BIOGRAPHY
Picture by Maurice Lammerts van Bueren
The Belgian mezzo-soprano Sterre Decru (º1999) graduated with distinction from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where she passionately combined a major in Classical Voice with a minor in Early Music. During her master's degree -also completed with distinction- Sterre specialized in the genre of opera as a member of the Dutch National Opera Academy. For her two years of studies at the Opera Academy, Sterre was awarded the Scholarship for Excellence by the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. Sterre is a finalist and award winner of the Concours Corneille 2025 organized by the French Baroque ensemble Le Poème Harmonique. Sterre was awarded the Prix Fundació Victoria de Los Ángeles.
Within the Opera Academy, Sterre has had the opportunity to perform various operatic roles, including Melanto in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Arminda in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and Arianna in Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos. Her performance as Arianna was broadcast on the national radio of The Netherlands, NPO4, and was praised for her "warm voice" and "impressive dramatic performance."
As a soloist, Sterre has collaborated with renowned orchestras and ensembles such as the Residentie Orkest, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and Concerto Köln. With the latter, she performed at the Belgium-based Intra Muros Festival, where she was named Young Artist in Residence in 2023.
In both the Netherlands and Belgium, Sterre has been recognized by classical radio stations as an emerging talent. In 2024, she was featured on the Belgian classical station Klara as one of their "Twintigers"—a program spotlighting young artists in whom the radio station strongly believes. She appeared in several interviews and a broadcast recital. Shortly thereafter, Dutch television invited her to appear on the program Podium Klassiek, where she was introduced to the Dutch public as a promising young talent. The Belgian radio described her as “a singer who always strikes the right tone, with nuance and dramatic strength”.
In 2025, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS invited Sterre to record her debut CD in collaboration with their Young Artist Program. The result was a disc featuring the repertoire closest to her heart: French baroque arias. The CD was released in May 2025.
Alongside her work as a soloist, Sterre has a deep passion for ensemble singing. She regularly participates in projects with Collegium Vocale Gent under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe— a collaboration that began in 2021, when she was invited by the ensemble to take part in their masterclass for young soloists. In 2025, Sterre took part in her first project with the French ensemble Pygmalion, led by Raphaël Pichon: La Passion grecque by Bohuslav Martinů.
Coming up now:
In 2025 will travel to Poland for a concert series at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival, where she has been invited to perform with the British Aglica trio. In 2026, Sterre will make her debut at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, singing the second soprano solo in a work by Mendelssohn with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. With the same orchestra she will be performing in December as a soloist in Vivaldi's Gloria under the baton of Benjamin Goodson. In the 2026-2027 season, Sterre will also take part in her first project with the renowned Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis.