MUSICAL DIRECTION / COACH

Walewein Witten is a harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and vocal coach, living and working in Berlin and Hamburg.

He studied harpsichord and fortepiano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Jacques Ogg, Ton Koopman, and Stanley Hoogland. During these years, he was highly active in chamber music and worked intensively with various singers. He also participated as harpsichordist and répétiteur in several baroque opera projects under the direction of Kenneth Montgomery as well as William Christie, including Monteverdi’s 'L’Incoronazione di Poppea' and Charpentier’s 'David et Jonathas'.

From 2000 to 2005, Walewein worked as principal harpsichordist of the Utrechts Barok Consort under the direction of Jos van Veldhoven, performing several operas, including Leonardo Leo’s 'La Morte di Abele', Conti’s 'Don Chisciotte', and Purcell’s 'Dido and Aeneas'.

In 2005, Walewein decided to move to Germany to focus on opera. In the years that followed, he worked in Düsseldorf, Kassel, and Berlin (Komische Oper) as a solo répétiteur and later as Studienleiter/Kapellmeister. His repertoire includes approximately 80 operas, operettas, and musicals spanning all styles from baroque to contemporary. As a conductor, he has led numerous productions at summer festivals, universities, and academies, including work at the University of Stavanger, the Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin), and the Mozarteum University Salzburg. His most recent production this year was Lehár’s 'Das Land des Lächelnsat' at the Neuköllner Oper Berlin.

Walewein Witten also performs as a harpsichordist with the Lautten Compagney, one of Berlin’s baroque orchestras, specializing in alternative programmes and collaborations with both baroque specialists as well as modern musicians and jazz artists. In addition, he runs a private practice in Berlin, offering vocal and repertoire coaching for opera singers.

ARTISTIC TEAM / COACH VOICE - DRAMA

Sandro Rossi is a Flemish countertenor with Italian roots. He obtained a degree in Dramatic Studies at the Herman Teirlinck Institute. He studied classical singing at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with soprano Stephanie Friede and, among others, Guy de Mey (baroque/oratorio class), and studied violin and piano at the academy. He has also performed as a musician with, among others, the folk group New Rising Sun.

His opera debut took place in a historic revival of J. C. Bach’s Artaserse, where he sang the role of Arbace in a production conducted by Ewald Demeyere. He performed both Witches in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Muziektheater Transparant/deSingel. With the Trentino Music Festival, he sang Ottone in Monteverdi’s 'L’Incoronazione di Poppea', directed by Greg Eldridge. In a production by David Gately for Mezzano Romantica, he appeared as the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas. At the Natalia Sats Theatre in Moscow, he sang the role of Teseo in Monteverdi’s Arianna, reconstructed by harpist Andrew Lawrence King. With the ensemble Plexus Hertz, he toured Russia with a baroque cantata programme.

In 2020, he sang Licida in Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, directed by Beppe Morassi. With Balance Arts Berlin, he performed the role of Mère Jeanne in 'Dialogues des Carmélites'. At the Festival della Valle d’Itria, he appeared as Nilski/Bossu in Prokofiev’s opera The Gambler, in a production directed by David Pountney. In 2023, he made his role debut as Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with La Petite Bande under the direction of Sigiswald Kuijken. In 2024, he appears in a new production of L’Orfeo with the orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro, conducted by Francesco Corti, at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona. With Trinity Baroque Belgrade, he sang Handel’s Giulio Cesare.

He won second prize at the Concorso San Colombano in Piacenza (2023) as well as at the baroque competition Caffarelli Bitonto, and received a special prize at the Vittorio Gentile Competition (2021). He is also an alumnus of the Rodolfo Celletti Belcanto Institute in Martina Franca. He has participated in masterclasses with, among others, Sonia Prina, Sara Mingardo, Vivica Genaux, Deborah Voigt, Jennifer Larmore, and Michael Schade.

Within Part Of vzw, he serves as artistic director and board member.

GARY JANKOWSKI - Opera / Vocal Coach  

Gary Jankowski(bass)is known for performances marked by great musical sensitivity, a strong, clear, honey-toned voice, and impressive interpretations presented on numerous international stages, in concert halls, and on radio broadcasts.

Born in Seattle, Gary Jankowski held ensemble positions in Nuremberg, Halle/Saale, Freiburg, Rostock, and Schwerin, and appeared as a guest artist in, among others, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Leipzig, Donostia/San Sebastián, Peralada, Bergen, Auckland, the Festival Internacional Cervantino, Dorset, Lübeck, and Kiel. His most important roles include Hagen, Fafner, King Marke, Fiesco, the Landgrave, Osmin, Il Commendatore, and Ochs von Lerchenau.

Gary Jankowski has collaborated with conductors such as Kent Nagano, Philippe Jordan, Stefan Malzew, Mikhail Jurowski, and Nikša Bareza, and with directors including Valentina Carrasco, Fred Berndt, Arturo Gama, Anthony Pilavachi, Frank Hilbrich, Uwe Scholz, and Axel Köhler.

As a concert singer, he has performed with ensembles such as the Auckland Philharmonia, the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg, the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, the Mecklenburg State Orchestra, the Chautauqua Symphony, Orchestra Seattle, the Bellingham Festival of Music, and the Crue Consort.

One of the highlights of his career as a recitalist was his collaboration with pianist Gabriel Dobner in Schubert’s 'Die Winterreise', presented at numerous venues across the United States and Europe.

He also enjoys a significant international reputation as a pedagogue. In addition to his private studios in Berlin and Antwerp, he is a frequent faculty member at the Summer Opera Tel Aviv. He has been invited to give masterclasses and to serve as a jury member at competitions in Stockholm, Athens, Reykjavík, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Batumi, Georgia.

Since September 2016, he has been a principal subject teacher in the Classical Singing Department at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp.

BAROQUE VIOLIN - CONCERTMASTER

An van Laetem studied at the Lemmens Institute, where she obtained the Laureate Diploma in Violinunder Bernadette Bracke.

She then specialised in Baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Ryo Terakado, earning her diploma in 1993.

In 1995, she was awarded the First Prize in Baroque Violin by Sigiswald Kuijken at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she also received a First Prize in Chamber Musicunder Herman Stinders.

As a violin teacher, she is permanently affiliated with MAGO Antwerp, where she teaches violin and ensemble playing.

As a performing musician, An plays a wide range of string instruments. She has participated in numerous concerts and CD recordings, spanning medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, folk, and contemporary music, collaborating with ensembles such as the Huelgas Ensemble under Paul Van Nevel, Il Fondamento under Paul Dombrecht, La Petite Bande under Sigiswald Kuijken, Currende Consort under Erik Van Nevel, Les Muffatti under Peter Van Heyghen, B’Rock, Le Concert d’Anvers under Bart Van Reyn, Per Flauto under Bart Coen, Les Pantalons, the Paul Rans Ensemble, Terra Nova under Vlad Weverbergh, among others.

Stelios Chatziktoris - Opera / vocal coach 

Stelios Chatziktoris (b. 1990, Limassol, Cyprus) is a lyric tenor, choral conductor, and voice specialist whose international career spans performance, pedagogy, and holistic vocal care.

After early piano studies and recognition as a finalist of the 13th International Steinway Piano Competition (2008), he moved to Berlin in 2009 to study choral conducting with Prof. Jörg-Peter Weigle at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler.

In 2011, he founded the Ήxos Choir Berlin, which gained acclaim for its innovative programming and successes at international competitions. From 2013 to 2015, he was a scholarship holder of the Conductors’ Forum of the German Music Council, collaborating with institutions such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, and the MDR and NDR Radio Choirs.

Chatziktoris began his vocal studies in 2014 at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler with Prof. Anneliese Fried and Stephan Rügamer, and further refined his training with, among others, Gary Jankowski, Franco Farina, Joel Prieto, John Norris, and Michael Trimble. His operatic repertoire includes roles such as Don Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Junker Spärlich (The Merry Wives of Windsor), and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), as well as leading roles in two world premieres. He has performed throughout Europe, including appearances with Opera Verona, Oper Oder-Spree, the Kammeroper Rheinsberg, the Kypria International Festival, and the Cyprus State Orchestra.

As a dedicated educator, Chatziktoris served as conductor of the Berliner Mädchenchor from 2015 to 2019 and has been working since 2024 as choral conductor and vocal coach at the Kinderopernhaus Berlin (OPUS KLASSIK Award winner). His teaching approach combines classical vocal technique with somatic disciplines such as the Feldenkrais Method (certification expected in 2025), vocal massage, and body-oriented voice training—aimed at cultivating a healthy and expressive singing voice.

