Students 2021-2023

Anastasiia Silanteva was born on 30 December 1994 in Armyansk. From 2006 to 2012, she studied at the Lysenko specialized music school in Kiev. During her studies, she attended the CEI Youth Orchestra Summer concert tour in July-August 2010, which included intensive rehearsals in Assisi and concert performances in Assisi, Gubbio, Caorso and Busseto. From 2012 to 2014, she studied at the piano department of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kiev. Since 2014, she has been studying at the Gnessin Academy of Music at the piano department in Moscow. In 2015, she worked at the Institute of Theater Arts as an accompanist.
Anastasiia was awarded first prize at the International Forum of Classical Music (as accompanist, Moscow, 2015), the International Forum Musical Performance and Pedagogy (Art of accompaniment, Lonigo, Italy, 2016). She obtained second prizes at the International Forum of Classical Music (Moscow, 2015) and the IX International competition of performers and composers ‘Romanticism: Its origins and beyond’ (Moscow, 2017). Further, she was given third prize at the IV International competition of academic and pop singing named after M.I. Landa (as accompanist, Moscow), and participated in the final of the First International Competition of lieder singing named after Nina Dorliac (as accompanist, Moscow, 2017).
In 2021, Anastasiia graduated as Laureaat of the International Opera Academy (option: pianist-repetiteur) in Ghent, Belgium.

Originally from Wisconsin, USA, Anthony Capparelli is a pianist-repetiteur in training at the International Opera Academy in Ghent, Belgium. Previously, he was an instructor and collaborative pianist at Clarke University in Dubuque, IA. He is a current Doctoral candidate in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Iowa where he earned his Masters of Arts in piano performance, both under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. His other principal teachers have been Jane Coop and Marc Durand at the Centre d’Arts Orford in Quebec, Canada and Dr. Catherine Kautsky at Lawrence University, where he earned his Bachelors of Music degree in 2014.  

Anthony has pursued an eclectic array of musical endeavours thus far in his career. He has studied organ and harpsichord, traveling to France in 2013 where he worked in masterclass with organists such as Jean-Baptiste Robin and Christophe Mantoux on period instruments in the cathedrals of Paris, Versailles, and Rouen. In 2014, he was named a Thomas J. Watson Fellow. (The Watson Fellowship is a competitive scholarship given to forty-some college graduates from selected colleges and universities around the United States each year.) His Watson project sent him abroad for a year to Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland to pursue ethnographic research into Celtic and Scandinavian traditional music and storytelling to document the positive effect these art forms have on rural communities.  

Anthony is also an active collaborator and chamber musician. With a deep love for the operatic and art song repertoire, Anthony has long been an avid collaborator with singers. He was on staff at Lawrence University as a staff pianist for the voice studio of John T. Gates in 2016, and he has a secondary specialisation in vocal coaching in his doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. He has studied in masterclasses with Dale Duesing, Lawrence Brownlee, Eric Owens, and with members of the Lorelei Ensemble and Roomful of Teeth. As a chamber musician, he has toured across the Midwestern area of the USA and also in Ireland and the UK. Anthony has had regular coachings with prominent ensembles such as the Elias String Quartet, Kronos Quartet, the JACK quartet, and with pianists Orion Weiss and Emanuel Ax.  

As a soloist he has performed recitals in six countries, and in concert with the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, the St. Croix Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He is passionate about bringing classical music to audiences that have limited access to it, and has taught piano and performed recitals in small rural pubs, hospitals, senior care homes, and prisons.  

As soon as she graduated from Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory (with full honours and as top of her class), Ecem Topcu started working at the Samsun State Opera and Ballet. There, she made her professional debut in 2018 as Arsena in Der Zigeunerbaron and in 2019 as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro.  

She also performed as a soloist at the Gala Concerts, the Season Opening Night Concerts and at the Spring Concerts of Samsun State Opera House with Samsun Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Symphony Orchestra, Hacettepe University Symphony Orchestra and Izmir State Opera Symphony Orchestra in 2019, 2020 and 2021.  

During her studies, Ecem sang in several opera and operetta productions such as Rita in Rita, as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, as Berenice in L’occasione fa il ladro, as Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, and as Ciboletta in Eine Nacht in Venedig.  

She won Third Place in the National Singing Competition 2019 (Izmir) and Honorable Mention in Yalçın Davran National Singing Competition 2019 (Ankara). 

