Biography
Bauwien van der Meer is a soprano singer.
Next to that, she is choirmaster and singing coach.
For more information about Bauwien van der Meer and choir direction, see: Choir direction
For more information about singing pedagogy, see: Singing pedagogy
For listening to recordings from performances, see: media
Podcast of RADIO 4 (episode 4 for Bauwien), see: Muziek is een vrouwelijk woord
You Tube channel Bauwien van der Meer, see: You Tube Channel Bauwien van der Meer
The new CD La Lumière
TROUW 09-12-2022: (...) Music by women, performed by women,
with Van der Meer as the radiant center. (...)
Biography
“The theatrical and vocal performance of Bauwien van de Meer stands out. As 'the cricket' the soprano beautifully portrays desperation, which in the end turns into lyrical nonchalance. Hopefully in the future VocaalLAB, the government-funded international platform for modern music, can deliver more of such fine, fresh soloists to the Holland Festival.” With these words, the Dutch soprano Bauwien van der Meer was praised for her portrayal of the title role in Richard Ayres Opera: The Cricket Recovers, directed by Pierre Audi with the Asko / Schoenberg Ensemble conducted by Etienne Siebens (The Cricket Recovers, Amsterdam (excerpt).*
Bauwien van der Meer studied at the Royal Conservatory (Koninklijk Conservatorium) under Sasja Hunnego, after which she got a masters degree at the New Opera Academy (De Nieuwe Opera Akademie, DNOA). There she sang the title role in Handel's Alcina, conducted by Richard Egarr.
To participate in the post master of the VocaalLAB Bauwien received a grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. With VocaalLAB Bauwien van der Meer participated in numerous world premieres and other outstanding productions, home and abroad, most recently in Xenakis' Oresteia. In honor of the seventieth birthday of Louis Andriessen, Bauwien van der Meer sang in De Staat, with the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, at the BBC Proms. With Ensemble 88 she sang Schönbergs Pierrot Lunaire, which performance can be seen on YouTube (recording).
Bauwien van der Meer worked with conductors such as Frank Ollu, Reinbert de Leeuw, Etienne Siebens and Lucas Vis. Recently, she played Mrs. Coyle in a particular well-received production of Britten's Owen Wingrave (De Volkskrant: “The wife of Owens teacher shines on stage, thanks to the warm, lushful sound of Bauwien van der Meer”). A reprise of this production has taken place in January 2014 (Owen Wingrave - Mrs. Coyle).
The CD "The William Blake Experience", a cross-over production of Quatre Bouches and Eisler Trio, was presented in January 2014.
April 2014, Bauwien van der Meer will sing the soprano solo in the Brahms Requiem, conducted by Ed Spanjaard with OvZN, the merger of the LSO and Het Brabants orkest. Listen here to the live recording of the concert of April 27 2014 (recording).
Bauwien van der Meer 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.
Tne new CD La Lumière was released at the beginning of 2022 by Etcetera Records. Bauwien van der Meer made the album together with the Helikon Quartet, harpiste Dorine 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 arose from the the self-initiated project From dark to light about unknown masterpieces by composers and a number of assignments for the special line-up of harp, organ, string quartet and soprano. The inspiration for this project was Lili Boulanger's Pie Jesu, which the young composer wrote on her deathbed. Monique Krüs wrote a tryptych about love on a text by the sixteenth-century poet Louis Labé for this set of instruments, commisioned by Bauwien. Ig Henneman and Annelies van Parys adapted two existing compositions. After a series of concerts throughout the country the music was recorded in the Orgelpark in Amsterdam by Ingo Schmidt-Lucas.
www.bauwienvandermeer.nl
www.eislertrio.com
* Lonneke Regter, 'Audi maakt Ayres' grappig-grimmige dierenopera 'The cricket recovers' gelaagd en gewaagd', www.dedodo.nl, 20-06-2011