Die Dreigroschenoper – Biographies
Maarten Heijmans
Macheath
Actor-singer
Maarten Heijmans graduated from the Amsterdam Theatre and Cabaret Academy in 2007. Shortly afterwards, he collaborated with actor Ian Bok on the production De Huilende Kers (The Crying Cherry), which won the audience award at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival and was performed at the Prague and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
Since then, Maarten has proven himself to be an all-round actor with a career in theatre, television, film, and also as a singer. In theatre, he has appeared with Het Toneel Speelt, De Toneelmakerij and played the role of Anton in Soldaat van Oranje, the lead role in De Gelaarsde Poes and, last summer, the role of the narrator Hermes in the acclaimed musical Hadestown at Theater Carré. In 2014, he shone in the title role of Vaslav and in 2017 won the Arlecchino for his role in Ibsen Huis at the International Theatre Amsterdam, where he was part of the permanent ensemble until last year. He played high-profile roles in Een klein leven, Flight 49 (Arlecchino nomination), De Toverberg, De Wetten and Oer of andere tijden, which can still be seen in the autumn of 2025.
Maarten made his breakthrough on television with his impressive portrayal of Ramses Shaffy in the drama series Ramses (2014), a role that earned him a Golden Calf, the Silver Nipkow Disc, the Prix Europa and the prestigious International Emmy Award for Best Actor. He has also appeared in series such as KLEM, Arcadia s1/s2 and in films such as Wat is dan liefde and Mijn vader is een vliegtuig. Since 2007, he has been a recurring character in the children’s programme Het Klokhuis.
Maarten is also a singer. In 2022, he toured the Netherlands with Maarten Heijmans sings Ramses Shaffy, in which he performed Shaffy songs with his own fresh musical arrangements in sold-out venues such as Paradiso and Tivoli. He released these songs on his album RAMSES. Last year, he created the show Maarten zingt van alles together with the Kamerata Zuid string orchestra, in which he performed Dutch gems by artists such as Theo Nijland and Maarten van Roozendaal in surprising arrangements. This show was selected for the Amsterdam Theatre Festival 2025 and returned once more to the Carré Theatre. In 2026, Maarten will tour with his new show together with Cor Bakker: Ramses enzo.
Maarten Heijmans makes his opera debut with Opera Zuid’s Die Dreigroschenoper.
Michael Wilmering
Macheath
Baritone
Michael Wilmering is a born performer, feels at home on the opera stage and knows how to move his audience as a singer. He often sings as a soloist with orchestras, creates his own performances, recorded Die Winterreise on CD, pushes boundaries with crossover productions, started his own podcast – De gevoeligste snaar – and appears every month as a guest at the Hoge Tafel at Podium Klassiek, where he brings new topics to the fore.
After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honours, Michael continued his development as a member of the opera studio in Stuttgart. His singing career then took off. Michael is a welcome guest at the Dutch National Opera, where he has performed in eighteen productions, including Carmen, Der Freischütz and Die Frau ohne Schatten, and at Opera Zuid, where he has shone in A quiet place, Die Zauberflote and L’Heure espagnole, among others. He is also making a name for himself abroad. This year, he sang at the Ruhrtriennale in We are the Lucky Ones by Ted Huffman, Nina Segal and Philip Venables. This production has been nominated for the Opera Awards. Michael made his debut at La Monnaie Brussels in Ali. He also gave a song recital at this famous Belgian theatre. He also returned to Stuttgart this year, where he sang Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen together with the Stuttgarter Ballett.
Due to his versatility, Michael is often asked to perform in newly written compositions. He has sung in Caliban, Dennis & Katya, Otemba (Holland Festival), Fanny and Alexander, Ali (La Monnaie), The Convent (Opera Vlaanderen), Prisoner of the State (O. Festival) and the aforementioned We are the Lucky Ones (DNO), among others.
Maartje Rammeloo
Polly Peachum
Soprano
Soprano Maartje Rammeloo has performed many opera roles in recent years in opera houses at home and abroad.
She has sung frequently as a soloist at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, the Aalto Theatre in Essen, and at the Gothenburg Opera (Sweden), the Dutch Traveling Opera, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival, among others. She has sung roles such as Marzelline (Fidelio), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Musetta (La Bohème), Cunegonde (Candide), Lucy (The Telephone), Adina (l’Elisir d’Amore) and La Comtesse Adèle (Le Comte Ory).
Maartje is also a much sought-after soloist on the concert stage and has sung with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Cappriccio Stravagante, working with conductors such as Markus Stenz, Skip Sempé, Marc Albrecht, Tomáš Netopil, Anthony Hermus and James Gaffigan.
Maartje has enjoyed success in various national and international competitions. She was a finalist and prize winner at the IVC in Den Bosch, the Hans Gabor Belvedère Competition, the Montserrat Caballé Competition in Zaragoza, and the Wilhelm Stenhammar Competition in Sweden.
