 Karen Vermeiren is a dramatic soprano with an impressive international career. In recognition of her artistic achievements, she was nominated for the prestigious Meistersinger Award in Vienna in June 2019, an award honouring the world’s finest interpreters of the works of Mahler, Verdi and Wagner. Following this distinction, she was invited by the Antwerp LiedFest to perform Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder with pianist Aäron Wajnberg.
She has appeared in important roles, most recently as Amelia in Un ballo in maschera. Major dramatic roles such as Aida, Tosca and Turandot are likewise part of her repertoire. She has also distinguished herself in the Mozart repertoire with iconic roles such as Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito) and the First Lady (The magic flute). For her role debuts she has consistently received lavish praise from the international press.
Karen has collaborated with renowned stage directors including Romeo Castellucci, Robert Carsen, Tobias Kratzer and Noa Naamat, and has performed under the baton of distinguished conductors such as Alain Altinoglu, Patrik Ringborg, Giedrė Šlekytė and Alejo Pérez.
Conquest of opera and other stages.
It was in the role of the Foreign Princess (Rusalka) that Karen made her debut at the Flanders Opera. Two years later, she stood at the Royal Opera House La Monnaie/De Munt where she sang the roles of Prima sorella cercatrice (Suor Angelica) and Nella (Gianni Schicchi) in the widely acclaimed new production of Puccini's Il trittico. Her performance earned her an engagement in the same roles at the Alden-Biesen Summer Opera Festival in 2023. In the meantime, she has been reinvited at the R.O.H. La Monnaie/De Munt as Gerhilde (Die Walküre), as Rychtarka (Jenůfa) at the Flanders Opera and as Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) at the Summer Operafestival at Alden-Biesen, where Karen also sang the role of Lisa in a concert version of Das Land des Lächelns by Lehar
On the concert stage Karen recently sang under the musical direction of Anthony Vigneron the soprano solo in Clémence de Grandval's Stabat Mater. Her repertoire includes among others Verdi's Requiem and Brahms' German Requiem. She has various interesting works on her concert repertoire. It earned her invitations to perform them alongside the Izmir National Symphony Orchestra (Turkey) and the National Opera Orchestra of Lviv (Ukraine),to name just a few..
The sought-after voice for song cycles
Karen has the perfect voice to perform the emblematic Lied cycles by Mahler, Wagner, Strauss, Berlioz... and regularly gives recitals in Belgium and abroad. For instance, she has performed at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, and the Sala Mozart in Zaragoza. There, upon the invitation of none other than Montserrat Caballé. A concert that received glowing reviews from the trade magazine Opera Actual. Of note is Karen's participation in the world premiere of the musical installation Frauenliebe und -Leben, directed by German director Lulu Obermayer, as part of the CARTA Festival at art center DE SINGEL.
Karen did not stay under-the-radar at KLARA (Flanders' classical radio station) either ; she was invited to perform at the Iedereen Klassiek (Classical for everyone) event in Bruges and asked to contribute to a program dedicated to Maria Callas. Her participation in "Tribute to Maria Callas" also attracted international attention thanks to Maria Callas Magazine.
Education
Karen studied at the Royal Conservatories of Mons, Brussels, Liège, and Antwerp, where she obtained her Master's degree with the highest distinction. She continued her studies at the prestigious Mozarteum in Salzburg and took masterclasses with Montserrat Caballé, Tom Krause, and Giuseppe Morino (belcanto, Rodolfo Celletti school). She won first prize at the Léopold Bellan Competition in Paris and was a finalist at the Concorso Lirico di Bevagna and the Andrea Chénier International Competition in Italy. Additionally, she received an honorary diploma from the Tornamento Internazionale di Musica.
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