Yala Music Opera Collective

La Calisto Markéta Palová was born in the Czech Republic. Appearing first as a folk singer, she continued studying classical singing at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts and Master of Music in Tilburg, the Netherlands where she studied with Sinan Vural. Markéta is keen on exploring wide possibilities in singing and that is why she was twice a participant of Lorraine Nubar’s masterclasses (the Juilliard School) at Summer Academy Mozarteum in Salzburg. The genre of Art songs grew on her and classes with Dutch soprano Elly Ameling and a Grammy award winner
baritone Wolfgang Holzmair helped her to grasp the art of song singing. In March 2021 she performed as Daughter of Experience in the premiere of the opera Daughters of Dido
written by Elizabete Beāte Rudzinska as part of OFF Talents at Opera Forward Festival from Dutch National Opera. Markéta likes to create her own projects and in June 2022 she performed a long-forbidden opera of Bohuslav Martinů “The Tears of the Knife”, as Dutch premiere.
She is often a soloist in oratorio works ranging from baroque period to contemporary music.
Markéta lives with two beautiful cats – Chicky and Takie, whom she occasionally scares by an archery practice. Her singing adventures are to be seen on her Instagram market_palova.

La Calisto Born in Lisbon, Sofia Pedro graduated cum laude in the Early Music Singing class of Xenia Meijer at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, after completing her bachelor degree in the same institution, in the Classical Singing class of Sasja Hunnego. With diverse experience in Oratorium and Opera, she has extensive experience in solo and ensemble work (Hemony Ensemble, Apollo Ensemble, Musica Temprana, Bando do Surunyo, Capella Sanctae Crucis, Americantiga Ensemble, Ensemble Tramuntana, Super Librum, La Favorita). Sofia is a founding member of the ensemble Seconda Prat!ca. With this group, she has performed in the Festival d’Ambronay and Festival du Sablé (France), Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik (Austria), Sevicq Brezice (Slovenia), Oude Muziek Festival (The Netherlands), Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen, Händel Festspiele Halle, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, Silbermann-Tage and Heinrich Schütz Musikfest (Germany), Stockholm Early Music Festival (Sweden) and in Japan, Latvia and Portugal. The ensemble’s first recording, “Nova Europa”, was released in 2016 by Ambronay Éditions. 

Giove/ Giove in Diana The Dutch bass-baritone Yonathan van den Brink (1988) received his first singing lessons from the late Marjanne Kweksilber. He received his bachelor and master degrees in Economics and Sociology with distinction from the universities of York and University College London, where as part of the university orchestra, he led the viola section. In 2011 he was accepted into the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague where he finished his studies with Sasja Hunnego in 2017. He also had
lessons and master classes with Margreet Honig, Peter Kooij and Michael Chance. He is currently coached by Maurits
Draijer. As a soloist Yonathan can often be found on the opera stage. Among the more recent roles are Colas (Bastien und Bastienne), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Sarastro (Zauberflöte), Dulcamara (Elisir d’amore) and Don Pasquale but he also likes performing oratorios and cantatas and occasionally musical theatre. Next to his work as a singer Yonathan is the director of a small
insurance brokerage and you can find him helping out his fellow Amsterdam citizens with all kind of bureaucratic and
financial questions as a volunteer for his local “Buurtteam”.

Giove/ Giove in Diana Mitchell Sandler, bass, studied at the University of California at Berkeley and the Royal Conservatoire in the Hague. In between he sang with Chanticleer for five years. He performed on average 170 concerts per year with this Grammy-winning men’s ensemble and made many recordings. From 2002 until 2021 Mitchell was a member of the Netherlands Radio Choir. Now that he’s ‘officially retired’, he continues to sing freelance with the Radio Choir, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Capella Amsterdam, the Netherlands Bach Society and the Netherlands Bach Consort. He’s recorded several roles in the operas and oratorios of G.F. Handel. He’s recorded Polifemo in Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, and Lucifero in La Resurrezione. He’s also recorded the four solo cantatas for bass by Handel, on the Ayros label: https://ayros.eu/shop/handel-cantate-02/ . Mitchell is also a composer and arranger. His Madrigals of Mirth and Melancholy have
been performed by the Utrecht choir Trajecti Voces, and he wrote a commission for
‘Medusa’ the women’s choir of Utrecht University.
Each summer he coaches singing at the La Pellegrina music courses in the Netherlands
and Czechia (www.pellegrina.net). He is also a certified taijiquan instructor.