Maartje studied at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg and was coached by Jard van Nes, among others. She obtained her master’s degree with honours, specialising in Operetta and Classical Music Theatre. She took masterclasses with Montserrat Caballé, Edith Wiens and Elly Ameling, among others.
In recent seasons, Maartje caused a sensation in the demanding lead role of Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark at Opera Zuid, as Liz Henson in the world premiere of the opera Dogville in Essen, and as 1st Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, the new major production by the Theateralliantie. She also had the opportunity to step into the shoes of Violetta Valéry in two different productions of Verdi’s La Traviata.
This year, together with conductor Enrico Delamboye, she released her first CD entitled Longing to be Loved with repertoire from the Golden Age of Broadway.
Huub Claessens
Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum
Bass-baritone
The Dutch bass-baritone Huub Claessens studied solo voice with Mya Besselink, saxophone with Norbert Nozy, and opera in Maastricht. He graduated cum laude and received several awards, including third prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition for Voice (Brussels) and the European Prize for Art Song. During the 1986 Salzburg Festival, Huub Claessens took part in the world premiere of Penderecki’s Die Schwarze Maske. He later reprised this role at the Vienna State Opera and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Many other world premieres followed in Munich, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Warsaw, Paris and Berlin.
He has performed with the Vienna State Opera, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Dutch National Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Flemish Opera, and in Madrid and Barcelona, among others. Claessens has taken part in numerous national and international radio, television and CD recordings, including Mozart’s operas Don Giovanni, Così fan tutteand Le Nozze di Figaro, C.P.E. Bach’s St Luke Passion, Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, Honegger’s La Danse des Morts and Handel’s Lotario. His career has taken him to major cities throughout Europe and Japan, as well as to Moscow, St Petersburg and New York.
Huub is also an accomplished saxophonist. As a soloist he has appeared in venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Megaron in Athens, the Konserthus in Stockholm, Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In addition, he is increasingly active as a jazz vocalist, having worked with the Metropole Orchestra and performing regularly at Jazzland Vienna.
Lien Haegeman
Celia Peachum
Mezzo-soprano
The Belgian mezzo-soprano/alto began her studies with Luciënne van Dijck at the Antwerp Conservatory and completed her opera training cum laude with Mya Besselink at the Conservatory of Maastricht. She then continued her education for two years at the Chapelle Reine Elisabeth in Brussels. Lien is currently coached by Gemma Visser.
She has performed numerous roles, including the Second Maiden (Elektra), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Cloë (L’arbore di Diana), Carmen (Carmen), Mercedes (Carmen), Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold), Waltraute (Die Walküre), Flora (La Traviata), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Larina (Eugene Onegin), Florence Pike (Albert Herring), Prokne (Tereus), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Jitsuko (Hanjo), Mahjouba (Dunkelrot), Pasqualita (Doctor Atomic), Berhte (Blond Eckbert), and Alto 6 (Le Vin Herbé), among others.
She has sung these roles in opera houses including Mannheim, Weikersheim, Kassel, Erfurt, Schwerin, Opera Zuid, Amsterdam, Bielefeld, Athens, Antwerp, Nantes, Bern, Saarbrücken, Aachen, Palermo, and with Opera Compact, as well as at the Bregenz Festival.
As a concert singer, Lien performs both in the Netherlands and abroad. Her alto repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, featuring works by composers such as Bach, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Verdi, Dvořák, Mahler, Bruckner, and Messiaen. She has appeared in renowned concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, De Doelen in Rotterdam, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Wiener Musikverein. She has had the privilege of working with distinguished conductors including Adam Fischer, Hervé Niquet, Sir William Christie, Pietari Inkinen, Jan-Willem de Vriend, Ed Spanjaard, and Jaap van Zweden.
Marcel van Dieren
Tiger Brown
Baritone
Baritone Marcel van Dieren studied at the Fontys Conservatoire in Tilburg under Frans Fiselier. He was later coached by the American tenor and vocal teacher James McCray, and since 2008 by the renowned alto and opera coach Gemma Visser. Marcel made his operatic debut in 2005 as Mister Astley in Prokofiev’s The Gambler with Opera Zuid. Since then, he has appeared in more than a hundred music theatre productions.
He has performed opera, operetta, and musical roles with prestigious companies and opera houses both in the Netherlands and abroad, including Dutch National Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera, Opera Zuid, Holland Opera, Opera Spanga, and the German theatres of Hagen and Wuppertal. Among his most notable successes on the operatic stage are major roles such as Germont in La Traviata (Verdi), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (Puccini), Marcello in La Bohème (Puccini), Escamillo in Carmen (Bizet), Macbeth in Macbeth (Verdi), Tonio in I Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), and Michele in Il Tabarro (Puccini).
