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The American-Korean soprano, Kristen Witmer, was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She began her musical studies with piano and singing at age 8, and harmony under Masato Suzuki at age 15. She studied Classical singing and Baroque singing at Tokyo University of the Arts where she was awarded Yomiuri New Artist Prize, Akanthas Prize and Douseikai Prize upon graduation. After graduation she received a scholarship from The Meiji Yasuda Cultural Foundation and studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague where she obtained Bachelor degree in Early Music Singing and Master degree specializing in Henry Purcell’s vocal music. She was coached there by Peter Kooy, Lenie van den Heuvel, Jill Feldman and Michael Chance. Music studies outside the university include Medieval and Renaissance music and participation in the master-classes by Peter Kooy, Robin Blaze, Gerd Türk, Masaaki Suzuki and Konrad Richter. She won prizes in contests such as the Yuai International Lied Wettbewerb, Concour de Melodies Francaise et Japonaise, Japanischer Mozart Musikwettbewerb and Japanischer Schubert Musikwettbewerb.
Kristen Witmer'ss concert repertoire ranges mainly from Renaissance to Classical music, and she actively performs in concerts with many established conductors and ensembles in the Early Music field. As a soloist she has sung with conductors such as Jos van Veldhoven, Philippe Herreweghe, Joshua Rifkin and Frans Brüggen, and has performed J.S. Bach's Cantatas, B-minor Mass (BWV 232), Magnificat (BWV 243), St. John Passion (BWV 245) and St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244), George Frideric Handel's Messiah, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Belinda), Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, Allegri's Miserere and Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine. She also appears in concerts with Baroque and Renaissance ensembles such as Vox Luminis (Director: Lionel Meunier) and Sette Voci (Director: Peter Kooy) and has sung as a soloist with Collegium Vocale Gent (Director: Philippe Herreweghe), The Bach Ensemble (Director: Joshua Rifkin), Bach Collegium Japan (Director: Masaaki Suzuki), and L'Armonia Sonora (Director: Mieneke van der Velden).
Recent performances as a soloist include George Frideric Handel's Messiah with Masaaki Suzuki, Duo Recital with Peter Kooy and Ensemble FLUX in the Early Music Festival Utrecht, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Manoj Kamps, Purcell's King Arthur with Jean Tubéry, and J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio (BWV 249) & Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) with Le Concert Lorrain (Director: Stephan Schultz). |
