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The Dutch soprano, Judith Weusten, has been singing since she was a little girl. She began singing along with the Kinderen voor Kinderen songs before turning to musical repertoire. At age 11 she toured the Netherlands in Albert Verlinde's production of Annie and later performed the roles of Aladdin's Jasmine and Maria in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story in her school's productions (Valuascollege, Venlo, Netherlands). Throughout her youth she was a regular participant in talent shows and performance competitions and could often count herself among the prize-winners. As she grew older, her taste in music began to change. Namely, she discovered an overwhelming interest in classical music and opera. Her voice was more than eager to go along with this transition: in her very first classical competition, The Prix Dominique, she won both the 1st Prize and the audience prize. Later she took part in the prestigious Prinses Christina Concours, where she was selected as a finalist and made it through to the nationwide semifinal. She took singing lessons with Frans Schampers and Rob Meijers before being admitted to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2012, under the principal guidance of Pierre Mak and later Valèrie Guillorit, graduating with Bachelor of Music degree in June 2017. During this time she also received regular coachings from pianist Jan-Paul Grijpink.
After graduating, Judith Weusten's next step began in September 2017 with the Dutch National Opera Academy (until 2019) under the guidance of Margreet Honig, and also regular coachings with Peter Nilsson and Nathalie Doucet. At the Opera Academy, she performed Adina in Donizetti's Elisir d'Amore, Despina in W.A. Mozart's Cosí fan Tutte (August 2018) and Lucia in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia (January 2018) among other roles. Recently she also sang the role of Marzelline in Opera Compact's production of L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio. Beginning 2021, in corporation with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, she had a successful Concertgebouw debut with the role of Jano in Janáčeks opera Jenufa as part of the NTR Zaterdagmatinee (January 2021). She has worked with conductors from all over the world, including Patrick Lange, Anthony Hermus, Kenneth Montgomery, Stijn Saveniers, Ed Spanjaard and Mikel Toms. Upcoming projects are Stabat Mater by Rossini, Anja in De Kersentuin from Holland Opera, as well as other concerts and projects.
In addition to the traditional repertoire, Judith Weusten has an affinity for modern vocal music. She has worked personally with many living composers on song and concert repertoire and performed the lead role in the Australian premiere of Douglas Knehans' opera, Backwards from Winter. In January 2020, she recorded his most recent piece, Cloud Ossuary, which has been released on CD in 2022. She is currently based in Amsterdam. |