Marcel is also a frequent presence on the concert stage. His repertoire includes all the major Bach oratorios as well as the Requiems by Fauré, Duruflé, and Brahms. He has performed many song cycles in a wide range of languages, including French mélodies such as Ravel’s Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel, and Schumann’s celebrated Dichterliebe. In addition to his extensive performing career, Marcel is also active as a vocal coach.
Nikki Treurniet
Lucy Brown
Soprano
The Dutch soprano Nikki Treurniet has performed in recent years at the most prominent concert halls and opera houses in the Netherlands. For four seasons, she was a member of the ensemble at the Staatsoper Hannover, where she expanded her repertoire with roles such as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Despina (Così fan tutte), Iseut (Le Vin Herbé), and Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites).
In the current season, she appears as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Lucy in Kurt Weill’s Die Dreigroschenoper with Opera Zuid, and as the First Niece in Britten’s Peter Grimes during the ZaterdagMatinee at the Concertgebouw. She also performs Handel’s Messiah with the Residentie Orkest and makes her debut with the Noord Nederlands Orkest in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. In the spring, she returns to the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra for Bach’s St Matthew Passion.
Earlier in her career, Nikki appeared as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel at the Komische Oper Berlin. A frequent soloist at the ZaterdagMatinee, she has sung roles such as Ginevra Scotti in Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten and in Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust.
As a light lyric soprano, Nikki feels at home in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the modern era, with a special love for art song. From this season onwards, she also serves as Professor of Voice at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Lucie van Ree
Die Spelunken-Jenny
Mezzo-soprano
Lucie van Ree is a Dutch mezzo-soprano who captivates audiences with her warm timbre, musical sensitivity, and commanding stage presence. She has appeared in a wide range of opera and music theatre productions, including Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, the Foreign Singer in Postcard from Morocco, and Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte. She has a particular affinity for newly composed works and children’s operas, performing in world premieres such as Het Lijflied and Reinaert de V.
Her recent portrayal of the widow Popova in The Bear received high praise: ‘Van Ree has a large voice, broad and dramatically coloured across all registers, and can handle all the whims of her character both musically and theatrically with ease’ (Place de l’Opera). Trouw described her performance as ‘convincing and full-sounding’, while Theaterkrantcommended her characterisation as ‘superb, delivered with great conviction in all its amorous ambiguities.’
In the 2025/2026 season, Lucie van Ree will appear in several major roles, including Jenny in Die Dreigroschenoper, Louise Leo in La Révolution de Carmen (OPERA2DAY), and the title role in Carmen with Opera Compact. Regarding her performance as Louise Leo (Mercedes), Place de l’Opera wrote: ‘A brilliant performance by a young Dutch mezzo-soprano with a highly personal timbre and an overwhelming stage personality.’
Lucie studied at the Dutch National Opera Academy, graduating in 2022, and has since collaborated with leading conductors and directors.
Kiki Géron
Ein Moritatensänger
Mezzo-soprano
Kikki is a versatile singer and actress who interprets folk music in the broadest sense of the word. In 2025, together with her Brecht Trio and with support from organisations including Music Stages Amsterdam and Opera Zuid, she produced Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe. With this work, she performed at the Kurt Weill Fest (Dessau) and the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ (Amsterdam), among other venues.
In 2022, she created Eternal Road, a song recital about the life of Kurt Weill, in which his own compositions took centre stage. The production, directed and written by Annemiek van Elst, will be presented in concert form from 2026 onwards. In 2021, Kikki appeared in Music Stages’ production of Die sieben Todsünden, performing the role of Anna I at the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, accompanied by musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She also performs in concert with her Brecht Trio.
Based in Cologne, Kikki is part of the local bluegrass scene, which organises workshops and jam sessions for bluegrass enthusiasts from across the country. With the band Bluegrass Cash, she performs the repertoire of June Carter and Johnny Cash on stages throughout Germany and the Netherlands. With The Polly Dartons, she plays bluegrass and folk music by female artists—both by those they admire and their own original songs. In 2024, she released her first song in Limburgish, Heem.
In 2021, she was a member of the Katharsis Kollektiv, with whom she performed the play Gastfrau – Zwischen Heim und Weh, a theatre piece about female guest workers in Germany, later recorded by Schauspiel Köln.
Kikki also works as a singing teacher (and still has a little room left in Mechelen, Limburg, och i han noch e bietje plek), leads the Cologne Cowboy Choir, and gives group workshops focused on singing and interpretation for choirs and individual vocalists. She studied Classical Music Theatre (BA) and Music Theatre Regular (MA) at Fontys Academy of the Arts.
