Dutch soprano Claudia Patacca is a professor of singing at ArtEZ, University of the Arts in Holland and is well known as a voice teacher. Her mission is to guide students in becoming a complete singer, to find passion, clear messages in their singing on range, quality of tone and to let the voice flow, finding the way to a full interpretation, while following their own artistic instincts.

Claudia Patacca graduated Cum Laude in Holland at ArtEZ, University of the Arts, won the Tubantia Prize, after which she continued her studies at the International Opera Center in Amsterdam. She made her operatic debut at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam as Blumenmädchen in Wagners Parsifal conducted by Simon Rattle. She has also performed for companies including the National Opera Touring Company in Enschede, Opera Zuid in Maastricht, La Monnaie in Brussels, Halle Opera House, Oper Frankfurt with roles like Ortlinde in Die Walküre, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La Traviata, Belinda and Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Anna in Nabucco, Queen Tye in Akhnaten (Glass), Elettra in Idomeneo, Ninetta in L’Amour des Trois Oranges  by Prokofjev, Clotilde in Norma, Second Niece in Peter Grimes, Amor and Euridice in Orfeo by Gluck, Gretel, Sandmännchen and Taumännchen in Hänsel und Gretel, Frau Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirector, Azema in Semiramide, Voce de Cielo in Don Carlos, Fatime in Abu Hassan by Von Weber, Marthe in Marthe by Willem Dragstra, world premiere, a modern Dutch opera, Ratasapa and Drittes Mädchen in Das Nusch-Nuschi by Hindemith and Königin Europa in Die Liebe der Danae by Richard Strauss.

In addition to giving in the Netherlands, also gave masterclasses in London at the prestigious Guildhall, School of Music and Drama, Conservatorio Casella L'Aquila Italy, in Weimar at the Franz Listz Hochschule für Musik (songs by female composers), The Conservatori Superior de Musica de Lieu in Barcelona (opera), ​​the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn (opera), Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga (opera, oratorio and song) and The Malmö Academy of Music (opera, oratorio and song).

Former students received prizes at competitions and are currently working on concert and opera stages in Holland and abroad and singing in professional choirs. Claudia has also been invited as a jury member at competitions.

Claudia has a flourishing concert practice. She just returned from Malta where she sang the cantatas Armida abbandonata by Händel and Der Weiberorden by Telemann in “Lust, and Love Lost” with the Combattimento Consort at the Valletta Baroque Festival directed by David Prins. Highlights were concerts with conductors as Jaap van Zweden, Antonio Pappano, Carlo Rizzi, Claus Peter Flor, Marc Soustrot, Ed Spanjaard, Jan Willem de Vriend and Ton Koopman including 9^th Symfony by Beethoven, Golgotha and Le Mystère de la Nativité by Frank Martin, War Requiem by Britten, Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher and  Le Roi David by Honegger, Messa da Requiem by Verdi, Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solenelle by Puccini, A child of our Time by Tippett, Elias and Paulus by Mendelssohn, Ein Deutsches Requiem by Brahms, Stabat Mater Szymanowski, Gloria and Stabat Mater by Poulenc, the Messiah and other oratoria by Händel, Weihnachtsoratorium, Matthäus Passion, Johannes Passion and cantatas by J.S. Bach.

Claudia is very fond of chamber music and song recitals and therefore has a wide range of repertoire including songs by Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Poulenc, Fauré, Debussy, Dvorak, De Falla, Hindemith, Rachmaninov, Rorem, Sjostakovitsj, R. Strauss, Ulmann, Wolf, Wagner, Wolf- Ferrari, Quilter and Zemlinsky. She has a special passion for singing songs by female composers as Clara Schumann, Fanny Hensel, Henriëtte Bosmans, Cécile Chaminade, Rebecca Clarke, Amy Beach and Cornélie van Oosterzee . In 2012 the CD 'Arthur Honegger: Mélodies et Chansons' with the integral song oeuvre (62 songs) by Arthur Honegger was presented after recordings and recitals in America. Other CD’s include opera’s by Mozart for Brillant Classics (for example Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito).

March 2023

More detailed:

Lyric/dramatic Soprano Claudia Patacca finished her study Cum Lauda at ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts in Holland. She continued her studies at the International Opera Center in Amsterdam and won the Tubantia Price. She made her concert debut with Poulenc’s Gloria during her study and made her operatic debut in Amsterdam during the Holland Festival as Voice from heaven in Le Roi Arthus by Chausson, conducted by Edo de Waart.

