Tenors
With a repertoire ranging from Sweelinck to Steve Reich, Joost van Velzen is one of The Netherlands’ most versatile tenors. Since his studies at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague, he has appeared in stage and concert performances with a broad variety of ensembles, including in roles with the Nieuwe Opera Academie (Purcell and Mozart), Onafhankelijk Toneel Rotterdam, Barok Opera Amsterdam and at the Zwolle Kameroperafestival. He is particularly comfortable with oratorio repertoire, especially Handel, and currently sings with the Nederlandse Bach Vereniging and Cappella Amsterdam alongside a busy solo program with an emphasis on lieder. Joost lives in Haarlem.
His voice and performance style particularly suited to early music, Canadian tenor Kevin Skelton specialises in 17th-century – particularly the haute-contre – repertoire as well as the Bach Evangelist roles. He works regularly with some of the world's finest early music ensembles including the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, L'Arpeggiata, Toronto Consort, and Opera Atelier. In recent years he has performed many operatic roles, including with Jean Tubery and La Fenice, and in Purcell's The Fairy Queen conducted by William Christie at the Festival d'Aix en Provence. The recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, and a published scholar, Kevin holds graduate degrees in voice, conducting, and musicology, having studied at the University of Toronto, Indiana University, and Oxford University. He lives in Brussels.