Coaching
After a wonderful, 40 year career of singing all possible disciplines including opera, lied and oratorio as well as the great adventure of contemporary music, having found my own voice and discovered all the possibilities it presents, I feel the need to coach classical singers more and more.
Technique
I work in a manner I have developed myself, ultimately extremely rewarding: clearly traditional in the use of the vocal cords, position of the vocal box, treatment of vowels, respiration, vibration and resonance, legato, phrasing and flexibility of the voice, an open throat, passaggio, tongue position, support and breath control.
Repertoire and more
Care in the pronunciation of different languages (Italian, French, German, Russian and English) is fundamental. Together with my pianists Aleg Tryfanenkau, Jeroen Sarphati and Victoria Dmitrieva, I/we work on opera, songs, oratorio and modern music, all the repertoire that is key to becoming a truly all round classical singer.
Multifaceted artist
Mezzo-soprano Marion van den Akker is a multifaceted artist. She gave master classes on the songs of Schumann, Liszt, Strauss Brahms and lectures on the oeuvre of the Canadian composer Claude Vivier and the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina.
Marion van den Akker founded the series ‘Royaal Vocaal’ in 2005 in the Nieuwe Kerk (The Hague).
She is a singing teacher and performer.
Marion van den Akker is programmer of the Chamber music series ‘Klassiekintveen’ at the concert farm “Onder de Linden” where she also produces chamber opera’s and runs a recording studio.
Marion van den Akker was head of the vocal department and vocal teacher at the Prins Claus conservatorium until September 2014. Recently Marion van den Akker has a private vocal school together with her accompanist /pianist Jeroen Sarphati.
Never give up!
Class august 2016 with Jos Groenier director, Jeroen Sarphati and William Shaw piano.
Work, walks, talks and good food!
Class July 2016 with Jos Groenier director and Jeroen Sarphati piano
Class 2015 warming ups in nature
relaxing
stabat ‘maters’
class Groningen 2014
JEROEN SARPHATI
Jeroen Sarphati studied piano with Jan Wijn and Song Accompaniment with Rudolf Jansen at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He took masterclasses with singers like Barbara Bonney and Robert Holl, and with accompanists like Roger Vignoles and Irwin Gage. He won the Concertgebouw Vriendenkrans Competition twice, and performed at several international venues like the Brussels Opera de la Monnaie, the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, and the Grand Opera de Bordeaux. He played at the Festival of Flanders and the Festival of Aix en Provence, and performed at the Concertgebouw with Elly Ameling and Maarten Koningsberger. He’s had a long standing collaboration with Marion van den Akker, in performing as well as in teaching together. Jeroen Sarphati has also directed and translated operas for several Dutch opera companies.
