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Charles Dekeyser Biography
The Belgian bass Charles Dekeyser (°Gent, 1986), studied singing under Martine Reyners and at the Brussels Royal Conservatoire, then at the Flanders Opera Studio where he graduated as laureate in 2010. Afterwards he studied for four years at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under José Van Dam.
In 2014, Charles took part in the Queen Elisabeth Competition (voice) and reached the semi-finals.
During the season 2015-2016 he was member of the Opera Studio at the Opernhaus of Zürich.
During his artistic training, he attended many master classes both in Belgium and abroad with under more Graham Johnson and Helmut Deutsch e.o. He took part in the Académie européenne de musique at the Festival Aix-en-Provence and followed workshops at the Latvian National Opera in Riga (Latvia). In Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, Charles attended master classes on Schubert lieder with Christoph Pregardien, Malcolm Martineau en Richard Stokes, within the framework of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme.
At the Opera de Wallonie and the Opera de Rouen, he sang the role of Sarastro in the Magic Flute (Mozart). He made his debut at the Flanders Opera as l’Ombra di Nino in Semiramide (Rossini), a production that was performed again at the Edinburgh International Festival 2011. Afterwards, he debuts at La Monnaie as a monk in Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer) and a server in Lulu (Berg).
At the 2014 Verbier Festival, Charles sang Don Fernando in Fidileo (Beethoven) and Brander in La Damnation de Faust (Berlioz).
At the Flanders Opera, he performed in <3RT 2 GET!, an opera production about Mozart-Da Ponte.
At the Opernhaus of Zürich, Charles made his debut as Philidels Geist and the Waldgeist in King Arthur (Purcell) and as the doctor in Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy). In March 2017, at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Charles performed the role of Pietro in Simon Boccanegra (Verdi), a co-production with the Flanders Opera.
He performed with celebrated conductors such as Marc Minkowski, Alberto Zedda, Ludovic Morlot, Charles Dutoit, Sir Christopher Warren Green, Giovanni Antonini, Christian Arming, Hervé Niquet, Laurence Cummings, Almo Volmer, Alain Altinoglu and others.
Charles also developed a great passion for the oratorio and lieder repertoire and has sung both abroad and in Belgium numerous recitals and performed in many music theatre productions. In concert he has performed works including Requiem (Mozart), Messa di Gloria (Donizetti) ,The Creation (Haydn), Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini), Mass nr 1 Schubert’s), Messiah (Händel), Paulus (Mendelssohn), Pulcinella (Stravinski), Magnificat (Durante), Missa Dolorosa (Caldara), the St. Matthew Passion (J.S.Bach), Cantates (J.S.Bach), Great Mass in C Minor (Mozart), the Mass in B minor (J.S.Bach). In 2015 he made his debut as Christ in the St.Matthew Passion (J.S.Bach).
He moreover performed with the Sinfonia Varsovia and with the National Orchestra of Belgium and of Spain, the Brussels Philharmonic, the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, the Liege Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Collegium Vocale Gent. His collaboration with Les Musiciens du Louvre brought him to Japan and to a great number of great European concert halls. Performances which also took him to the Festival de Beaune, the Festival Ré Majeure (Île de Ré) and the Köthener Bachfesttage.
As part of a tribute to Gerard Mortier, Charles sang at the Flanders Opera Lieder von Mahler and for OdeGand by Night (Ghent Festival of Flanders 2014) he sang the romantic recital Nacht und Träume.
As laureat of SWUK 2015, he realized the recording of the CD To the Music/ An die Musik.
During the Mozartwoche 2017 in Salzburg, Charles sang the Requiem of Mozart under the baton of Marc Minkowski.
In March 2018 and also with Marc Minkowski, he will go on tour with the St.Matthew Passion (J.S.Bach) in different concert halls in Spain and Germany.