Recently Claudia appeared in concerts singing (for the third) time at the Valletta Baroque Festival on Malta with Combattimento the performance "Lust, and Love Lost" with the kantatas Armida abbandonata by Händel and Der Weiberorden by Telemann, director by David Prins. highlights by Puccini from Manon Lescaut, La Bohème and Tosca conducted by Jeppe Moulijn with the ONSO, Mahler 4 conducted by Michael Rein and the Wunderhorn Ensemble, Beethovens Night Symphony ‘ with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century conducted by Kenneth Montgomery, Bach's Matthäus Passion with Brabants Orkest conducted by Andreas Spering, The Messiah and Weihnachtsoratorium with Klaas Stok (Concerto d'Amsterdam, Musica Amphion, Consensus Vocalis) and the 14th  Symfonie by Shostakovitsj with De Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht conducted by Johannes Leertouwer. She also sang Gloria by Poulenc with the Dutch Radio Filharmonisch Orkest conducted by Hans Graf in the famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Her concert repertoire spans works from Bach to the 21th century. Claudia is also a first call soloist in the oratorium and concert repertoire at festivals on Malta: Valletta International Baroque Festival with the Coffeekantata by Bach, La Toilette de Venus by Francois Colin de Blamont with the Valletta Baroque Orchestra and the comic opera Pimpinone by Telemann (live pasta making & cooking on stage) with the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, on Crete as Elettra in Mozarts Idomeneo.

Other highlights include productions and concerts with conductors as Carlo Rizzi, Antonio Pappano, Kenneth Montgommery, Ed Spanjaard, Jan Willem de Vriend, Edo de Waart, Jaap van Zweden, Sir Simon Rattle, Andreas Spering, Ton Koopman and Johannes Leertouwer.

Other various (some recent) concerts are Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (October and November 2017), Britten’s War Requiem, Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini, Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher by Honegger, Requiem by Michael Haydn conducted by Christian Zacharias with the Nothern Symfonia of England, Egmont by Beethoven with the Kyoto Symfonic Orchestra in Japan, Ein Deutsches Requiem Brahms with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra conducted by Klaas Stok, Hohe Messe by Bach with the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam conducted by Jan Willem de Vriend, Le Mystère de la Nativité by Frank Martin with the Radio Symfonic Orchestra conducted by Marc  Soustrot, Golgotha by Frank Martin with the Radio Filharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Latham Koening, cantata Der Weiberorden and Die Landlust by Telemann, Mozart aria’s with the L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra conducted by Michi Gaigg, during the Festspiele ‘Styriarte’ in Graz, 9th Symfonie Beethoven conducted by Claus Peter Flor with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, cantata Armida Abbandonata by Händel and  La Toilette de Venus by Colin de Blamont with Musica ad Rhenum conducted by Jed Wentz during the Robeco Summer Concerts in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Stabat Mater by Boccherini and Chant sur la mort d’Haydn by Cherubini with the Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ton Koopman.

Claudia appeared at De Nationale Opera (DNNO)  in Amsterdam, La Monnaie in Brussels, Operhaus Frankfurt, Operhaus Halle, Dutch Touring Opera Compagnie (Nederlandse Reisopera) and Opera Zuid Maastricht, as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Ortlinde in Die Walküre, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Ninette in L’Amour des trois Oranges by  Prokofjev, 1e Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Gretel, Sand and Taumännchen in Hänsel und Gretel, Blumenmädchen in Parsifal, Second Niece in Peter Grimes by Britten, Anna in Nabucco with conductors as Simon Rattle, Antonio Pappano, Kenneth Montgommery and Ton Koopman.

She also appeared on stage as Elettra (Idomeneo, Mediterranean Festival of Arts, Crete), Violetta in La Traviata, Madame Silberklang in Mozarts Der Schauspieldirector, Euridice in Orfeo from Gluck, Ann Trulove in The Rakes Progress by Stravinsky, Queen Tye  in Achnaton by Glass, Fatime in Abu Hassan by Von Weber, Marthe in the modern opera Marthe by Willem Dragstra, with conductors as Jaap van Zweden, Neil Stullberg and Jan Willem de Vriend.

She has also taken part in several Opera Matinees at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam including roles in some more unknown operas as Der Liebe der Danae (Königin Europa) by R. Strauss, Das Nussnusschi (Ratasapa and Drittes Mädchen) by Hindemtih, Don Carlos (Voce del Cielo)  by Verdi, Semiramide (Azema)  by Rossini, Le Roi Arthus by Chausson with conductors as Gerd Albrecht, Edo de Waart and Carlo Rizzi.

Claudia has a special passion of lieder. In 2010 she recorded the integral songs of Arthur Honegger in Virginia, USA with baritone Sinan Vural and pianist Nick Ross. This unique CD contains 62 most unknow songs and is available at Centaur Records. In Osaka and Kyoto she gave concerts and liedrecitals. With  the Schönberg Ensemble she performed Des Todes Tod by Hindemith. With the Valerius Ensemble she gave many chamber music recitals including world premiers by Dutch composers. With the ensemble Musica Classica she performed recitals with the theme ‘Musical Ferrytales’. During the Rhijnauwenfestival Claudia performed Der Hirt auf dem Felsen by Schubert and the Liebesliederwalzer by Brahms.

With members of the Concertgebouw Orchestra she has performed in the ‘Kleine Zaal’ Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with songs by Schubert and Diepenbrock. Her favorite songs include the Mignon Lieder by Hugo Wolf, Vier letzte Lieder by Richard Strauss and the Wesendoncklieder by Wagner.