Jacques de Faber
Hakenfingerjakob
Tenor
The Dutch tenor Jacques de Faber studied at the conservatories of Maastricht (with Axel Everaert), Rome (with Anna Maria Ferrante), and Utrecht, where he obtained his master’s degree under Jón Thorsteinsson. He has performed with the Brussels Operette Theater, the Dutch National Touring Opera (De Nederlandse Reisopera), Barokopera Amsterdam, Opera Nijetrijne, and M31 in collaboration with Dutch National Opera.
Most of his operatic roles have been performed with Opera Zuid, including Kuligin in Káťa Kabanová (Janáček), Yamadori in Madama Butterfly (Puccini), Douphol in La Traviata (Verdi), Le Dancaïre in Carmen (Bizet), Dr Blind in Die Fledermaus (Strauss Jr.), Max in Fantasio (Offenbach), Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), and Dormont / Commissario in La scala di seta / Il signor Bruschino (Rossini).
In addition to his work as an opera singer, Jacques has also been teaching physical education at two primary schools in Rotterdam since the Covid pandemic. His students know him as Mr Jacques, and whenever every pupil remembers to bring their PE kit, he rewards them with a live operatic performance.
Pim van Drunen
Filch
Tenor
From an early age, Pim van Drunen has been performing on stage. As a child, he appeared in professional musical productions, including the title role in Ciske de Rat. During his studies at the conservatoire in Tilburg, he discovered his passion for classical repertoire. Under the guidance of vocal coach Harry Ruijl, he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Classical Music Theatre—a classical singing course with a strong emphasis on acting.
With his distinctive high tenor voice, Pim has performed a wide range of operatic roles with companies such as Dutch National Opera, Opera Zuid, Opera Spanga, Orkest de Ereprijs, and Opera Nijetrijne. He also regularly sings in the choirs and ensembles of Dutch National Opera, Opera Vlaanderen, the Dutch National Touring Opera (De Nederlandse Reisopera), and Consensus Vocalis.
As a sought-after soloist, Pim performs an extensive repertoire—from early to contemporary music—in both intimate recitals and large-scale concerts. He became known to a wider audience when he reached the final of the second season of the television programme ARIA (Omroep MAX/NPO 1). In 2025, he appeared on television again, this time as the singing accountant Andreas in Flikken Maastricht.
At Opera Zuid, Pim has appeared as Bolletje/Drolletje in Het Lijflied and Bruschino Figlio in La scala di seta / Il signor Bruschino.
Tim Stoter
Münzmatthias
Tenor
Tim Stoter grew up in Sevenum, where he took his first music and theatre lessons. In 2018, together with two secondary school friends, he produced and directed his own Bennie de Musical, through which he discovered a passion for teaching. This led him to begin studying Music Education at the Conservatorium Maastricht in 2019, from which he graduated in 2024. During his studies, Tim took singing lessons with Yolande Eymael, where he was first introduced to classical singing. Since 2022, he has been studying with renowned vocal coach Gemma Visser.
Tim is a highly sought-after vocal soloist with orchestras and choirs. He has performed with ensembles such as The New Symphonics and the Limburg Youth Symphony Orchestra (Limburgs Jeugd Symfonie Orkest), working as a soloist under conductors including Maurice Luttikhuis and Sander Teepen. His stage credits include professional theatre productions such as De Tent van Bell (2022), Lady in the Dark (Opera Zuid, 2022), Orphée aux Enfers (Opera Zuid, 2023), Het was Zondag in het Zuiden (Toneelgroep Maastricht, 2023 & 2024), Fairy Jungle (Opera Compact, 2024), and Le Villi & Silenzio (Opera Zuid, 2025).
Since 2022, Tim has also been the frontman of the Limburg dialect pop band De Herfshane Band. With their original songs in dialect, the band is set to open Pinkpop 2026. In 2025, he founded another pop group, Fourtune, with which he writes original music described as electronic nederpop with a soft southern accent.
As a music and theatre educator, Tim currently teaches at Theaterschool de Zuiderlingen, Kaleidoscoop Maastricht, and at Buurt Opera Malpertuis, an educational community project by Opera Zuid.
Tabea Tatan
Lucy Brown (understudy)
Soprano
Tabea Tatan studied Classical Music Theatre at Fontys Academy of the Arts in Tilburg. During this time, she performed roles such as Jeanny in Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley, Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and Gabriele in the operetta La vie Parisienne.
After completing her master’s degree, the German soprano and actress returned to Germany, where she appeared in leading roles including Ottilie in the operetta Im weißen Rössl, Eliza in My Fair Lady, and Irene Molloy in Hello Dolly. In 2018, she won the Willem Twee Talent Prize in ’s-Hertogenbosch with her song programme, and in 2020 she was a semi-finalist in the renowned crossover competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition in New York City. Inspired by this experience, Tabea began to focus increasingly on crossover music theatre, deepening her artistic strengths — the combination of classical singing, acting, and dance.
