Carnegie Hall

Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique has in recent years gained international recognition for her “dramatic presence and versatility” (The Washington Post) and “sheer endless wealth of color and nuances … a radiant, free-floating timbre” (Opernwelt). She is one of today’s most sought-after sopranos, equally in demand on opera and concert stages.

Opera highlights of the 2022–2023 season include her returns to the Opéra national de Paris as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Salzburg Festival for Purcell’s The Indian Queen under the baton of Teodor Currentzis, and Theater an der Wien as Nicrotis in Händel’s Belshazzar; and her house and role debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Isabel in George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence. She also has performed in Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, arias by Weber with the New World Symphony, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Manfred Honeck. Ms. De Bique is also looking forward to returning to the BBC Proms in 2023.

Mirrors, Ms. De Bique’s first solo album with Concerto Köln, was released in 2021 to outstanding reviews. It received the 2022 Opus Klassik Award for Best Vocal Solo Recording, a Diapason d’Or, and an Edison Klassiek, as well as the editor’s choice awards in Gramophone and Fono Forum.

Past seasons saw several important role and house debuts, such as the title role in Alcina at the Opéra national de Paris, Anaï in Moïse et Pharaon at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the title role in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Agathe in Der Freischütz, the title role of Porgy and Bess, and La Folie in Platée at Theater an der Wien.

At Houston Grand Opera, she debuted the role of Maria in excerpts from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, and at San Francisco Opera she performed as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.

Ms. De Bique has collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel, Herbert Blomstedt, Lorin Maazel, Iván Fischer, William Christie, Christoph Eschenbach, Raphaël Pichon, Marin Alsop, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and the Melbourne and Chicago symphony orchestras. She has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, the BBC Proms, Aspen Music Festival and School, and Ravinia Festival. 

More than 30 years of world-class performances characterized by a highly individual sound and a passion for the rediscovery of forgotten repertoire have made Concerto Köln one of today’s leading orchestras for historically informed performance. With one foot firmly rooted in Köln’s musical life, the orchestra is a regular guest at important musical venues worldwide and stands for excellence in the interpretation of early music.

Concerto Köln’s album with soprano Jeanine De Bique, Mirrors, has been honored with a multitude of awards (including a 2022 Opus Klassik Award) and proves that two congenial musical partners have found each other. In 2023, the ensemble will be a guest performer at the Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen and Halle, as well as the Toujours Mozart Festival in Salzburg, Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, and Herrenchiemsee Festspiele with their honorary conductor Kent Nagano.

The ensemble’s 2022–2023 season includes collaborations with soprano Julia Lezhneva, tenor Daniel Behle, violinist Giuliano Carmignola, conductor Václav Luks, pianist Tobias Koch, clarinetist Martin Fröst, and flutist Max Volbers. The self-administered orchestra features Mayumi Hirasaki, Evgeny Sviridov, and Shunske Sato as fixed concertmasters and soloists along with with Alexander Scherf, who serves as artistic director.

Concerto Köln performs familiar repertoire in such a fresh and “astonishing” manner (Die Zeit) that listeners might imagine being present at the work’s first performance. Since 2008, the ensemble has had a strong association with the label Berlin Classics, but it also records for other labels. Today, its discography includes more than 75 award-winning recordings, including the Grammy Award–winning record of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with René Jacobs.