soprano
Lenneke Ruiten (Wikipedia) [Dutch] |
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