Her passion for classical music also led her to the concert stage, where she has performed as a soloist in various oratorios. During the pandemic, she devoted her time to further developing her artistic skills, particularly in (film) acting.
In 2024, Tabea made her debut both with the Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen in Italy – as Grizette Dodo in Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe – and at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, where, under the direction of Barrie Kosky and Lorenzo Viotti, she performed the role of Ida in the operetta Die Fledermaus. With the role of Lucy Brown, she makes her role debut at Opera Zuid.
Enrico Delamboye
Musical direction
Enrico Delamboye began piano lessons at an early age. He later studied piano with Joop Celis and orchestral conducting with Jan Stulen at the Conservatorium Maastricht. While still a student, he made his operatic debut in 1999 with Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. His career quickly took off, leading to numerous music theatre productions in opera houses such as the Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Mainz, Oper Köln, Volksoper Wien, Komische Oper Berlin, and Theater Basel.
Enrico was principal study teacher in orchestral conducting at the Maastricht Academy of Music and chief conductor of the Theater Koblenz from 2009 to 2019. He has worked with numerous symphony orchestras (including many with broadcasters) and opera companies, especially in the German-speaking region. Today, he is principal guest conductor of the WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne and a lecturer at the International Opera Academy in Ghent.
Servé Hermans
Director
Servé Hermans studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Maastricht and began his career as an actor under director Johan Simons. With ZT Hollandia and NTGent, he performed in more than thirty productions over the course of a decade. In 2015, he became Artistic Director of Toneelgroep Maastricht together with Michel Sluysmans. Hermans has directed over twenty-five productions, including King Lear, Pinkpop, Dagboek van een Herdershond, and Sonja. Under the leadership of Hermans and Sluysmans, the company has grown into a leading force in the Dutch and Flemish theatre world.
In addition to stage and musical productions, Hermans has also directed films, television series, and theatre concerts. He has curated several exhibitions and directed the national celebration of King’s Day 2022.
In November 2023, Hermans stepped down as managing director but continues to work with Toneelgroep Maastricht as a creator. He also focuses on directing and producing various projects within his own production company.
In 2025, under the banner of Toneelgroep Maastricht, Hermans is directing the stage production Sonja. He also directed and produced the successful theatre spectacle Het Geluk van Limburg (Toneelgroep Maastricht, Servé Hermans and Huub Stapel). For the same company, he recently directed De Keizer van Maastricht for the Heiligdomsvaart 2025. Hermans is producing the concert Lucas en Arthur Jussen in Carmina Burana and directed the musical Brel (Albert Verlinde and Bram Verhaak).
With Die Dreigroschenoper, Hermans makes his operatic debut.
Amber Vandenhoeck
Set design
Amber Vandenhoeck is a Belgian set designer based in Antwerp. She studied In Situ Arts and Scenography at the Royal Academy of Antwerp and began her professional career in 2009 through a long-term collaboration with the dance company Peeping Tom, where she developed the scenographic language for productions including A Louer, Vader, Moeder, La Visita and their new work Chroniques (2025).
Her recent opera and theatre work includes Maria Stuarda (Staatsoper Hamburg, 2025), Griselda (Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, 2025), Melancholy of Resistance (David Marton, Staatsoper Berlin 2024) Aus dem Leben (Schauspielhaus Hamburg), BOY (Opera Ballet Vlaanderen), L’elisir d’amore and Goud! (Opera Zuid and De Nationale Opera), La voix humaine / L’heure espagnole (Opera Zuid), and A Tale of Two Cities (Lost Dog Dance), On the Road (Münchner Kammerspiele / David Marton).
She has worked with Kor’sia Dance company since 2020, creating with them Giselle, Mont Ventoux, Kafka (Wiesbaden’24) and Bronia (Ballets de MonteCarlo ’25)
Her work is both graphical and architectural inspired with an emphasis on surreal and hyperrealistic spaces. Her visual language blends realistic elements with a dreamlike, associative imagery rooted in a strong visual and conceptual foundation.
Lobke Houkes
Costume design
Lobke Houkes is a set and costume designer and arts educator. She studied set and costume design at the Academy of Performing Arts in Maastricht, where her graduation work earned her a nomination for the Harry Wich Stipendium. She went on to obtain a degree in Fine Arts and Design in Education from the Institute of Arts Maastricht and later completed a master’s degree in Arts Education at Fontys Academy of the Arts.