Diana Veronika Akhmetchina has been has been taught classical music from a young age. As a child, Veronika played the violin and sang with the National Choirs for many years.She graduated in classical singing from the HKU Utrecht Conservatory in November 2019 with soprano Selma Harkink. Veronika is currently being coached by Henny Diemer, Margriet van Reisen and Boudewijn Janssen. Veronika has a great passion for theatre. Over the years, Veronika has sung in various productions as a soloist, ensemble and choir singer. Last season (23/24) she sang with Kika Sprangers (Dochter), Nederlandse Reisopera (role of Seraphische Stimme in Das Wunder der Heliane), at the Gaudeamus Festival (STABAT MATER DECONSTRUCTED, Mees Vervuurt) and in the documentary Human Forever (Teun Toebes, Jonathan de Jong). Veronika also made her debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (June 2024) and debuted in the summer of 2024 as Sophie (The Masters Voice, P. Kooreman) and as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni, W.A. Mozart). Highlights in the 2024/2025 season include playing her own show ‘Wat ik laatst las’, performing Effugium in the role of Inès – a contemporary, newly written oratorio by Jan-Peter de Graaff, singing the role of Goll in a newly written opera ‘Lulu’ (world premiere) and her debut in Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Diana Born in Lisbon (Portugal), Sofia Galvão obtained her Bachelor in singing at the Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), and continued studying with Professor João Lourenço. She moved afterwards to Italy and is finishing at the moment her Master in Baroque Singing at the Conservatorio Guido Cantelli in Novara.Sofia Galvão sang in the Opera ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell (Second Woman, Second Witch); on the Opera ‘La Griselda’ by A. Vivaldi (Corrado); on ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ by W. A. Mozart (Marcellina, Barbarina); on ‘La Calisto’ by Cavalli (Linfea); and on the Opera ‘Alcina’ by G. F. Haendel (Morgana). The artist will participate on a production of ‘Acis and Galatea’ by G. F. Haendel (singing the role of Damon); of ‘Alcina’ (Oberto); and of ‘Fastaff’ by Giuseppe Verdi (singing the role of Meg). Her Oratorio repertoire includes ‘Nun komm der Heiden Heiland’ of George Philipp Telemann (Cantata TWV 1:1178); the Cantata ‘Nun komm der Heiden Heiland’ by Johann Sebastian Bach (Cantata BWV 62); the Cantata ‘Schwingt freudig euch empor’ by J. S. Bach (Cantata BWV 36);the Cantata ‘Mein Sohn, warum hast du uns das getan’ by Heinrich Schütz; the role of ‘La Pietà’ in the Oratorio ’La Morte Delusa’ by Giovanni
Battista Bassani; and l’Ancilla 2 on the ‘Matthäus-Passion’ by J. S. Bach.

