Belgian soprano Katrien Baerts is admired for the power and sensuality of her voice and for the emotional depth of her interpretations. Moving easily between chamber music, contemporary repertoire and opera, she has developed an international career shaped by curiosity, collaboration and a strong commitment to new music.
The 2025/2026 season opens with ‘Ophelia’s Next Appearance’, a theatrical concert she devised as part of her Carte Blanche with the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble. Further highlights include Brahms’ ‘Ein deutsches Requiem’ in Belgium and the world premiere of Rob Zuidam’s ‘Orewoet’ with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and Antwerp.
Baerts is a leading interpreter of contemporary opera and music theatre. Recent roles include Beatrice in Andriessen’s ‘The City of Dis’, Theodora in Olga Neuwirth’s ‘Bählamms Fest’, Sie in Beat Furrer’s ‘Begehren’ and Eine Fünfzehnjährige in Berg’s ‘Lulu’. She has also created numerous roles in world premieres, among them Clara in Loevendie’s ‘The Rise of Spinoza’, the title role in Zuidam’s ‘Suster Bertken’, and ‘Gandari’ by Tony Prabowo. Jan-Peter de Graaff wrote the monodrama ‘Parallax’ especially for her.
Alongside her work on the operatic stage, chamber music plays a central role in her artistic life. She regularly performs Kurtág’s ‘Kafka-Fragmente’ with violinist Wibert Aerts, in collaboration with visual artist Lise Bruyneel, and appears with ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Intercontemporain and Het Collectief. Away from the stage, Katrien is a passionate chess player.
She studied at the Dutch National Opera Academy and holds master’s degrees in voice and violin from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. She was a semi-finalist in the Queen Elisabeth Competition and is a member of Splendor, Amsterdam’s artist-run venue and musical collective, where she develops experimental and collaborative projects.
