BIOGRAFIE
The sisters Charlotte and Josefien Stoppelenburg are a a critically acclaimed vocal duo and are praised for the way their voices blend together, their outstanding technique and their convincing stage presentation.
The sisters have performed in nearly every Dutch concert hall, appeared on television and radio and have performed several times for the Dutch Royal Family.
They graduated from the conservatories of Utrecht, Amsterdam and Cologne (Germany) and appeared with orchestras such as the WDR-Rundfunkorchester, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Nationaal Philharmonisch Orkest, Amsterdams Promenade Orkest and Camerata Amsterdam as well as with Dutch, German and American orchestras and ensembles.
They appear frequently in chamber music series in the The Netherlands and in Germany (Amsterdam Grachtenfestival, Musikalische Sommer Ost Friesland) and many more. The sisters performed in nearly every Dutch concert hall.
Charlotte and Josefien are continuously invited to perform as soloists in many oratorio performances, such as Bach's St. Matthew and St. John Passion, Handel's Messiah, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and have performed over 50 oratorio works.
Several composers created pieces especially for this unique vocal duo.
They appeared in the International Chamber Opera Festival, both singing a solo opera work on a Cocteau libretto: Josefien was featured in Poulencs La Voix Humaine and Charlotte in Le Bel Indifférent, especially composed for her by their father, composer Willem Stoppelenburg.
The sisters are currently performing frequently with piano duo and brothers Martijn and Stefan Blaak. The ensemble appeared in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, performed for Radio 4 (The Dutch Classical Radio Station) and made concert tours in Italy, The Netherlands, and The United States.
As a soloist, Charlotte appeared at the Cologne Opera (Oper Köln) one of the highlights being a lead role in Künneke’s operetta ‘Die Ehe im Kreise’ recorded by the WDR radio station. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, she performed Berio's Folksongs both in the Musiktriennale Köln 2007, broadcast by the WDR Radio, as well as in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.She was also invited to perfrom the world premiere of the Buddhistic Oratorio 'Prajñaparamita Mantra' by Dirk Dekker. She has presented art song recitals with music of Elgar, Britten, Mahler, Strauss, Schumann and Schubert as well as contemporary composers.
Charlotte also studied German language and literature and frequently presents lectures at Dutch universities about the connection between German music, literature and poetry.
Josefien lives in Chicago and was praised in the American press for her
' 'impressive agility', dramatic interpretation and 'astonishing singing'.
She is the winner of the Chicago Oratorio Award, and received the second prize in The American Prize Opera Competition.
She performs with many of the country's most esteemed Baroque organizations, such as the Music of the Baroque, Haymarket Opera Company, Newberry Consort, Handel Week Festival, Chicago Baroque Band, Boulder Bach Fesival, Arizona Bach Festival, Cincinnati Bach Ensemble. Because of her great stylistic awareness, vocal virtuosity and knowledge about the Baroque style, Josefien is regularly invited to present vocal masterclasses at American conservatories (such as Indiana University, University of Colorado, Illinois State University)