Through his synthesis of tradition and innovation, Stelios Chatziktoris inspires audiences and mentors young singers alike, offering a unique combination of technical mastery, artistic sensitivity, and holistic pedagogy.

Alexandros Kavvadas - Choral Coach

Alexandros Kavvadas was born in Athens (Greece). After graduating in piano and harmony at the National Conservatory of Athens, he obtained his Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the Conservatory of Maastricht under Ludo Claesen. He pursued further studies in conducting, piano, organ, and basso continuo with teachers such as Daniel Reuss (Capella Amsterdam), Jos van Veldhoven, Tineke Steenbrink (Holland Baroque), Hans Leenders (Studium Chorale), Alexandra Papastefanou (pianist), Barbara Vignanelli (harpsichordist, Conservatorio Santa Cecilia, Rome), and Michalis Economou (Chief Conductor of the Greek Radio Orchestra). In 2015, he won first prize in conducting at the National Orchestral Conducting Competition in Athens.

In recent years, he has been active as a conductor and artistic director of numerous choirs, as well as a pianist, organist, and vocal coach, and he regularly performs in Belgium and the Netherlands. His collaborations include Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Opera Zuid, Bach Academy Alden Biesen, The National Theatre (The Hague), Alden Biesen Opera, the Cydonia Barocca Festival, and many others.

His interest in Baroque music and historically informed performance led him to co-found the ensemble Le Concert Étésientogether with baritone Samuel Namotte in 2022. In its first year alone, Le Concert Étésienperformed in Belgium and the Netherlands, participated in the Cydonia Barocca Festival (Florian Heyerick) in Ghent, and was featured in several broadcasts on Belgian and Greek radio.

BJORN WEGGE - Founder operalab / General direction

Bjorn Wegge has long had a deep passion for everything related to art and culture, with a particular interest in the policy and organizational frameworks that support it. Among other roles, he served for eight years on the Board of Directors of Jongerencentrum Bouckenborgh, four of which as chair. During this period, he helped shape policy and gained valuable experience in organizing cultural activities.

Over the years, Bjorn has also pursued several arts-related studies to better understand what it means for an artist to create. He studied piano with Axelle Kennes at MAGO in Antwerp and completed a programme in theatre directing with Paul Ooghe and Wim de Winne at the Academy of Performing Arts in Ghent.

Always driven to further expand his knowledge, he is currently completing a degree in Cultural Studies at the Open University.

Another of Bjorn’s passions is the maritime world. He spent some time at sea and currently works as a traffic expert in the Nautical Operations Department of Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

In addition to his role as financial coordinator and communications officer at the theatre company Anima Vinctum vzw – Zielkundig & Expressief Theater, he is also involved with the arts organization Part Of vzw.

Within Part Of vzw, he serves as a board member and managing director. For Operalab, he is primarily responsible for the organizational and production aspects of the project.

HANNELORE DEVAERE - Harp / Continuo coach 

Hannelore Devaere studied historical harp at the Akademie für Alte Musik in Bremen with Andrew Lawrence King, focusing primarily on Renaissance and Baroque repertoire from Spain and Italy. Alongside her musical activities, Hannelore is a musicologist (KU Leuven) and specialised in iconography and organology, with a particular focus on the 16th and 17th centuries. In this capacity, she was also affiliated with the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels. She regularly gives lectures and has published scholarly articles.

In 2010, she founded the ensemble Cuerdas, in which she explores the combination of Baroque and world music. In 2015, the ensemble Les Belles Dames Sans Merciwas founded (voice, viola da gamba, and Baroque harp).

Hannelore Devaere is a harp teacher and lecturer in music and art history at the academies of Tielt and Knokke. In addition, she regularly gives masterclasses in historical harp both in Belgium and abroad, including at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Berlin, and Toulouse. Since the previous academic year, Hannelore has also been teaching at the Conservatory of Liège.

In addition to numerous CD recordings as a continuo player with ensembles from Belgium and abroad—such as Zefiro Torna, Luthomania, Encantar, La Cetra d’Orfeo, Elyma, Hesperion XXI, Musica Aeterna, Oltremontano, B’Rock, Les Agrémens, and Cappella Mediterranea—she has also made solo recordings on historical harp, both for radio and on CD. Her first solo CD, The Fellowship, was released in June 2008 and was met with high acclaim from the press.