Йоханнетте Зомер
© Marco Borggreve
About
The Dutch soprano Johannette Zomer began her studies at the Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam in 1990 with Charles van Tassel, after having worked as a microbiology analyst for several years. In June 1997 she was awarded her Performance Diploma.
Her repertoire ranges from medieval music through all music of the baroque and classical eras, including opera, but also Lieder, French Romanticism and Contemporary music. The prestigious ‘Gramophone magazine’ said of her: “A new voice to watch”.
Johannette’s concert appearances are also many and various. She has worked with Baroque specialists such as Philippe Herreweghe, Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, René Jacobs, Reinard Goebel and Paul McCreesh, but has also worked with conductors including Kent Nagano, Ivan Fisher, Marcus Creed, Daniel Harding, Valery Gergiev, Reinbert de Leeuw and Peter Eötvös.
Further she regularly gives recitals accompanied by fortepiano specialist Arthur Schoonderwoerd or theorbo player Fred Jacobs. In October 1996 Johannette made her opera debut as the page Tebaldo in Verdi's Don Carlo with the Nationale Reisopera. Since then she has made regular appearances in roles including Belinda, Pamina, La Musica, Euridice, Dalinda and Ilia, but also as Amanda in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.
Regularly she contributes to CD-recording projects. A few of her most recent releases – all very well received in both press and radio – are the Fauré Requiem under Philippe Herreweghe (Harmonia Mundi) , Couperin’s Leçons des Ténèbres (Channel Classics) and Bach Cantates under Ton Koopman (Channel Classics) . She has also recorded some recitals with theorbist Fred Jacobs, such as Caccini’s Nuove Musiche (Channel Classics) and Schubert Songs with Arthur Schoonderwoerd on piano forte (Kennst du das Land, Alpha).
In february 2007 a CD was released with Bach’s Hohe Messe (Dutch Bach Society). In october 2007 a French song recital-cd with Fred Jacobs, named ‘L'Esprit Galant’ was released.
Her album with Ensemble Florilegium with Bach-Cantatas, is nominated for an Edison-award.