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The Dutch soprano, Bauwien van der Meer, is a third-generation musician. Her grandfather Piet and mother Lily Maclaine Pont worked as violinists in the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest; her grandmother Cornelia Bijl de Vroe studied piano at the Koninklijk Conservatorium with Sem Dresden. Her father was pianist Bauke van der Meer, who was a répétiteur at the Nederlandse Opera for 25 years. Her cradle stood on the side stage of the Stadschouwburg in Amsterdam. Completed her studies in Art History at Utrecht University (Master of Arts degree: 1993-2000). She studied at the Royal Conservatory (Koninklijk Conservatorium) under Sasja Hunnego. (Master degree in Classical Singing: 1999-2005), after which obtained her Master's degree at the Nieuwe Opera Academie (DNOA). There she sang the title role in George Frideric Handel's Alcina, conducted by Richard Egarr . For several years now, she has been coached by Margreet Honig and Gemma Visser. In recent years, she has also taken lessons with Anna Samuil, prima donna of the Staatsoper Berlin and principal subject teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Bauwien van der Meer received a grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds for participation in the post-master's programme for contemporary vocal music at the VocaalLAB (now Silbersee) (2006-2011). With this ensemble, she has sung numerous world premieres and created special music theatre productions, both at home and abroad, most recently in Xenakis' Oresteia. She was a participant in the first generation of the experimental makers' collective of the Kameroperahuis, in which makers and performers work together to create contemporary music theatre productions, such as in co-production with the Nederlandse Reisopera Being Arthur (Guinnevere) and Ik Vertrek (leading role). In 2015 she made her debut at the Nationale Opera as Mdma Cortese in Reimsreisje (December 2014-February 2015)). At opera Trionfo she sang the well-received Benjamin Britten's opera Owen Wingrave (Mrs. Coyle). More recently she sang Lucia in an opera pastiche of Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti and Verdi arias by PocketOpera.
In addition to making her own productions, Bauwien van der Meer is a much sought-after oratorio and opera soloist. She also conducts the Utrechts Kamerkoor (since 2019) and sings in various ensembles. She was a member of the Nederlandse Bachvereniging (December 1999-December 2003; Director: Jos van Veldhoven), and AskoSchoenberg (since 2011) and Groot Omroepkoor (since June 2023). Oratorio works that she often sings include: Johannes Brahms' Requiem, Verdi's Requiem, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem; Dvořák's Stabat Mater and Te Deum; J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245; Francis Poulenc's Gloria; Felix Mendelssohn's Elias and Psalm 42; Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle. She was in 2013 'artist in residence' at the Operadagen Rotterdam. She is a permanent member of the Eisler Trio, an ensemble with cello and guitar, and of vocal quartet Quatre Bouches.
Bauwien van der Meer has worked with renowned pianists and conductors such as Frank Ollu, Reinbert de Leeuw, Ed Spanjaard, Richard Egarr, Etienne Siebens and Lucas Vis. She has worked with composers such as Annelies van Parys, Richard Ayres, (leading role The Cricket Recovers), Lucas Wiegerink, Louis Andriessen (including De Staat with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2019) and directors such as Karin Netten, Jorinde Keesmaat, Pierre Audi, Willy Decker and Floris Visser. With Ensemble 88 she sang Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. She has performed at festivals such as Wonderfeel, Oerol, November Music, Holland Festival, Rotterdamse Operadagen Days, Dresdner Festival der Zeitgenossische Musik, Ruhrtriennale, Ultraschall Berlin and the Cankarjev Dom Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts.
The CD "The William Blake Experience", a cross-over production of Quatre Bouches and Eisler Trio, was presented in January 2014. Early December 2022, the new CD "La Lumière" was released by Etcetera Records. Bauwien van der Meer made the album together with the Helikon Quartet, harpist Doriene Marselje and organist Gerrie Meijers. The recording was made possible thanks to donations via Voor de Kunst from friends and family of the musicians. The choice of music for the album originated from the project "Van donker naar licht". The inspiration for this project was Lili Boulanger's Pie Jesu, which the young composer wrote on her deathbed. The instrumentation is harp, organ, string quartet and soprano. Monique Krüs wrote a triptych about love on texts by the 16th-century poet Louise Labé for this instrumentation at Bauwien's request. Ig Henneman and Annelies van Parys adapted two existing compositions of their own for these instruments. After a series of concerts throughout the country, the music was recorded in the Orgelpark in Amsterdam by Ingo Schmidt-Lucas. |