In 2020, she collaborated with soprano Nienke Nasserian on the music theatre production Mtoto. In 2022, she designed the set and costumes for the children’s opera Het Lijflied by Lucas Wiegerink, directed by Alma Terrasse — a co-production between Opera Zuid and Dutch National Opera. In 2023, she created the costume designs for A Fairy Queenby Barok Opera Amsterdam and worked as designer on the production Ik ben hier, a collaboration between Zout Speelt and Toneelgroep Maastricht. For Zout Speelt, she is designing the visual concepts for Het Leven Lang Liefhebben and Lust Liefde Leeftijd in 2025. That same year, she will also be responsible for the visual design of Carel by Collectief Ludvik and the costume design for De Keizer van Maastricht, directed by Servé Hermans.
Alongside her work as a theatre designer, Lobke is also active as a theatre maker. In this capacity, she is involved in the Zuidzone project by Het Laagland theatre and has previously contributed as both maker and designer to several productions. In 2021, together with Puck Brouwers, she created her own musical children’s performance Toen de zebra wilde weten waar het einde van de wereld was.
Finally, Lobke also works as an illustrator. In this role, she created the illustrations for the books Toen de zebra een giraf wilde zijn en andersom and Spieren op wielen.
Uri Rapaport
Light design
Uri Rapaport was introduced to the world of theatre through the amateur drama group in which his mother performed. In 1978, he began his professional career at Stadsschouwburg Utrecht and Globe, where he held various technical positions and co-coordinated major renovation projects.
From 1995 onwards, Uri devoted himself entirely to lighting design, initially founding his own company together with Reinier Tweebeeke. At the same time, he joined the artistic team of De Paardenkathedraal Utrecht alongside Dirk Tanghe and Paula Bangels, where he remained until 2008.
To date, Uri has created over 800 lighting designs for theatre productions, spanning drama, dance, mime, cabaret, circus, musicals and opera. He has worked with nearly all major Dutch theatre companies, including Toneelgroep Maastricht, Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Het Nationale Toneel, NNT, Dutch National Opera, Opera2Day, Opéra de Genève and the Festival of Early Music, as well as numerous independent producers and international companies.
Recent productions include Dagboek van een Herdershond, Zondag in het Zuiden, Het Geluk van Limburg, Sonja, Het Pauperparadijs, 14 de musical, Willem 2, La Révolution de Carmen, Bach de Apocalyps, Don Quichot, Legende and Laika. In addition to his theatre work, Uri designs lighting for a wide range of events – from stadium and museum openings to gala evenings and architectural projects.
He also regularly teaches as a guest lecturer at various art academies and even appeared on stage himself in a self-devised performance entitled Licht.
Joep Hupperetz
Dramaturgy
Joep Hupperetz is a dramaturge and theatre professional who obtained his Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from the University of Amsterdam in 2021. During his studies, he gained valuable experience in the world of opera and theatre, working as an assistant director and assistant dramaturge at Opera Zuid. He also served as dramaturge and librettist for the production IDIOSYNCRATIC during the Opera Forward Festival at Dutch National Opera. Between 2017 and 2019, Joep worked for two seasons as a producer at JONG DeLaMar.
Since 2020, Joep has been a resident dramaturge at Opera Zuid, where he has contributed to productions such as Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark (Winner of Opera of the Year 2022, Place de l’Opera), Eternal Road (a Liederabend about Kurt Weill for Théâtres de la Ville Luxembourg) and Christopher Gillett’s adaptation of Der Schauspieldirektor. Last season, he worked as assistant director for Kenza Koutchoukali’s production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (Winner of Opera of the Year 2024, Place de l’Opera) and as dramaturge for Le Villi & Silenzio.
Beyond his work at Opera Zuid, Joep demonstrates his versatility as a dramaturge through various projects, including a new adaptation of Salieri’s Armida for Opera Nijetrijne (2023), and his adaptation of Brecht’s Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe for Het Brecht Trio/IJ Salon/Kurt Weill Fest Dessau. Last summer, Opera Zuid’s production of Der Schauspieldirektor had its international premiere at the Buxton International Festival (UK).
In the 2025/2026 season, Joep will work as dramaturge on the world premiere of Atman! (Leonard Evers/Bart Moeyaert), and as dramaturge and assistant director on Les Enfants Terribles by Philip Glass – both co-productions between Opera Zuid, Dutch National Opera and the Nederlandse Reisopera.
Ludo Costongs
Dramaturgy & translation dialogues
Ludo is the resident dramaturge of Toneelgroep Maastricht. Together with director Servé Hermans, he has created numerous theatre productions, including Sonja, King Lear, La Superba, Emma, Ich bau dir ein Schloss, Eyes Wide Shutand Othello; the feature film (R)Evolutie; and the musicals Het Geluk van Limburg, Het was Zondag in het Zuiden and Dagboek van een Herdershond for Toneelgroep Maastricht, as well as Grease for Albert Verlinde Theater. He also collaborated on the productions Jedermann (stirbt) and (R)Evolution at Stadttheater Ingolstadt (Germany).
