| Biography | The Slovenian mezzo-soprano, Barbara Kozelj, studied voice and the teaching of music at the Academy for Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia. At 22, she decided to come to the Netherlands to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In particular vocal teacher Sasja Hunnego greatly influenced her further musical growth. She completed her Master of Music and Opera in 2005 and joined the ensemble of the De Nieuwe Opera Academie (DNOA) (where she performed the role of Metella in Offenbachs La Vie Parisienne and of Ruggiero in George Frideric Handels Alcina), followed by the Opera Studio Nederland. She participated in various master-classes (Ann Murray, Graciela Araya, Graham Clark, Mark Tucker and Cynthia Buchan, among others), followed by, in 2011, a series of work sessions with her absolute idol: Anne Sofie von Otter. Currently she is coached by Sasja Hunnego and Ira Siff. |