Giunone Classical guitar, (flamenco) dance and the cabaret academy brought Caroline Erkelens into the world of classical singing. She traveled arund the world to train with various greats, such as Virginia Zeani, Nicola Rossi Lemeni and Cristina Deutekom and Margreet Honig. Caroline obtained her U.M. degree at the Utrecht School of the Arts, and the Performance Degree at the University of Bloomington Indiana (USA). She sang: ‘Anita’ in West Side Story (Bernstein), ‘2nd which’ in Dido & Aeneas (Purcell) directed by Erik Vos at Theater Appel, ‘Lamento d’Arianna’ by Monteverdi, ‘La voix Humaine’ by Poulenc, ‘La Contessa’ in Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart and ‘Micaela’ in “Een Carmen” at the Zuidelijk toneel. She also perfrmed in ‘Ifigeneia in Aulis’ at Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Caroline (co-)created and sang the music theatre performances “Isala, stem van een rivier” and “Clara S”. With the Schreck ensemble, specialised in electro-acoustic music, she sang many programmes, including with sound artist Hans van Koowijk. With ‘De Zingende Harp’ she created/sang: Sneeuwwit Vogeltje, Stippie en Jan, Anders, De Nacht Wacht…
Caroline currently performs in “Kleur! De opera” by Petite Klassiek. She sings with people with dementia or burn outs, to support mental and physical health. She gives individual and group singing sessions.

Giunone Boukje van Gelder graduated from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in 2019 with a Master’s degree in Classical Singing. She took lessons with Sinan Vural, Xenia Meijer, Sasja Hunnego, Catrin Wyn Davies and Maurits Draijer. Boukje regularly performs as a soprano soloist in various oratorios such as the Matthew Passion and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle. In 2022 she also provided the music for director Ramón Gieling’s movie L’ Amour / La Mort, to be seen on NPODoc. For the movie she worked together with sound artist and cellist Wen Chin Fu. Boukje sings and acts in pieces as Handel’s Lascia Ch’io Pianga and Purcell’s When I Am Laid. The pieces were specially rewritten by Wen Chin to fit well with the movie. Together with her sister Renske van Gelder and accordionist Ilse Kok, she forms Trio Vento e Voci. They perform Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in an arrangement for accordion.

Endimione Dutch mezzo-soprano Hanna de Bruin has graduated with a Master of Music Vocal Performance (2023) from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) under the tutelage of Scott Johnson. Currently, she is working with Helen Lawson and Jard van Nes. Hanna’s studies at the RCS were generously supported by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Trust, VSBfonds Beurs, Het Hendrik Muller Fonds, and Het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. In November 2021, she was also awarded the Margit Widlund Stipendium, a bursary managed by Het Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. In 2023, Hanna performed the title role of Orpheus in the Glasgow University Opera Society’s production of Orpheus & Eurydice, and she performed the role of La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Fife Opera in Kirkcaldy, UK. In this year she also became the recipient of the
Wagner Society of Scotland Bayreuth Stipendium, which allowed her to attend the Bayreuther
Festspiele, which culminated in a lecture-recital for the society. Recent solo concert engagements include Mozart’s Krönungsmesse, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Saint Saens’ Oratorio de Noel and St John Pasion and B Minor Mass by J.S. Bach. Hanna works closely with the Glasgow Bach Cantata Project with whom she performed multiple cantatas as a soloist and most recently solo cantata BWV 35.

Endimione Renske van Gelder studied classical singing with Claudia Patacca and Harry van Berne at the ArtEZ conservatory in Zwolle. She created her own solo performances in which theater and classical singing were mixed and was part of Kolla Festival in Luxembourg (2019). She sang regularly at the ‘Nederlandse Bach Academie’ and Stichting UP of Hoite Pruiksma. Renske has a duo with guitarist Martijn Ruiter. In 2022 she participated as alto soloist in the St. Matthew Passion conducted by Miriam Westgeest. In 2024 she performed Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater together with Boukje van Gelder in a concert series that they organized together.

Mercurio Before tenor Leo de Visser attended the Utrecht Conservatory, he had acquired a rich experience not just as a chorister and ensemble singer, but also as a double bassist in various symphonic and string orchestras. After singing lessons with René Veen, Giorgi Shtoyanov, Michiel Meijer and others he studied voice with Dobrinka Yankova, following coachings with Lawrence Zazzo, Ira Siff, Barbara Kozelj, Jos van Veldhoven and Johanette Zomer.

