Biography

 

Ralph Jaarsma has completed succesfully his studies at the Flemish Operastudio in Gent, Belgium. Born in the Netherlands, Ralph studied at the Conservatory of Utrecht. His teacher was Henny Diemer. Ralph graduated as Bachelor and Master.
For the past years, he has worked with some of the finest teachers and performers including Montserrat Caballe, Kiri te Kanawa, Thomas Allen, Sergei Leiferkus, José Cura, Michael Kraus, Ann Murray, Udo Reinemann, Graham Johnson, Helmut Deutsch, Mitsuko Shirai, Sarah Walker, Edith Wiens and Rudolf Jansen. Ralph has been a soloist in different opera productions: as Eddy in Greek in Vilnius, Billy in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny in Amsterdam and Lakshman in the worldpremiere of Ayodhya at the  Bangkok Opera. At the Flemish Operastudio Ralph has performed leading roles in Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Recently Ralph has performed Der Kaiser von Atlantis again, this time in the Hamburgische Staatsoper. Ralph has also performed Il Conte Almaviva in Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro in Munich, Maestro Spinelloccio and Notaro in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Michele in Il Tabarro, both in Bayreuth, Allessio in Bellini's La Sonnambula and different parts in Purcell's Fairy Queen, both in the Netherlands.

He has also been a soloist with different orchestras and choirs including Mozart’s, Fauré’s and Gilles’ Requiem as well as Orff’s Carmina Burana. Ralph has also sung in an innovative recital of Schubert’s Winterreise, staged with an actor and dancer.
Ralph has performed with conductors as Martin Sieghart, Jan-Willem de Vriend, Lev Markiz, Patrick Fournillier, Dmitri Jurowski and worked with directors like Stefan Janski, Ivo van den Hove, Robert Pretzl, Hans Nieuwenhuis, Titus Hollweg, Tatjana Gürbaca. Momentarily Ralph is working at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern (choir with solo), where he has performed a.o. Harraschta in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. Recently Ralph has also given a Liedrecital in the Pfalztheater with songs of Eichendorff (Schumann, Pfitzner and Reimann).

In 2011 Ralph was invited to the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia in Italy with masterclasses of Dame Kiri te Kanawa and Sir Thomas Allen. Momentarily Ralph is coached by baritone Walter Donati.

Press:

  • Mit dieser interpretatorischen und stimmlichen Leistung gehörte der Bariton zu den interessantesten Neuentdeckungen der letzten Zeit: Er überzeugte bei Schumann und Pfitzner durch die Rückzug in die Innerlichkeit. Seine Vortrag wirkte nie maniriert oder forciert, er bleibt selbst bei den dramatischen Aufschwüngen Reimanns auf dem Boden der Solidität. (With this interpretive and vocal performance the baritone was one of the most interesting discoveries of recent times: he convinced in Schumann and Pfitzner by retreating in inwardness. His recital was never artificial or forced, he even stays in the dramatic upswings of Reimann on solid ground), Die Rheinpfalz about the Eichendorff Recital in Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern.
  • Stimmlich machtvoll, großartig im Größenwahn (Vocally powerfull,  tremendous in megalomania), Hamburgermorgenpost about Der Kaiser von Atlantis in Hamburgische Staatsoper.
  • Alle Mitwirkenden verkörpern ihre Rollen auf hohem sängerischen Niveau, insbesondere Ralph Jaarsma (The cast embodied their roles with a high level of singing, particularly Ralph Jaarsma), Opernnetz about Der Kaiser von Atlantis in Hamburgische Staatsoper.
  • Bas Ralph Jaarsma als Alessio won met zijn zang en luchtige toneelhouding de sympathie van de toeschouwer (Bass Ralph Jaarsma as Alessio won the sympathy of the public with his singing and fresh perfomance), Brabants Dagblad about La Sonnambula in ’s-Hertogenbosch.
  • De jonge bariton Ralph Jaarsma heeft een fraaie stem, een prima zangtechniek, souplesse en adembeheersing en gaf een emotionele vertolking van deze cyclus met veel gevoel voor dramatiek (The young baritone Ralph Jaarsma has a beautiful voice, good singingtechnique, limberness and breath control and gave an emotional interpretation of this cycle with a good touch of drama), Brabants Dagblad about Schubert’s Winterreise.