BIOGRAPHY
The Belgian mezzo-soprano Sterre Decru (°1999) graduated with distinction from the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, where she passionately combined a Classical Voice major with a minor in Early Music. She is currently finishing her master's degree as a member of the Dutch National Opera Academy, for which she was awarded the Scholarship for Excellence by the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.
In the academy Sterre has had the chance to perform the role of Arianna in a staged version of Haydn's cantata Arianna a Naxos. Her performance was broadcasted on the national radio of The Netherlands: NPO4. In her interpretation of Arianna, Sterre was praised repeatedly for her "warm voice" and "impressive dramatic performance". Last June, Sterre was seen as Arminda in Mozart's opera La Finta Giardiniera. A collaboration of the Dutch National Opera Academy with the Residentie Orkest and in association with the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. The production was praised for the "excellent vocal quality of the singers" and their "brilliant acting". Sterre's most recent appearance in the academy was as Singer 4 in Conrad Susa's chamber opera Transformations.
In August 2023, Sterre also appeared as the Young Artist in Residence for the Belgian early music festival Intra Muros. There she shared the stage with the German orchestra Concerto Köln in the beautiful cantata Arianna Abbandonata by Benedetto Marcello. She also performed an Italian, 17th-century programme with Lidewij van der Voort (violin), Thomas Langlois (lute) and Bart Naessens (harpsichord).
In 2021 Sterre was selected by Collegium Vocale Gent to join their masterclass for Young Soloists. After this, she joined the ensemble as a choir member for several projects, such as Schumann’s musical-theatrical work Faust at the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Mozart's Requiem in d-Moll, Bruckner's Messe Nr.3 in f-Moll...
In the same year, Sterre participated in the start-up of a brand new vocal ensemble: FONOS. FONOS is a group of ten friends who share a great passion for the same music. The group’s aim is to bring a broad variety of vocal pieces from the early Renaissance up to the present day.
Apart from being a passionate soloist and choir singer, Sterre also loves to lend her voice to young, beginning composers. In March 2021 she participated in a young-talent performance of the Opera Forward Festival in Amsterdam.
Coming up now: Sterre was selected by the Flemish classical radio station Klara as one of their Twintigers: a program dedicated to showcasing young and emerging talent that Klara strongly believes in. Her solo recital is scheduled to be broadcasted on the radio station in April 2024, with highlights of the concert featured on VRT MAX. For more information, you can visit this
In June 2024, Sterre will be seen as Melanto in Claudio Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. Furthermore, she will be working together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra in a song project at the Opera Forward Festival in Amsterdam.