About
Sarah van der Kemp, a native of Berlin, began her musical education in musicology and piano. Even before her diploma she decided to pursue a career as a singer and studied singing at the Berlin HfM with Julia Varady, who continues to accompany her to this day. Furthermore, she particularly influenced the work with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in his master classes. She also received a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association.
During her permanent engagements at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (2005-07) and the Staatstheater Schwerin (2007-2010), she developed a broad Repertoire. They sang, among other roles, such as Judith (Duke Bluebeard's castle), the composer (Ariadne auf Naxos) , Preziosilla (Forza del destino), Rosina (Barbiere di Siviglia), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Sesto (Cesare), Mercédès and Carmen (Carmen), Fox (The cunning little vixen), Rossweisse (Valkyrie), 2.Lady (Zaberflöte), Flora (La Traviata), Infermiera (Suor Angelica), Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi). As a freelance singer she was still committed to both houses.
She is increasingly focusing on dramatic games. For example, she made her debut in concert as Sieglinde (Walküre) and Venus (Tannhäuser) with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in Hong Kong, at the Festspiele-Mecklenburg Vorpommern as Eboli (Don Carlos) and Laura (La Gioconda). In the Cathédrale des Invalides in Paris, she played with the old part in Verdi's Requiem.
Other Engagements led her to the Dresdener Philharmonie (Hänsel and the 9th Symphony by Beethoven), the Staatsoper Berlin( Kunstgewerblerin; Lulu), festival Avignon and the Teatro Comunale di Ferrara (Impromptus by Sasha Walz), Festival de Radio France in Montpellier, Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse, Philharmonie Baden Baden, Südwestdeutsche Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Brandenburg Symphoniker, Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha et al.
She has worked with conductors such as Donald Runnicles, Sebastian Weigle, Yves Abel, Michael Gielen, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Stefano Ranzani, Philippe Augustin, Matthias Foremny and others.
In concert, her particular passion is the Interpretation of orchestral songs. Their Repertoire of both songs by Mahler (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, includes Rückert, and the Knaben wunderhorn songs, the Kindertotenlieder), Wagner (Wesendonck-Lieder), Berlioz (Nuits d'été), de Falla (Siete canciones populares españolas), as well as lesser-known like a selection of Duparc-songs, Alban Berg's concert Aria der Wein or the first recording of the Love Songs from Panufnik (concert house orchestra of Berlin). Together with the conductor Aurélien Bello, the singer develops programs for Orchestra and mezzo-soprano with selected songs. They performed their first concert with works by Liszt and Wagner for the first time in 2017 at the Havelländische Festspiele and received enthusiastic applause.