Claudia recorded 4 Mozart CD’s for Brilliant Classics as Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Costanza in Il Sogno di Scipione, Tamiri in Il Re Pastore and in Venere in Ascanio in Alba.   

Claudia is also a professor classical singing at ArtEZ, University of the Arts in Holland.(www.artez.nl) She initiated and directed several productions for students such as: Il segreto di Susanna by Wolf-Ferrari, Soapera with opera highlights, Mein Liebeslied muss sein Walzer sein with operette highlights, Johannes Passion by J.S. Bach.

She gave masterclasses at the Conservatorio del Liceu in Barcelona, Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn and at the Malmö Academy of Music. From 19 -25th February 2018 she will give a recital and a masterclass together with pianist Marien van Nieukerken at the Franz Liszt Hochschuke für Musik in Weimar.

In Holland she initiated together with tenor and professor Amand Hekkers Giravoce Singing Academy and organised several masterclasses. Please look for more information at www.patacca.n or www.giravoce.nl

Studied at/with

Pedagogische Academie Hengelo
Netherlands 1983-1986

Conservatorium Enschede Netherlands (now ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts)
1987-1992 Cum Lauda
Professor: Anne Haenen

International Opera Centre Amsterdam
1992-1994

Professors/Coaches
Meinard Kraak 1997-2001
Henny Diemer 2001-2004
Margreet Honig 2009-2010

Current coach: dramatic soprano Ellen van Haaren

Theaters/ Orchestra's/ Contracts:
De Nederlandse Opera, Netherlands
Nationale Reisopera, Netherlands
Opera Zuid, Netherlands

La Monnaie, Begium
Theater der Stadt Halle, Germany
Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt, Germany
Hoofdstad Operette Amsterdam, Netherlands
L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra, Ostria

Kyoto Symfonic Orchestra, Japan
Nothern Symfonia of England, England
Essener Filharmoniker, Germany
Schattdecor Opera Festival, Germany

Zaterdag Matine, Netherlands
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Netherlands
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Netherlands
Radio Symfonie Orkest, Netherlands
Radio Kamer Orkest, Netherlands
Radio Philharmonisch Orkest, Netherlands
Brabants Orkest, Netherlands
Orkest van het Oosten, Netherlands
HET Symfonieorkest
Nederlands Orkest, Netherlands
Limburgs Symfonie Orkest, Netherlands
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Netherlands
Nederlands Kamer Orkest, Netherlands
Synfonietta Aurora, Netherlands
Residentie Orkest, Netherlands
Musica ad Rhenum, Netherlands/Ostria
Kammer Orchest Dortmund, Germany
Landes Jugend Blas Orchester, USA/Germany
Hollands Diep (Opera compagnie), Netherlands
Frysk Festival (opera), Netherlands
Opera in Groningen, Netherlands
Stichting Marzimino (opera), Netherlands
 

DVD
Pimpinone G.F. Telemann, Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, conductor Jan Willem de Vriend, directed by Eva Buchmann, live recorded in restaurant '15' from Jamie Oliver in Amsterdam

CD
Arthur Honegger: Mélodies et Chansons (62 songs), Centaur Records USA
La Clemenza di Tito W.A. Mozart, Brilliant Classics
Ascanio in Alba W.A Mozart, Brilliant Classics
Il Re Pastore W.A. Mozart, Brilliant Classics
Il Sogno di Scipione W.A. Mozart, Brilliant Classics
Mattheuspassie J.S. Bach (in Dutch), Deutsche Grammophon
In Dulci Jubilo, Christmas CD

Opera

Bellini, Vincenzo
Clotilde Norma staged

Britten, Benjamin
Second Niece Peter Grimes staged

Dragstra, Willem
Marthe Marthe staged

Glass, Philip
Thy Achnaton staged

Gluck, Willibald von
Euridice  Orfeo staged

Hindemith, Paul
Ratasapa Das Nusch-Nuschi concert
Drittes Mädchen Das Nusch Nuschi concert

Humperdinck, Engelbert
Sandmännchen Hänsel und Gretel staged
Taumännchen Hänsel und Gretel staged
Gretel Hänsel und Gretel staged

Mozart, W.A.
Elettra Idomeneo concert
Donna Anna Don Giovanni staged
1e Dame Die Zauberflöte staged
Vitellia La Clemenza di Tito cd
Tamiri Il Re Pastore cd
Venus Ascanio in Alba cd
Costanza Il Sogno di Scipione cd
Silberklang Der Schauspieldirector staged

Prokofjev, Sergei
Ninetta l'Amour des trois Oranges staged

Rossini, Giacomo
Azema Semiramide concert

Strauss, Johan
Rosalinde Die Fledermaus staged

Strauss, Richard
Königin Europa Die Liebe der Danae concert

Stravinsky, Igor
Ann Trulove The Rake's Progress staged

Verdi, Giuseppe
Violetta La Traviata concert
Voce del Cielo Don Carlos concert
Anna Nabucco staged

Wagner, Richard
Blumenmädchen 1e Gr. 2e M. Parsifal staged
Ortlinde Die Walküre staged

Weber, von Carl Maria
Fatime Abu Hassan staged