Helene Bracke is a multifaceted artist working as a creator and singer in the music theatre world. Through her organisation, The Butter Effect, she engages in co-productions with major entities within the Belgian arts scene, including Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Festival van Vlaanderen, Les Festivals de Wallonie, Musica Impulscentrum and Theater de Spiegel.

Her productions are staged both domestically and internationally. For example, Loopneus, a production she created with Theater De Spiegel in 2022, has already been performed 180 times. In 2023, it was performed in Germany, the Czech Republic, France, and the Netherlands. In the spring of 2024, the production toured across Flanders and played at prestigious venues such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Opéra National de Paris. This season, the production has been invited back to both the Opéra National de Paris and the Elbphilharmonie, and will also travel to Vilnius, Lithuania.

In collaboration with Musica Impulscentrum, Helene created @ASTRA, a children’s performance set to music by Wim Henderickx. This show has been performed in Flanders and Luxembourg and was selected to play at the RomaEuropa Festival in 2024.

In 2019, she released the album Once in a Weill with the chamber orchestra Casco Phil, conducted by Benjamin Haemhouts – a full album dedicated to the music of Kurt Weill.
In 2017, she and her prog-rock band The Advent of March (formerly Al di Miseria) released the album Maxwell’s Delusion – a prog-rock opera.

Currently, Helene expresses her love for crossover music in MONTER. MONTER is a duo (of three) that experiments with sounds from yesterday and techniques from tomorrow.

Helene performed in productions in collaboration with the York Trust Opera (UK), INART (SRB), Opera Vlaanderen, Festival van Vlaanderen, Zomeropera Alden Biesen, I Solisti del Vento, Casco Phil Orchestra, Spectra Ensemble, CloseOpera, NTGent, Theater de Spiegel, and Musica.

Helene graduated with a Master’s degree in Classical Music from the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. After her studies, she specialized in opera through a two-year training course at the International Opera Academy. She studied with Annemie Moens, Gidon Saks, Marcos Pujol, Jard van Nes (NL), Robert Alderson (UK), and Catrin Wyn-Davis, and took masterclasses with René Jacobs, Natalie Dessay, Michael Spyres, Charlotte Margiono, among others.

Wout Vloeberghs (2003) is a fashion photographer and model based in Antwerp. He studied Audiovisual Techniques: Photography at KdG Campus Sint-Lucas, where his graduation project was published in DeStandaard Weekblad. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s in Film Analysis and Visual Culture at Universiteit Antwerpen, exploring the sociological aspects of imagery.

Wout launched his career with a solo exhibition at Kunstperron in Lier in 2022, and his work has since been featured in various group exhibitions, including Fameus (2023). He has also contributed to fashion publications such as Mirror Mirror Magazine, GLITCH Magazine, and Different Class,…

At present, Wout is included in BREEDBEELD’s Opus One selection for his project “FACE OFF,” which examines intimacy within the hypermasculine boxing world. This project is set to be exhibited alongside a publication in March 2025.

Since 2021, he has been active in theater photography and is excited to serve as this year’s in-house photographer for IOA. He looks forward to connecting with you soon!

Hein Boterberg is Head of Music and repertoire coach at the IOA and works as a visiting vocal coach at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK). He is also an acclaimed accompanist for song recitals.

He studied at the Conservatoire in his birth city of Ghent. At the Royal Scottish Academy and the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama he specialised in singing accompaniment. He was also holder of the Geoffrey Parsons Junior fellowship at the Royal College of Music.

In de Munt | la Monnaie in Brussels, he assisted Antonio Pappano and Renato Balsadonna and worked in productions with singers such as Susan Graham, José van Dam, Jonas Kaufmann and Joseph Calleja. He has also played for conductors such as Kazushi Ono and Alessandro de Marchi. In addition to this, he has worked with singers for the Filharmonie, the Flemish Radio Choir, the Flemish Opera, Covent Garden, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and the Collegium Vocale, Ghent.

In song recitals he has played in Europe, Asia and Australia in venues such as the Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and many more, for singers such as Sophie Karthäuser, Christian Immler, Malin Christensson, and Jonathan Lemalu. In 2006 he started the recital series Vocal Journey, for which he devised and played concerts with young singers from all over the world.

He was coach and pianist for singing courses in the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Portugal and France. He was official accompanist for vocal masterclasses by Sir Thomas Allen, Robin Bowman, Emma Kirkby, Ann Murray, Loh Siew-Tuan, Graham Johnson and Dame Margaret Price.

