Raoul Steffani & Daan Boertien

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Bariton Raoul Steffani

Dutch baritone Raoul Steffani has quickly established himself as one of the leading singers of his generation. He was awarded several prizes: the Dutch Classical Talent Audience Award (2018), the Grachtenfestival Prize (2016), the Elisabeth Evertsprijs (2016) and Prinses Christina Concours (2013), after which he was invited to make recital debuts at major concerts halls such as the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Megaron Concert Hall in Athens, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Munich and Vienna.

He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and at the conservatories of Amsterdam and Tilburg, from which he graduated summa cum laude. He continues working with his longtime vocal coach Margreet Honig and is frequently taking masterclasses with Thomas Hampson, Christa Ludwig and Elly Ameling a.o. From 2016 till 2018 he was a member of the Dutch National Opera Academy, where he debuted the role of Gulgielmo (Così fan tutte).

Raoul Steffani is passionately fond of the song repertoire. As an active recitalist, he works regularly with the German song specialist Gerold Huber as well as with Daan Boertien and Lucas and Arthur Jussen. He performs regularly at concert halls in the Netherlands including the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw a/h IJ, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, International Chamber Music Festival led by Janine Jansen in Utrecht.

He sang under the baton of a.o. Vladimir Jurowsky, David Zinman, Sir Mark Elder, Sigiswald Kuijken, Ed Spanjaard, Anthony Hermus and Enrico Delamboye. Among the orchestras he performed with, are the Royal Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, philharmonie zuidnederland and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.

Pianist Daan Boertien

Daan Boertien is a Dutch concert pianist with a special interest for song accompaniment. He performs frequently with various singers in the Netherlands and abroad.

At the age of ten, Daan was accepted at the Young Musician’s Academy of the Conservatory in Tilburg, where he had lessons with Jelena Bazova. After that, he continued his studies with David Kuyken at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he both got his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. At this moment, Daan studies Liedgestaltung at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with the German Lied specialist Burkhard Kehring.

In 2010, Daan won a prize at the Princess Christinaconcours and in 2011 he received an Honorary Award for Outstanding Musicianship at the Peter de Grote Festival in Groningen. In 2016 he received the Kunst aan de Dijk Prijs voor Jong Talent. In 2017, Daan received a grant from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds to pursue his studies in Hamburg.

In 2018, Daan won the Audience Award in the finals of Dutch Classical Talent together with baritone Raoul Steffani. In the same year he won the first Lied Duo Prize in the Gustav-Mahler-Wettbewerb together with Geng Lee, as well as the prize for the best accompanist. In 2019, Daan won the DAAD-Prize.

Daan gave concerts in Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Switzerland, Latvia and Canada. In the Netherlands he played in Het Concertgebouw, TivoliVredenburg, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. Furthermore, he is a regular guest in programs of NPO Radio 4 and on Dutch television. The last few years, Daan worked together with singers like Benjamin Appl, Thomas Oliemans, Maarten Koningsberger, Michaela Kaune, Maria Riccarda Wesseling, Marc Pantus and André Morsch.

Daan participated in masterclasses for piano solo with amongst others Enrico Pace, Leslie Howard and Naum Grubert. For Lied interpretation he received important impulses from Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Graham Johnson, Wolfram Rieger, Thomas Hampson, Margreet Honig, Christianne Stotijn, Gabriele Fontana, Anne Sofie von Otter and Brigitte Fassbaender.