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The Dutch sorano, Meike Wijma, dreamed as a child of a career as a novelist. She has long since put down her pen, but she still tells stories through another medium: that of vocal music. This is one of the reasons for her big love of the operatic repertoire. She started her singing studies with Hanneke de Wit at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Voice. She then studied with Henk Neven at Codarts Rotterdam (Master Classical Voice since December 2020).
Meike Wijma's operatic roles include:Suora Infermiera in Puccini's Suor Angelica with Nootstroom, Tamiri in an adaptation of W.A. Mozart's Il Re Pastore of Domestica Rotterdam, Geraldine in Samuel Barber's A Hand of Bridge during the festival Opera aan Zee, Annina in Verdi's La Traviata in a production of Opera op het Hogeland and Belinda in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Ensemble Illustre. In 2022, she performed We Two with Opera op Zak at the Grachtenfestival 2022, a double bill with The Telephone from Menotti and Four Dialogues by Ned Rorem.
Meike Wijma also creates musical theater performances with her ensemble Trio Ridente, which center around classical art songs. They played their show Lied zonder woorden was seen at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam and the Peter de Grote Festival (now the Aurora Festival) in Groningen.
Meike Wijma is also a much sought-after oratorio soloist. She has collaborated with companies such as the Nationaal Symfonisch Kamerorkest (NASKA), Kamerorkest van het Noorden and the Sallands Bachkoor. A recent concert highlight was the soprano solo in Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with Kamerorkest van het Noorden. Besides that, her concert repertoire includes J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 and Matthäus-Passion BWV 244, Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria and Magnificat, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi 's Stabat Mater, George Frideric Handel's Messiah, Felix Mendelssohn's Psalm No. 42, and the Requiems of W.A. Mozart and Gabriel Fauré. Since 2023, she is a freelance choir singer with the Netherlands Radio Choir and Consensus Vocalis. She currently lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. |
