Lenneke Ruiten, soprano
Lenneke Ruiten studied voice with Meinard Kraak, gaining her solo performance diploma in the Hague with distinction. She went on to study opera in Munich at the Bavarian Theatre Academy and Lieder with Helmut Deutsch at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts. She specialized in German Lieder at the Franz Schubert Institut in Baden bei Wien in Austria, and in French songs at the Académie Musicale de Villecroze in France, with Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Wolfgang Holzmair, Hans Hotter, Robert Tear, Walter Berry and Rudolf Jansen.
In 2001 Lenneke Ruiten won first prize at the Erna Spoorenberg Vocalists Presentation, while in 2002 she was awarded the first prize, the press prize, the audience prize, the prize for the best Dutch participant and the youth jury prize at the International Voice Competition in ’s-Hertogenbosch.
In 2003 she sang Susanna / Le Nozze di Figaro in Munich and Ingolstadt, and Amor / Orfeo ed Euridice (Opera Zuid). With the Nationale Reisopera she sang Yniold / Pelleas et Mélisande and Ksenia / Boris Godunov. In 2006 she made her debut at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival as Blondchen / Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Conducted by Michail Jurowski, she sang Clorinda / Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda in Cologne. In concert performances she sang Elisa / Il re pastore and Mme Herz / Der Schauspieldirektor in the Concertgebouw and Angèle Didier / Der Graf von Luxemburg in Essen.
Lenneke Ruiten performed orchestral Lieder by Strauss with the Brabant Orchestra. With the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra / Yakov Kreizberg she sang Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Barber’s Knoxville in the Concertgebouw in 2004. In Japan she sang Exsultate Jubilate by Mozart and Jauchzet Gott by Bach with Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa / Rolf Beck. In 2005 she toured Switzerland with the Munich Chamber Orchestra / Christoph Poppen with Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2007 she sang Mozart’s Requiem with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra. In 2008 she made her debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Peter Dijkstra in the Herkulessaal with St Matthew’s Passion.
She also works with ensembles and conductors including the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam / Jan Willem de Vriend, the Dresden Baroque Orchestra / Hans-Christoph Rademann, Camerata Kilkenny, the Residentie Orchestra / Arnold Östman, the NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra / Alessandro de Marchi, Frans Brüggen, Ed Spanjaard and Jos van Veldhoven.
Her repertoire includes: Bach / St John’s Passion, Christmas Oratorio, Händel / La Resurrezione, Mozart / Concert arias, Mass in C minor, Haydn / Die Schöpfung, Brahms / Requiem, Poulenc / Gloria, Stabat Mater, Britten / Spring Symphony, Zemlinsky / Lyrische Symphonie, Andriessen / Miroir de Peine, Szymanowski / Slopiewnie, Henze / Being Beauteous.
Lenneke Ruiten has given concerts in Munich, Hanover, Dresden, Frankfurt (Kaisersaal), Geneva (Victoria Hall), Berne (Kulturcasino), Montreux (Auditorium Strawinsky), Zürich (Tonhalle), Lucerne (KKL), Brussels, Madrid, Dublin (National Concert Hall), Galway, Wexford, New York, Liechtenstein, Japan, France and Austria. Festivals; Rheingau Music Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Delft Chamber Music Festival.
For the WDR Lenneke Ruiten made radio, CD and TV recordings with the WDR Radio Orchestra, performing Schubert’s Geistliche Arien and Mass in G major, Bruckner’s Te Deum and arias by Mozart and Eibler. In 2008 the CD ‘Musik der Wiener Hofkapelle’ (PhönixEd) appeared.
In addition to opera and concert singing Lenneke Ruiten has a special passion for Lieder. She works with the pianists Thom Janssen, Finghin Collins and Rudolf Jansen. The Dutch broadcasting corporation AVRO brought out a live recording on CD of the song recital Lenneke Ruiten gave in the Recital Hall of the Concertgebouw in 2003. In 2005 her new CD Mélodies Françaises appeared, to wide acclaim. In 2008 her new CD will appear with songs by Johannes Brahms (on Brilliant Classics).
Upcoming engagements:
- Exsultate jubilate with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra / Gerhard Markson, Dublin
- The Netherlands Opera: Falke, Hüter der Schwelle / Die Frau ohne Schatten
- The Netherlands Opera: Gabriel / Adam in Ballingschap by Rob Zuidam
- Carmina Burana with the Munich Bach Choir, Munich
- Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra, tour of the Netherlands
- Pamina / Die Zauberflöte, the Lausanne Opera
- Händel’s La Resurrezione / Angelo, New York
- J. Haydn: Il ritorno di Tobia / Sara with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Ravenna Festival
- Mozart / Cimarosa; Theatralisches Abentheuer / Isabella with the NDR Radiophilharmonic Orchestra, Hanover
- Recitals in Galway, Dublin, Kilkenny, New York, Amsterdam