She took part in masterclasses by Ailyn Pérez, Howard Watkins, David Lomelí, Maia Mari Chikradze, Murat Karahan, Iva Ionova, Ragnar Conde, Abdiel Vázquez, Ivayla Hinkova Bobcheva and Jennifer Rowley. 

Japanese soprano Eriko Hashimoto was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1992.

She started her singing studies at a very young age, and graduated from the University of Music in Kunitachi in 2014. She continued her studies with Maria Bianca Casoni and Luca Gorla. She obtained the Master’s Degree in 2020 from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan with full marks. In 2021 she became part of the AMO academy, Operastudi of Teatro Coccia in Novara. She perfected her studies under the guidance of soprano Manuela Bisceglie.

In 2015 she was Annina in Traviata at the Teatro Pro Loco in Borgosesia. In 2017 she was Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica under the direction of Aldo Salvagno and Renato Bonajuto (part of the Tones on the Stones Festival). In 2019 she was Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Teatro Carcano in Milan under the direction of Giuseppe Montesano and Mattia Testi. Also that year, she collaborated as a solo soprano in Mozart’s Krönungsmesse under the direction of Amedeo Monetti. In 2021 she was Cendrillon in Viardot’s Cendrillon directed by Teresa Gargano. Her concert activity ranges from the lyrical to the chamber and sacred repertoire.

Since October 2021, Eriko is a member of the International Opera Academy in Ghent.

Jessica Stakenburg is a versatile Dutch alto/mezzo-soprano with a huge love for opera.  

As a child, she performed at the Youth Theatre School in Dordrecht, where she discovered her love for singing. At the age of twelve she encountered the classical repertoire; from then on, a new love was born. 

Following high school, she attended the Theatre School in Rotterdam, where she obtained her acting diploma. Later, she completed her Bachelor in Classical Music Theatre and Master of Music degrees at the conservatory in Tilburg. 

Lately Jessica has been taking singing lessons with Xenia Meijer, Harry Ruijl, Miranda van Kralingen, Sasja Hunnego and Wilma Bierens. Moreover, Jessica has had the opportunity to work with directors and actors such as Marc Krone, Brigitte Odett, Alexandra van Marken, Vincent van den Elshout, Jeroen Lopes Cardoza, Isabel Schröder and Karin Netten. In addition, Jessica has participated in several masterclasses by renowned opera singers, coaches, conductors and directors, such as Miranda van Kralingen, Frank van Laecke, Ed Spanjaard, Axel Mendrok, Daniël van Klaveren and Wiebke Göetjes.  

In 2020 she participated in the Performing Opera Summer School in Amsterdam, and sung at the Cannal Festival and at the Dutch national radio station for classical music. In 2021 she took part in the production La serva Padrona (Pergolesi) during the Opera Buffa Summer School in Dordrecht and became a member of Music theatre Hollands Diep in Dordrecht. 

As a soloist she sang in several operas during the Opera Forward Festival of the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam.  

She sung roles such as Dritte Dame and Dritte Knabe in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart); Dinah in the short opera Trouble in Tahiti (Bernstein); Uberto in La serva Padrona (Pergolesi); Petite Messe Sollennelle (Rossini); Stabat Mater (Pergolesi) and concerts with opera highlights. 

Jessica worked as a freelancer in the choir of Opera Ballet Flanders, and did an internship at the Dutch National Radio Choir. She sang in productions such as Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Verdi); Speak Out (Kate Whitley); Don Carlos (Verdi); Rusalka (Dvorak); Der Schmied von Gent (Schreker) and Choeurs. 

At the moment, Jessica is studying at the International Opera Academy of Ghent, where she prepares for a future career as professional opera singer. 

This season, Estonian mezzo soprano Kadi Jürgens will make her house debut at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Belgium as Concepción, and her role debut as Carmen in Theatre Vanemuine in Estonia. Last summer she was awarded 3rd Prize and a Special Prize for Art Song in the 12th Klaudia Taev Competition for Young Opera Singers. She is also the laureate of the PLMF Music Trust award Young Singer 2018 by Marje and Kuldar Sink.

Kadi’s music studies began at Tallinn Music High School with violin and flute. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in classical singing from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT), continued her vocal studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp (RCA) and has recently graduated from the International Opera Academy (IOA) in Ghent, Belgium.