Muriel Corradini completed her vocal and musical studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the New England Conservatory of Boston (USA), where she graduated with a Master in vocal performance in 1989.

Since 1992, she has been much in demand as a language and vocal coach for the French and Italian repertoire. She has worked for l’Opéra National de Paris, the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden, the Amsterdam and Brussels Opera Houses, as well as the festivals of Glyndebourne and Salzburg.

For the last 25 years, Muriel has been a guest coach in many opera studios, like L’Académie de l’Opéra de Paris, the Young Artist Program of the Royal Opera House in London, the International Opera Academy in Ghent, the Amsterdam Conservatorium, the Young Singers Project of the Salzburg Festival, the Hochschule in Freiburg and the Irish Opera studio in Dublin.

At the same time, Muriel has kept studying vocal technique with Michelle Wegwart. Over the last 10 years, she has developed her activity as a voice teacher in a private studio in Paris.

Dutch conductor and pianist Enrico Delamboye (1977) was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. He studied piano with Joop Celis and orchestral conducting with Jan Stulen at the Conservatorium Maastricht (Netherlands).

Enrico Delamboye made his debut as an opera conductor in May, 1999 during the Internationale Maifestspiele at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden with Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.

Between 2000 and 2009 he was engaged as Conductor (1. und 2. Kapellmeister) at the Wiesbaden State Theater, Mainz State Theater, Wuppertal Opera and the Cologne Opera. From 2007-2014 he was professor for orchestral conducting at the Conservatorium Maastricht. From 2009-2019 he has been Chief Conductor of Theater Koblenz. Since 2018 he is First Guest Conductor of the WDR Funkhausorchester (Radio Orchestra Cologne).

Enrico Delamboye was invited as a guest conductor to the Komische Oper/Berlin, Theater Basel, Theater Bonn, Teatro Sao Carlos/Lisbon, Volksoper Wien and the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. He conducted symphonic concerts with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Beethovenhalle-Orchester Bonn, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Südwestfälische Philharmonie, Württembergische Philharmonie (Germany), Sinfonieorchester Basel (Switzerland) Filharmonija Artur Rubinstein Lodz (Poland), Zagrebacka Fiharmonija (Croatia), Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (Thailand), Orchestre National de Montpellier LanguedocRoussillon (France) and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Phion and Philharmonie Zuidnederland (Netherlands).

His diverse repertoire includes Baroque (Monteverdi), the classic period (Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann) via the romantic core-repertoire (Bellini, Berg, Donizetti, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Verdi) up to contemporary pieces (Simons, Trojahn, Berio, Adams) in symphonic and operatic style.

Sára Gutvill is an Amsterdam-based singer and language coach (German, Hungarian, and Yiddish) for singers. Hungarian by birth, Sára studied German Literature and Linguistics in Vienna, and later classical singing at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Pierre Mak.

Sára works as a lecturer at Amsterdam University College, teaching the course Music and Text, and teaches German for Singers at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and German Language Coaching at the International Opera Academy in Ghent. She also works as a German and Hungarian language coach a.o. at the Nationale Reisopera and the Groot Omroepkoor.

A grant from the Conservatory of Amsterdam for 2024–2025 allows Sára to conduct research into the education of languages at Dutch conservatories.

As a singer, Sára specializes in German Lied and Yiddish art song. Her album “Akh, nit gut!” was published in 2023.

Dr. Elien Hanselaer is an actor, theatre maker and acting tutor in the United Kingdom and Belgium. Having completed her studies at KASK in Belgium and East 15 Acting School in the UK, Hanselaer performed with renowned international companies, including Dash Arts, Odin Teatret, and KVS.

In 2018, she received the esteemed Northern Bridge award, providing funding for her practice-based research on co-performer connection. Hanselaer’s research delves into the intricate dynamics of performers’ connections, exploring avenues for improved connectivity and investigating the transformative potential of a creative ideology that places co-performer connection at the core of the artistic process. Her research also translates to her work as an acting and spatial awareness tutor at Conservatorium Antwerpen and the International Opera Academy.

Currently, Hanselaer spearheads Korte Keten, an ambitious four-year arts project in Belgium that centers on nurturing cultural connections, encouraging artistic collaboration and forging meaningful relationships between artists and communities. For this project, she will direct two participatory productions this season. In addition, she will also be performing with DESCHONECOMPAGNIE in a Falstaff production.

Rachel Harland studied music as an undergraduate at Manchester University. As a postgraduate she trained in Musical Theatre at Central School of Speech & Drama and in Opera at Flanders Opera Studio. She also has an LRSM in vocal teaching.