As dramaturge, Ludo has also worked closely with directors Inez Derksen, Lennart Monaster and Lotte Lohrengel (Het Laagland), Kiki Jaski (Groenteman & Vrouw), Tarkan Köroğlu (Theater EA) and Hans Trentelman (Het Vervolg / Toneelgroep Maastricht).
Since 2012, Ludo has been a lecturer in dramaturgy at the Toneelacademie Maastricht.
Martin Michel
Choreography & movement
Martin Michel trained at the Australian Ballet School and began his career as a dancer with the Victoria State Opera, the Australian Opera, the Australian Ballet and the Queensland Ballet. This early experience in both opera and ballet laid the foundation for his development into a versatile choreographer and director who moves seamlessly between opera, musical theatre and music theatre.
After relocating to Europe, Martin built a distinguished career, particularly in the Netherlands and Flanders. He has directed and choreographed a wide range of productions, from classical repertoire to contemporary creations. In addition to his many musicals (40-45, Mamma Mia!, Goodbye Norma Jeanne, Merrily We Roll Along, Grease, Hairspray, Fame, Footloose, Dreamgirls, Kinky Boots, The Producers), he has also contributed to operatic productions, including Orfeo ed Euridice at Paleis Soestdijk, where his mastery of movement and staging played a vital role. Martin has also collaborated with Opera Zuid on productions such as La Traviata and Madama Butterfly.
His work has received numerous accolades, including the John Kraaijkamp Musical Award for Best Direction and Choreography (Merrily We Roll Along and Footloose) and multiple Flemish Musical Awards (Fame, Footloose, Ganesha, Lelies). In recent years, he has directed Zondag in het Zuiden, Het Geluk van Limburg, Nureyev, The Rocky Horror Showand Piaf (2023, DeLaMar Theater). In 2024, he directed Saturday Night Fever and Joséphine B. – Een Leven in Revue.
With his unique background in both opera and musical theatre, Martin Michel is a highly sought-after creator who bridges genres with productions where movement, musicality and theatricality are always at the heart.
Pilo Pilkes
Design hair & make-up
After completing his studies in display and decoration at Nimeto in Utrecht and graphic design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, Pilo Pilkes found his way into the theatre world. He began by designing and creating costumes, sets and graphic work. Following training with renowned wigmaker Sjoerd Didden, he expanded his expertise to include wig and make-up design and execution.
In the theatre, Pilo has worked with numerous prominent companies, including De Trust/Theatercompagnie, Tryater, Het Nationale Theater (HNT), Noord Nederlands Toneel (NNT), Het Toneel Speelt, De Appel, the Venlose Revue, the Passiespelen Tegelen, and on major productions such as Anne and De Stormruiter.
He is also active in television, contributing to productions such as Wilhelmina and Ramses, and films including Nachtrit, Simon, and works by Peter Greenaway. As a director, he staged the Baroque music theatre piece I Piccoli Hollandesi, and for his own company, Plamour, he wrote and directed Naaiatelier de Dekmantel and Het Einde der Meiden.
Pilo has also worked on musicals such as Sweeney Todd, De Tweeling and Moeder, ik wil bij de Revue. Along with the creative team of Soldaat van Oranje, he was nominated for the Wijnberg Scenography Prize in 2011.
In addition, he teaches wig-making and hair design at the Mask programme in Amsterdam. Opera is another genre close to his heart – he has previously worked with Opera2Day and Opera Zuid, contributing wig and make-up design for productions such as Un ballo in maschera (2018), Orphée aux Enfers (2023) and Le Villi & Silenzio (2025).
Lochlan Brown
Assistent musical direction & chorus direction
Australian conductor and pianist Lochlan Brown is known for his stylistic versatility and multidisciplinary projects, spanning opera, music theater, cabaret, jazz and television. This season’s highlights include conducting two world premieres: Anansi (Neo Muyanga) at the Dutch National Opera and Hagar (Jan-Peter de Graaff) at the Nederlandse Reisopera. He collaborates regularly with artists beyond the traditional opera world, creating exciting and genre-defying shows such as the Dutch National Opera’s acclaimed Lennox a unique fusion of opera, hip-hop, and spoken word.
As a repetiteur and vocal coach, Lochlan dedicated his training and early career to the bel canto and verismo traditions, studying in Italy and in New York under mentorship of Giovanni Reggioli, Joseph Colaneri, Ubaldo Fabbri and Sesto Quatrini. This led him to take a position at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma for two seasons as maestro collaboratore. Now in demand for his coaching skills in the Italian repertoire, Lochlan has conducted La Traviata and Un ballo in maschera at Alden Biesen Zomeropera, and in 2026 he will return to his hometown of Perth to conduct La Traviata at the West Australian Opera.
