Mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn to perform Feb. 14

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. ? At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, in the Middlebury College Kevin P. Mahaney ‘84 Center for the Arts Concert Hall, internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn will return to Middlebury to perform. Her program, accompanied by Joseph Breinl on piano, consists of songs by Schumann, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

Born in Delft, Stotijn studied violin and voice at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. She continued her vocal studies at the Conservatoires of Amsterdam and Metz and graduated in 2003 with the highest distinction in song recital and opera. She received the 2005-2006 ECHO Rising Stars award, the 2005 Borletti Buitoni Award, the 2008 Dutch Music Prize and was a BBC New Generation Artist.

Stotijn made her operatic debut with the Nationale Reisopera in 2003, where she sang Carilda in Handel’s “Arianna in Creta.” In 2004 she performed at the Paris Opera as Pauline in “Pique Dame.” According to a music reviewer at the Daily Telegraph, “Christianne Stotijn puts her deep, attractive mezzo-soprano to the service of a sure and sensitive musicianship.”

Stotijn has performed in her own country and abroad, with notable appearances in venues throughout Europe and the United States. Highlights of past engagements include Mahler’s “Rückert Lieder” with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and with the Orchestre National de Paris at the Theatre des Champs Elysees, conducted by Bernard Haitink; Handel’s “Messiah” at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam; and Mahler’s “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” and “Kindertotenlieder,” as well as Brahms’ “Alto Rhapsody,” with Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse and La Roque D’Antheron Festival.

Her oratorio performances have included Bach’s “Magnificat” at the Concertgebouw; the Duruflé “Requiem,” which Stotijn recorded for Channel Classics; Mozart’s “Requiem,” with Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse conducted by Claus Peter Flor; and, most recently, Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” and “Concerto Koln” with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees conducted by Philippe Herreweghe.

Accompanying pianist Joseph Breinl was born in Munich and studied solo piano and song accompaniment with Karl-Hermann Mrongovius, Rudolf Jansen and Graham Johnson. He has worked as a vocal coach at the Amsterdam Conservatory and at the Müsikhochschule in Munich, and was a prize-winner at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in 2003 and was the ECHO Rising Star with Stotijn in 2005.

Stotijn’s performance is sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. The Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall is located on South Main Street (Route 30). Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors. For tickets, call the Middlebury College Box Office at 802-443-6433. Online tickets and information are available at www.middlebury.edu/arts.