As a singer she has performed in Belgium, U.K, U.S. and Canada for opera companies including Opera Holland Park, Carl Rosa Opera, Royal Opera La Monnaie and The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company.

An experienced solo recital singer in French and English song repertoire, Rachel has given recitals across Belgium and the U.K. and for Theatrical Adventures cruises on the Douro, Rhine, Danube and Nile.

As a teacher, she has led music workshops and coached for Aldeburgh Music, Music in Prisons, Manchester International Festival, Daniel Adamson Preservation Society, Agalin Music Camp in Thailand and Royal Conservatoire of Music in Antwerp.

Rachel is creative director of RHOK Show, directing singing groups, workshops and youth opera boot camps. In addition to teaching at the IOA, she is currently a singing teacher at Liverpool University, and director of youth productions at The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.

Born in Spain and trained in singing and piano, Mireia Pintó studied in Spain and later completed her vocal studies in France and Italy. She was rewarded with the most important prizes in several singing competitions in Spain and in Italy. Her wide repertoire, ranging from baroque to contemporary music, includes the genres opera, oratorio and Lied. She has taken part in several opera performances, music festivals and concert cycles in Italy, Russia, Holland, Germany, Greece, France, Andorra, Monaco, Japan, Czech Republic, Colombia and Spain. She has worked with conductors such as L. Maazel, G. Dudamel, P. Maag, R. Bonynge, H. Rilling, P. Goodwin, E. Ericson, A. Zedda, J.C. Malgoire, O. Dantone, M. Armiliato, R. Frizza, M. Benini and many others.

Since 1992 she performs as a duo with pianist Vladislav Bronevetzky, carrying out a substantial performing activity which has brought them to several countries.

Mireia is Professor of Singing at the ESMuC (High Music School of Catalonia-Spain), Vocal Advisor at the IOA in Ghent and in many masterclasses in several countries (Japan, Colombia, Portugal, Denmark…). She is the founder and artistic director of the International Music Festival in St. Fruitós de Bages-Spain, which has already celebrated 30 editions. She has been awarded by different Spanish cultural institutions for her contribution to music and culture.

Born in Manchester, England, Darren Ross studied at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. In 1988 he moved to France to dance in many creations with the ‘Compagnie de Brigitte Farges’. From 1992 he dances with the ‘Compagnie Larsen’, directed by Stéphanie Aubin, on different contemporary dance pieces and opera (Armide by Luly, Orphée et Eurydice by Glück).
In 1998 he choreographed his first opera La Traviata (Nancy, Rennes, Montpellier). This started a long collaboration as movement director and choreographer with director Jean-Claude Berutti. Together they worked on La Bague Magique by Giovanna Marini (Opéra de Nancy, Théâtre du Peuple Bussang), Faust (Lyon), Rusalka (Lyon, Tel Aviv, Bilbao), La Bohème, Wiener Blut and Othello (Nancy), Le Roi Candaule (Nancy and Liège) and Tannhaüser (Bordeaux).

He also collaborated with Jean-Claude Berutti for theatre: L’île des Esclaves — Marivaux (Brussels); Le Mariage de Figaro — Beaumarchais (Liège); Beaucoup de bruit pour rien — Shakespeare, La Cantatrice Chauve — Ionesco, L’Envolée -Granouillet, Family Art — Sales (Saint-Etienne); A tu et à toi, a ‘tour de chant’ with Yvette Théraulaz (Saint-Etienne, Genève, Lausanne)…

Together with director Caroline Petrick he worked on Weisse Rose — Zimmermann (La Monnaie Brussels) and The Golden Vanity, opera for children, by Benjamin Britten (La Monnaie Brussels, Royal Opera Stockholm).

With theatre company NUNC and Benjamin Van Torhout, he worked on Raisonnez (Ghent, Antwerp) and Het geslacht Borgia (Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, Bruges). Together with Axel De Booseré and the Compagnie Arsenic, he worked on Le Dragon and Le Géant de Kaillass (Liège, Brussels, Paris). In January 2006, he directed Mozart onvoltooid/Mozart inachevé, a co-production of Pantalone, La Monnaie (Brussels) and Dschungel (Vienna).

Darren Ross also teaches movement and dance to singers (at the Chapelle Musicale de la Reine Elisabeth of Brussels, since 2004; Musikhochschule Frankfurt; Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et danse de Paris) and actors (amongst others, students of the Ecole d’Art Dramatique du CDN of Saint-Etienne).

