MAARTJE SEVENSTER

Alto

 

Dutch-born alto Maartje Sevenster specialises in baroque repertoire, both as a member of choirs or ensembles and as a soloist. She has worked with many coaches, amongst others Peter Kooij, Evelyn Tubb, Louise Page and Roberta Alexander. She completed the Estill Voice Training System level one and two courses, that take an anatomical approach to sound production. Currently, Maartje is alto soloist with the Canberra Bach Ensemble, and in performances with the Limestone consort and other Canberra-based musicians.

 

In 2024, she performed with the Canberra Bach Ensemble at the renowned Bachfest in Leipzig, Germany.  In 2023, she was alto soloist in Bach’s St John’s Passion with Igitur Nos. She sings with the Bach Akademie Australia, and performed with the Song Company in the Canberra International Music Festival. With ensemble Adhoc Baroque, Maartje performed many lesser-known pieces of the baroque repertoire in a one-per-part setting to great acclaim, including several Australian premieres. Another premiere was of David Cassat's Die Hand, for mezzo-soprano, viola, cello, flute and clarinet. She regularly contributes to performances by the Chorus of Women, and performances of works by Canberra composers Judith Clingan and the late Glenda Cloughley.

 

Next to performing, she has an ongoing interest in the acoustics of the vocal tract. The control of resonances and the role of so-called formant theory in vocal training were the central topics of her bachelor thesis. Maartje conducts a small community choir in the village of Gundaroo.

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