“Leonie van Veen garnered consistent admiration with her clear, controlled soprano and exciting look.”
Jordi Kooiman

“Leonie van Veen convinced with her attractive soprano and natural stage presence.”
Peter van der Lint

Biography

The soprano Leonie van Veen studied singing at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague under Gerda van Zelm and Barbara Pearson. After completing her Bachelor of Education she continued her studies at the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam. Leonie was awarded a cum laude for both studies. She participated in master classes by Anne Murray, Graham Clark, Mark Tucker, Cynthia Buchan and Miranda van Kralingen.

At present she is coached by Peter Nilsson and Gerda van Zelm.

Leonie feels at home in different musical styles. Her flexible and clear voice make possible a wide range of styles and repertoires. She sings opera and concert repertoire with great pleasure and passion, but art song, too, has a special place in her heart. She followed various song interpretation classes by Elly Ameling, Meinard Kraak and Rudolf Jansen, as well as a Schubert course by Graham Johnson at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh.

Leonie has performed several opera roles: Karolina in The Two Widows by Smetana, Alcina in Händel’s Alcina, Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, Miranda in The Tempest by Purcell, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Lena in La princesse jaune by Saint-Saëns, Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Antigone and Judith in the modern operas Styx and Bluebeard by Chiel Meijering.

Leonie performs regularly as a concert singer. She has worked with conductors such as Reinbert de Leeuw, Richard Egarr and Jos Vermunt.
Her repertoire varies from classical to contemporary music, including the St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio by Bach, Händel’s Messiah, the Requiem, Exsultate Jubilate and the Mass in C minor by Mozart, The Creation and The Seasons by Haydn, Fauré’s Requiem, Ein Deutsches Requiem by Brahms, Orff’s Carmina Burana and the Stabat Mater of Pergolesi.

Future engagements include performances of Ein deutsches Requiem by Brahms, the Mis in C by Mozart, The armed man by Jenkins and the Messa di Gloria by Puccini. This summer Leonie will sing the part of Julia in La Vestale by Gaspare Spontini in a production of Opera Festa.