Kadi has taken part in several masterclasses held by renowned opera singers and coaches from all around the world (Pille Lill, Wilma Vernocchi, Cynthia Makris, Margareta Brandt, Muriel Corradini, Charlotte Margiono, Lucienne Van Deyck, Dietrich Henschel, Hein Boterberg, Maciej Pikulski, and Kristian Attila a. o.). She has been given scholarships from Italy and Estonia to participate in Wilma Vernocchi’s masterclasses in Italy.

At the EAMT, Kadi sang opera roles such as La Maestra Delle Novizie (Suor Angelica by Puccini, in 2016), Mrs Grose (The Turn of the Screw by Britten, in 2016), Dido (Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, in 2016) and Orlando (Orlando by Händel, in 2018). In 2017 she made her debut at the Theatre Vanemuine in Estonia as Andromache in Lill’s Into the Fire and in 2019 at the RCA as Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring. At the IOA she has performed Carmen (La Tragédie de Carmen by Bizet, in 2020), Green 1 (Private View by van Parys, in 2021), Zerlina (Don Giovanni’s Last Supper, after Mozart, in 2021) and Lotte Lenya (LoveMusik by Weill, in 2021).

Kadi has also sung as a soloist with Flanders Symphony Orchestra (2021) and Oulu Symphony Orchestra (2018). Furthermore, she has worked with many conductors including Neeme Järvi, Benjamin Haemhouts, Filip Rathé, Martijn Dendievel, Giorgio Proietti, Michiel Delanghe, Markus Lehtinen, Paul Mägi, Taavi Kull, Ingrid Roose and directors such as Guy Joosten, Stephan Jöris, Hermann Keckeis, Benoît De Leersnyder, Stefaan Degand, Laura Kalle, Taago Tubin.

Korean tenor Kwanhee Park graduated from the Conservatory of Music Giuseppe Verdi in Italy (2018-2021). 

As a student, Kwanhee distinguished himself by the color and passionate phrasing of his voice. In South Korea, he sang Rodolfo (Bohème), Tamino (Magic Flute), Nemorino (Elisir d ’amore) and Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi). 

In Italy he made his debut as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi in an installation in Carrara (2019) on the occasion the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Academy of Fine Arts, with the supervision and vocal tutorship of baritone Sergio Bologna and directed by Marco Gandini. 

Lately, he attended the prestigious Advanced Course for Opera Singers of the Luciano Pavarotti-Freni Municipal Theater Foundation of Modena (2020-2021). At the course, Kwanhee studied with Leone Magiera, Mariella Devia, Barbara Frittoli, Chris Merrit, Luccio Gallo. 

Since October 2021, Kwanhee studies at the International Opera Academy in Ghent, Belgium. 

Mikhail Silantev was born on 15 January 1993 in Kurgan, where he studied at Gymnasium № 27 from 1999 till 2010. From 2010 till 2014, he studied at the vocal department of Kurgan State Music University. He then continued his studies at the vocal department of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory until 2019.
Mikhail obtained first prizes at the International Competition of Russian Romance “White Acacia” (Yoshkar-Ola, 2009), the Regional Open Vocal Competition “Solo” (Tyumen, 2010), the Regional contest of young vocalists (Kurgan, 2012), the third International Vocal Competition. B.T. Shtokolova (St. Petersburg, 2012), the International Forum of Classical Music (Moscow, 2015), the International Forum Musical Performance and Pedagogy (Lonigo, 2016). He won the 47th All-Russian Competition of Vocalists Graduates of Musical High Schools (St. Petersburg 2019).
Further, Mikhail was awarded second prize at the 10th International vocal competition of academic genre (Yekaterinburg, 2011) and the XIX International Competition of Vocalists ‘Bella Voce’ (Moscow, 2013). He obtained diplomas at the II Open Interregional Vocal Competition named after L.V. Myasnikova (Novosibirsk, 2011) and the V International Music Competition. S.V. Rachmaninov (St. Petersburg, 2012).

Born in 1995, Quentin Mourier has been playing the piano since the age of twelve. He first studied at the conservatory of Romans-sur-Isère (France), then joined the piano class of Mikaïl Faerman at the royal conservatory of Brussels. At the same time, he studied orchestra conducting with Daniel Gazon; he graduated in both disciplines in 2017. He followed masterclasses with pianists André Gorog, Anne Queffélec, and conductors Konrad Von Abel, Jörg Birhance, and Jordi Mora. 

