Elisabeth Hetherington

Since moving to the Netherlands, award-winning soprano Elisabeth Hetherington has quickly established herself as a stand out up-and-coming performer and interpreter of early, contemporary and modern repertoire throughout Europe. Elisabeth has been praised for her “... fearless and powerful personality, as well as her flawless technology and breathtaking presentation (NRC, 2020)” and “virtuosic grace, sophisticated dynamics and subtle colours... beautifully lyrical, somewhat fragile timbre...” (Place de l’Opera Magazine, 2020). Managing to effortlessly bridge the gap between early and contemporary music, Elisabeth has premiered and recorded numerous works throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Estonia. Her ability to combine music old and new continues to garner acclaim; “Paolo Gorini set another Dickinson poem to music: It’s like, and in the Monteverdian vocal decorations you can hear the versatility of Hetherington (de Volkskrant, 2019).”

Elisabeth is an especially passionate advocate for multidisciplinary performance. With modern dance company Leineroebana, she has developed SOLAS. Drawing on her background as a dancer, SOLAS is a fusion of music and poetry, as well as song and dance in which “she demonstrates how well movement and singing live together in her “ (Theaterkrant, 2019). Elisabeth has created operatic roles with major opera companies in the Netherlands - including Susanna (Divorce of Figaro, Holland opera 2022), Senta (De Vliegende Hollander, Holland Opera 2021), The Woman (Bonsai Gardens, Opera Zuid 2020), Belina (Dido & Aeneas, MusicStages 2021), and Cordelia (King Lear, Holland Opera 2019). For these roles, she has received critical acclaim such as “Hetherington seizes the opportunities presented with both hands. Both acting and singing she manages to place herself in the center of the action for the majority of the performance, claiming all the attention for herself.” (Place de l’Opera Magazine, 2022) and “...with a silvery, pure soprano voice. She is the star of the evening and rightly receives the most applause afterwards (Theatrekrant, 2019)”. In 2016, she founded the ensemble Duo Serenissima for whom she has had the opportunity to create programmes that have been performed in many important festivals and concert series around the world. Elisabeth’s ability to programme daring and demanding recitals and concerts for world renowned ensembles and festivals has garnered her the praise of “showing what a great future in music sounds (NRC, 2021).

In addition to her vibrant performing career, Elisabeth has received a great deal of attention for her research in the field of Original Pronunciation of Elizabethan English. She has become a sought-after clinician on the subject, giving masterclasses in conservatories around the Netherlands, as well as appearing as a lecturer in the Utrecht Festival Oude Muziek.

Elisabeth was awarded the prize of the Dutch Classical Talent Award in 2020 after taking part in the year-long competition and tour. She recorded her debut album through the Dutch Broadcasting agency Avrotros, and enjoys frequent appearances on the television and radio stations of the Netherlands.

Elisabeth completed her Undergraduate Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, and is now a cum laude graduate from the Masters of Historical Performance at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with whom she regularly works as a guest lecturer.