Lochlan’s collaborations with Opera Zuid in recent years include award-winning productions such as Bluebeard’s Castle and Lady in the Dark. Passionate about training and development for young artists, he founded the Netherlands Lyric Opera Festival in 2025, featuring a new production of Gianni Schicchi, in addition to bringing dozens of singers in contact with agents, casting directors and other industry representatives to help launch their careers.
Margot van Deursen
Direction assistent
Margot obtained her master’s degree in Educational Sciences at Radboud University in Nijmegen, but found her way to theatre, television and film.
She worked as a production assistant on the web series Zuipkeet (2021) and the feature film (R)Evolutie (2021), both produced by Toneelgroep Maastricht and Pupkin. Since September 2021, she has been working as an artistic assistant at Toneelgroep Maastricht. As an assistant director, she was involved in the spectacular musicals Dagboek van een Herdershond (2022), Het was Zondag in het Zuiden (2023) and Het Geluk van Limburg (2025), as well as the theatre production Sonja (2025).
Roos Rol
Direction assistent
After completing her initial language studies at the University of Toulouse, Roos decided to pursue her love of music and study singing at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. During her vocal training, she discovered her passion for working behind the scenes. At Opera Zuid, she was given the opportunity to do an internship that would prove decisive for the rest of her career. Since 2022, she has been working as an assistant director and performance manager in various opera houses, with directors such as Alma Terrasse, Anna Pool, Benjamin Prins, Milo Rau, Fabrice Murgia, Isabel Schröder, Rafael Villalobos, Maëlle Dequiedt, Johan Simons and Susanne Kennedy.
Theaterkoor Opera Zuid
Chorus
Theatre Choir Opera Zuid is a project choir consisting of a diverse group of singers, ranging from recently graduated talents to experienced choir members who have already participated in several Opera Zuid productions. This core group is among the best opera choir singers in the southern Netherlands and is supplemented by young, talented singing students and young professionals. There is a strong focus on talent development and further development.
In Die Dreigroschenoper, a number of choir members play small roles in Macheath’s gang and as a gang of sex workers.
Philzuid
Orchestra
We create unforgettable moments of joy for everyone.
This is our mission, our driving force, and what we aim to offer you. Philzuid is an orchestra by and for everyone. We are constantly pushing boundaries, seeking new challenges that move people of all ages – in mind, heart, and soul. From our home bases in Eindhoven and Maastricht, we connect with communities throughout North Brabant, Limburg, and Zeeland and far beyond, both nationally and internationally. Under the leadership of intendant Mette Laugs and chief conductor Duncan Ward, we create unforgettable moments of joy for all. We are the symphony orchestra of the South.
Happiness inspires us
Those who attend our concerts and activities enjoy music and experience deeply emotional moments. Our audiences tell us they feel joy and wonder, moments of inner peace or inspiration, delight or comfort, and happiness. That word happiness, in all its richness, is what inspires us.
Happiness has a positive impact on well-being and life satisfaction. Everyone experiences it in their own way. Music has the power to move, to connect, and to evoke positive emotions. We offer these moments of happiness.
We share happiness by connecting
We are connectors in every sense. We engage with social issues and current events, and maintain a vibrant relationship with society in the southern Netherlands. Above all, we are here for the people of North Brabant, Limburg, and Zeeland. In this region – the largest in the Netherlands, home to more than four million people – we are an essential presence at major public events and festivals. We celebrate and commemorate with beloved traditions such as our Christmas and New Year’s concerts, Vastelaovend and Carnival concerts, and the Liberation concert. Equally important are our collaborations with amateur musicians and rising stars from the conservatoires in Maastricht and Tilburg, through our Orchestra Academy. We also connect with the business community and professional networks through inspiring events like Philinspired and a range of tailor-made programmes for different kinds of partnerships.
Innovation is in our DNA: we are makers of joy
One of Philzuid’s core values is innovation. We are a versatile orchestra, constantly evolving. We are renowned for our large-scale symphonic concerts featuring iconic works, performed in concert halls across the southern Netherlands and beyond. We accompany opera productions throughout the country. But we are also creators. We continually push boundaries and develop new concert formats in unexpected locations. We are proud of our educational programmes. Small ensembles made up of our musicians travel to primary schools to give pupils a live experience of classical music.
Each year, in theatres and concert halls, thousands of pupils from primary, secondary, and special education engage with the full symphony orchestra and actively participate in our performances.
We bring joy and love to surprise
That’s what we stand for. With every concert, every performance, every project, we aim to surprise – and offer a moment of happiness. Surprise is our third core value. Everyone who attends a concert experiences emotional moments. Music strengthens us – mentally, physically, and emotionally.
And how wonderful that the first part of our name sounds like feel. It sparks an endless stream of words capturing the joy people experience through our music: Philgood, Philamazing, Philnice, Philwonderful.