Leo is active in the opera and choir repertoire, having sang at the premiere of the opera ‘Trijn’, composed by Bob Zimmerman for the 900th birthday of the city of Utrecht, and working with Consensus Vocalis and the Bach Choir and Orchestra of the Netherlands, but also works with musical theatre performances like dance opera ‘Ginkgo’, directed by Nicole Beutler.

Mercurio Gregor Hairwassers is not a stranger to Yala Music. In 2023 he was one of the members for the early music ensemble Musica Adriatica, which performed and recorded different 5-voice motets from Croatian composer Tomaso Cecchini. He graduated in 2017 from the Utrecht Conservatory where he received his BA in Classical Singing. His voice lends itself for various musical styles and he is very fond of performing different genres. Gregor is active in the theater world, both on stage as a performer and behind the scenes as a producer, stagemanager or (light) technician. Since 2018, he has been involved as a singer in various musical projects of Consensus Vocalis such as ‘Der Fliegende Holländer’ (with the Dutch Touring Opera) and Chanting Forest (Heimland Festival). He is a member of the vocal ensemble Oculus in Utrecht with whom he peforms regulary. Gregor has been the conductor of the Michaelkoor in Eindhoven since February 2024.

Linfea Soprano Bibi van den Dijck is known for her flexible and clear voice. She can be heard in opera and classical repertoire, as well as in jazz, pop and musical repertoire. At opera company B.O.O.M! Bibi sang the roles of Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte directed by Kenza Koutchoukali and Timothy Nelson. In De Toverfluit, directed by Frank Groothof, she sang Pamina and Dame during the NJO Music Summer. Bibi sang Marie in Die Verkaufte Braut by Smetana, at Opera Noord Holland. In Gianni Schicci Bibi sang the role of La Ciesca. At ensemble Petite Klassiek she sings in opera performances for children. As a choir member Bibi sang in various opera productions at the Nederlandse Reisopera and at Consensus Vocalis. Some highlights as an oratorio soloist include Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Haydn’s Nelson Mass. Bibi gives weekly living room concerts on behalf of Diva Dichtbij, with a repertoire that includes well-known popsongs, chansons, musical songs, light classical repertoire and operetta arias. Bibi studied at the conservatories of Rotterdam and Maastricht. After her studies she followed masterclasses and lessons with Gemma Visser, Ira Siff, Raymond Modesti and Johanette Zomer. She is currently coached by Hanneke de Wit.

Linfea After receiving her BA in music performance at the conservatory of Amsterdam, srilankan born soprano Meneka Senn decided to specialize in early music and (early) baroque opera. During her musical studies she participated in several opera productions at the Dutch National Opera directed by Peter Sellars, Pierre Audi and Willy Decker. 2015-2016 she was part of the Exzellenz Program Barock Vokal in Mainz, Germany, where she followed lessons with Andreas Scholl. Meneka performed with conductors like Philippe Herreweghe, Ton Koopman, Fabio Bonnizoni and Peter Philips throughout Europe and the USA. She was invited to the Carnegie Hall Young Musicians Program to work alongside the Tallis Scholars. Meneka performed main roles in opera’s such as L’incoronazione di Poppea, Euridice, Xerse and La Calisto. In the season 2017-18-19 she was part of the soloist ensemble at the DJKT opera house in Czech Republic where she sang La Musica and Euridice in L’Orfeo (C. Monteverdi). With these roles she made her debut at the Markgräflisches Opernhaus in Bayreuth in 2018. Meneka is co-founder of the opera group B.O.O.M where she sang the roles of Cherubino and Pamina. in 2019 she founded the Yala Music Foundation which organizes music projects in Europe and soon in India as well. In the Netherlands Meneka is a much sought after concert soloist and performs yearly as a Matthew Passion soloist in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Summer 2025 she will sing the role of Agilea (G.F. Händel Teseo) in London. More info www.menekasenn.com