Singing and Elisabeth Holmertz chose each other after an 8-year old Elisabeth saw Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Grand Theatre in her hometown of Gothenburg. Her goal and dream was to become an opera singer, stand on stage in fancy costumes, and sing otherworldly, beautiful music. Her path was a pretty straight one, through music lessons, music high school, musicology studies, a conservatory (Oslo), and a conservatory again (Cologne). Somewhere, the dream of becoming an opera singer waned and was transformed into becoming “just” a singer. This singer found her voice mainly in the improvisational music of the 17th century and the complex music of today. It’s there, in the space between these extremes, she balances. Or better, she jumps between genres, styles, and expressions: singing not only lute songs and baroque opera, but experimental opera, opera for babies, and avant-garde contemporary music.
She has been a soloist with Concerto Copen- hagen, CikSingingandElisabethHolmertzchoseeach other after an 8-year old Elisabeth saw Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the Grand Theatre in her hometown of Gothenburg. Her goal and dream was to become an opera singer, stand on stage in fancy costumes, and sing otherworldly, beautiful music. Her path was a pretty straight one, through music lessons, music high school, musicology studies, a conservatory (Oslo), and a conservatory again (Cologne). Somewhere, the dream of becoming an opera singer waned and was transformed into becoming “just” a singer. This singer found her voice mainly in the improvisational music of the 17th century and the complex music of today. It’s there, in the space between these extremes, she balances. Or better, she jumps between genres, styles, and expressions: singing not only lute songs and baroque opera, but experimental opera, opera for babies, and avant-garde contemporary music.
She has been a soloist with Concerto Copen- hagen, Cikada, and both the Norwegian and Danish Broadcasting Orchestras, however she cherishes most her own projects: en- semble Odd Size, who, among other things, performs a version of Handel’s Messiah for only four musicians; crossing the boundaries between new and old in Vollen United with Kenneth Karlsson; ongoing collaborations with flute and drum artist Poul Høxbro and lutenist Fredrik Bock; and new music and improvisation with harpist Sunniva Rødland and percussionist Sigrun Rogstad Gomnæs. Elisabeth has also sung in Rolf Erik Nyström’s ensemble, Oriental Winds of the Baroque, which explores the origins of European baroque music. We should also mention here her close collaboration with composers such as Henrik Hellstenius, Rebecka Ahvenniemi, Jenny Hettne, Tansy Davies, Julian Skar, Maja Ratkje, and Eivind Buene, among others.
In 2020 she completed a PhD in artistic research at The Norwegian Academy of Music. Here she explored her own varied artistic roles, while striving to expand the boundaries of what is expected from a classically trained soprano by performing all of the roles in Monteverdi’s opera, L’Orfeo.