With director Marguerite Borie he worked on Salome by Richard Strauss (Monte-Carlo, Liège, Vienna) and Reigen by Philippe Boesmans (Paris, CNSMDP). He also signed the choreography for Requiem for the Gods, a creation by Joachim Brackx with Nabla Muziektheater, co-produced by Concertgebouw Bruges. With Ivan Fisher, he collaborated on Le Nozze di Figaro — Mozart (Budapest, New York and Berlin).

Martin Wölfel was born in Potsdam, where he also grew up, received his first musical training and had his first experiences on stage and in front of the camera.

After his initial desire to become an actor (he had an admission to the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch Berlin for 1990), he was drawn to music after all and began studying singing in Dresden in 1990, finishing under Margret Trappe-Wiel.

After unsuccessful attempts at tenor singing, he found his destiny as a countertenor in 1993. Since then his career has taken him to the State Operas of Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Opéra National de Paris, the Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, the Korean National Opera Seoul, the Welsh National Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Norske Opera Oslo, the Theater Basel and the Oper Frankfurt, to which he has been a guest since 2006.

As a concert singer, he has toured with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, among others, and has performed in Tokyo, Osaka, Toulouse, Cairo, Athens, Barcelona, Valencia and Amsterdam.

Numerous radio, television and CD recordings document his work.

Since 2007 he has taught at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, where he was appointed to a professorship in 2017, and shares his experience in workshops and masterclasses (Kronenburg Classes, Conservatoire de Lille, Conservatorio Superior de Música da Coruña, International Opera Studio Frankfurt).

In 2020 and 2021 he was a lecturer at the “Gesangspädagogisches Zertifikat” (GPZ) of the Bundesverband Deutscher Gesangspädagogen (BDG).

Since 2020 he has been Vocal Adviser at the International Opera Academy Ghent.

Maëlle Dequiedt is a stage director. She studied cello, literature and performing arts before joining the department stage director of the Théâtre National de Strasbourg in 2013. In 2016, she was director in residence at the Académie de l’Opéra National de Paris.

Her work is at the crossroads of theatre, performance, music, and video. In 2017, she created the company La Phenomena, based in the north of France. The company was in residence at the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale (2017-2020), was supported by the Pôle européen de Création du Phénix de Valenciennes-Amiens since 2020, and has been associated with the Scène Nationale d’Orléans since 2023.

In theatre, she has directed Penthésilée by Kleist, Trust by Falk Richter, I Wish I Was (collective writing), La Stratégie du choc based on Naomi Klein andTrigger Warning by Marcos Caramés-Blanco.

In opera, she created Shakespeare, fragments nocturnes (Académie de l’Opéra de Paris) and Les Noces, variations (Opéra de Lille). In 2023, she created Stabat Mater, based on the work by Domenico Scarlatti, with conductor Simon-Pierre Bestion and the La Tempête company (Bouffes du Nord, Opéra de Lille, Opéra de Rouen, Quartz de Brest, Manège de Maubeuge, Théâtre de Caen, Cité Bleue de Genève, Théâtre de Charleroi, etc.). In 2022, she was associated with the Performing Utopia programme at King’s College London, for which she co-directed a series of filmed performances, I’m off to work I have posted on the fridge all the instructions on how to make a revolution.

Alongside her creations, she leads a number of transmission workshops, notably for the IOA (Gent) and students at ENSATT (Lyon).

In 2024-2025, she will create Salon Strozzi at the Hessisches Staatsteater in Wiesbaden, Faire le mur at the Comédie de Colmar and L’Enfant et les sortilèges (an empty house) at the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

Stefaan Degand (°1978) studied drama at the Studio Herman Teirlinck in Antwerp. He also studied classical singing for a year at the Conservatory in Ghent. Degand has built a versatile career in theater, film, and television.

He has worked with numerous renowned theatres and companies, including Toneelhuis, KVS, LOD, Transparant, Walpurgis, Dogtroep, Abattoir Fermé, Theatercompagnie, Theater Zuidpool, Artemis, Theater Antigone, Mexicaanse Hond, Orkater, Het Gevolg, Het Banket, De Schone Compagnie, Compagnie Marius, Oxalys, Le Concert Spirituel, De Koe, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Het Paleis, Vlaams Symfonisch Orkest, De Roovers, and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

In 2023, he conducted Brahms’ Fourth Symphony. He is also the author of the bestseller Dag liefje, met Mila gaat het goed en ik klungel lekker verder.