Quentin performed as a soloist and accompanist in festivals in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Armenia. Together with Belgian pianist Michel De Bock, he created the concert cycle Les Concertations, performing and accompanying more than thirty piano concertos over a period of two years. He coached several opera productions, including a short version of Faust, Carmen and the premiere of Steels’ Fausto at la Monnaie. As a conductor, Quentin premiered Tsilogiannis’ Verlaine au secret with the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. 

After discovering the world of opera at a young age by singing in the children’s choir of La Monnaie, Sandrine studied vocal technique with Eunice Arias, until her admission at the Conservatorium Maastricht, in the class of Frans Kokkelmans. During her studies, she took part in different opera productions, as L’Enfant in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mistery in The Fairy Queen, and Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera. 

She graduated with a Master degree in Voice and Opera in 2016, and went on to study at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Serbia, to continue her training in the operatic repertoire, under the tuition of Katarina Jovanović. Since then, she has had the opportunity to take part in masterclasses by a.o. Nelly Miricioiu, Claron McFadden, Peter Sellars, Charlotte Margiono, Dietrich Henschel and Martin Wölfel. 

Sandrine made her professional début in 2018 as Amahl, in Menotti’s Amahl and the night Visitors in Valkenburg. That same year, she also sang Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea (in Greece) and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (in the Netherlands). Next to her operatic career, she has regularly been giving concerts with the foundation Muziek Jong voor Oud, both as a singer and a pianist, and has participated in the creation of two world premières during the festival Stemmig Maastricht. 

She recently distinguished herself by winning a First Prize at the Nouveaux Talents de l’Art Lyrique competition (2018), and a Second Prize at the BOT’s National Operette Competition (2019). She regularly appears as soloist in the sacred repertoire too, i.a. Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Vivaldi’s Magnificat, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. 

Since 2019, Sandrine is a member of the International Opera Academy in Ghent, where she follows a post-graduate programme, together with other talented young singers and pianists. At the IOA, Sandrine has taken part in productions such as Private View, LoveMusik and Don Giovanni in Belgium, as well as Die Zauberflöte at the opera of Oviedo, Spain. 

Japanese soprano Sawako Kayaki was born in 1999. Her musical education started with the violin at the age of three. At sixteen, she started vocal studies and this quickly became her principal instrument.

After completing a year at Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan, where she studied under Emiko Suga, Sawako moved to Europe to continue her training. Sawako now studies with Dietrich Henschel and is enrolled at the International Opera Academy (IOA).

In one of the IOA productions, she sang a leading role (Retrochick) in the contemporary opera Private View written by the Belgian composer Annelies Van Parys.

Her operatic repertoire includes the roles of Lakmé in Lakmé (Delibes), Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (R. Strauss), Morgana in Alcina (Händel), Ännchen in Der Freischütz (Werber), Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart) etc.

Recently she won 1st prize at the Internationaler Gesangswettbewerb Basel 2021.

So-Jin Yang graduated from Kyunghee University College of Music in Seoul with a bachelor’s degree in vocal music under baritone Carlo Kang.  

After being selected at an audition at the Korean Army Headquarters, he toured the country for two years as an artist soldier, and participated in the U.S. Virginia International Tattoo (Military Percussion) as a soloist for the Korean national team.  

He won first place at the overall senior audition at Kyunghee University College of Music, and in 2020, he was selected as the 84th Korea Rookie of the Year.  

So-Jin is an experienced choir member and soloist, performing both during and after his studies. He founded the Student Opera, and played the role of Belcore in L’elisir d’amore. So-Jin could also be seen in Verdi Request with The National Choir of Korea. Further, he presented his new song Korea Fantasy in a national project performance. 

After graduating from college, he immediately chose to study abroad to develop international knowledge as an opera actor, and is currently taking a specialized course at the International Opera Academy. 

Mezzo-soprano Yoonjung Kim graduated at the Kyunghee University in Seoul, South Korea. She continued her studies for a Master’s degree under Carlo Kang and Akyung Lee (also at Kyunghee University). While at school, Yoonjung performed Flora in La Traviata, Zita in Gianni Schicchi and choir in Cosi fan tutte and Symphony No.9 by Beethoven.  

Yoonjung developed her capabilities by participating in numerous singers’ masterclasses and many  concerts with professor Akyeong Lee. She won 3rd prize at the Hanye music competition.  

To develop as a singer, Yoonjung currently attends the International Opera Academy in Ghent.