CURRICULUM VITAE - ELIZABETH FRANDSEN Back to Home
Stage Name Elizabeth Frandsen
Married Name Elizabeth du Plessis
Nationality South African
Date of Birth 23rd January 1974
Place of Birth Cape Town, South Africa
Email elizabeth@elizabethfrandsen.com
Description Mezzo Soprano Opera Singer
Actress
Voice Artist
Repetiteur
Voice Teacher
Opera Director
Education and Training -
Matriculation Certificate National School of the Arts, Johannesburg
Majoring Piano (Gr.8) & Organ (Gr.6) UNISA 1986 - 1991
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg		 Diploma in Opera (1992 - 1993) including
Vocal training
Dramatic training
History of Opera
Stage technique
Course in Opera -
Opernhaus of Zurich		 Under the tutelage of -
Prof. Kurt Pahlen - History of Opera and Direction
Maestro Nello Santi - Conducting
Erkki Korhonen - Direction
Lodevico Zocche - Singing Technique
Maestro Sartoruis - Languages and Stage Technique
Gabriela Benachkova - Czech language pronunciation and tutelage
Vocal Training - Joyce Barker (1991) WITS University, Gauteng
Emma Renzi (1992 - 2001)
Zurich International Opera Studio (1998 - 2000) -
  • Maestro Sartorius
  • Madame Bartoli (mother of Cecelia Bartoli)
  • Madame Elizabeth Schwartzkopf
  • Signor Vincenzo La Scola
Technical Training - Zurich International Opera Studio (1998 - 2000) - Opera Direction and Conducting
  • Prof. Kurt Pahlen
  • Erkki Korhonen
  • Maestro Nello Santi
Dance and Dramatic Training - Jean Beckley (Ballet)
Maishe Maponye - WITS University (1991 - 1992)
Ulrich Peter - Opernstudio, Zurich Opera House (1998 - 2000)
Languages Spoken -
 
  • English
  • Afrikaans
  • German
Sung -
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Czech
  • Hungarian
  • Swedish
  • Afrikaans
  • Some indigenous South African languages for the South African 'Messiah' by Michael Masote
Performed Roles Opera
  • 2nd Woman - Dido Aeneas - Purcell (English) 1991
  • Lucy - The Telephone - Menotti (English) 1991
  • Pamina - Die Zauberflote - Mozart (German) 1996
    Namibia Opera, Concert Master - Erich Binder
  • Schwarzhilde - Die Rose vom Liebersgarten - Pfitzner (German) 1999
    Opernhaus Zurich, Cond. Franz Welser-Most, David Pountney
  • Madame Cortese - Il Viaggio a Reims - Rossini (Italian)
    Opernhaus Zurich, Cond. Erkki Korhonen, Ulrich Peter
  • Carolina - Il Matrimonio Segreto - Cimarosa (Italian)
    State Theatre, Pretoria, Cond. Maestro C. Dowdeswell, Christine Crouse
  • Mimi - La Boheme - Puccini (Italian) 2000
    Pro-Musica Theatre, SA Cond. Weiss Doubell
  • Violetta - La Traviata - Verdi (Italian) 2001
    Civic Theatre, JHB. Cond. Weiss Doubell, Johan Spies
Oratorio - Solo Role
  • Mezzo-Soprano - Stabat Mater - Rossini (1996)
    JPO, Colin Yorke
  • Mezzo-Soprano - Gloria - Rutter (1996)
    JPO, Colin Yorke
  • Soprano - Ein Deutsches Requiem - Brahms (1997)
    JPO, Colin Yorke
  • Soprano - Mass in G Minor - Vaughn Williams (1997)
    Holy Trinity, Colin Yorke
  • Soprano - Messiah - Handel (1996, 1997)
  • Soprano - Southern African Messiah - Handel, Masote (2000) Michael Masote
  • Soprano - Stabat Mater - Dvorak (1999)
    Kirche Enge, Zurich, Alfred Rottenshweiler
  • Soprano - Mass. Opus 86 - Dvorak (1999)
    Alfred Rottenshweiler
  • Soprano - Mass in F Minor - Ratgeber (1999)
    Alfred Rottenshweiler
  • Alto - Stabat Mater - Pergolesi (2001)
    Ned. Ger. Kerk, Pretoria, Wim Viljoen
  • Soprano - Petite Messe Solenelle - Rossini (2000)
    Wits Great Hall, Colin Yorke
  • Alto - Mass in E Minor - Schubert (2003)
    Cape Town City Hall, CPO
  • Alto - Stabat Mater - Pergolesi (2005)
    St George's Cathedral, Cape Town
  • Alto - Requiem - Mozart (2006)
    Cape Town City Hall, Cape Philharmonic, Philharmonia Choir, Kaare Hanken
  • 2nd Soprano and Contralto - Gloria - Vivaldi (2006)
    Cape Town City Hall, Cape Philharmonic, Philharmonia Choir, Kaare Hanken
Musical Theatre
  • Sally Bowles - Cabaret - WITS (1995) Hageman, Mony
  • Eurydice - Orpheus in the Underworld - Offenbach (1994) Mony
  • Madame Giry - Phantom of the Opera - Really Useful Theatre Group Inc. at Artscape, Cape Town and State Theatre, Pretoria (2004) (209 performances), George Mitchie, Rainer Friede
  • Parthy Anne Hawkes - Showboat - Cape Town Opera, Den Norske Opera & Nurnberg Staatsoper (Other role as ensemble - Landlady) April - September 2005, Gunther Wallner
  • Mrs Fraser - Stepping Out - Pieter Toerien Montecasino Theatre, Johannesburg and The Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town. Director - Paul Warwick-Griffin
  • Jazz Concerts with piano at 'The Mixer', Melville, 'Lucit Candles, Pretoria, 'Villa Pascal', Durbanville, 'Dorp Street Theatre', Stellenbosch
  • Baroque to Broadway - Villa Pascal, Dorp Street Theatre and the Lindbergh Foundation, Muizenberg.
    A selection of Jazz, Opera and Musical numbers with Rika Vermeulen at the piano.
Direction Assistant Director to Mr Hans van Heerden - Ballo in Maschera - Civic Theatre, Johannesburg (2001)
Teaching
  • Voice teacher at Lonehill Crawford College (2001)
  • Senior Choir Mistress at Sweet Valley Primary, Cape Town (2003)
  • Choir Master for the Langa Community Choir, Cape Town (2003)
  • Private teacher and opera coach both in SA and Switzerland to many amateur and professional singers
Awards
  • Grant of R25 000 awarded by the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, 1998
  • Study loan awarded by SAMRO of R30 000 for overseas study, 1998
  • OPSA - Opera South Africa - prize awarded in 1999
Concerts
  • Solos and duets with the International Opera Studio, Zurich in a Performance at the Summer Palace on the Insel Mainau, Konstanz, Germany for Her Excellency, the Countess Sonja of Sweden.
  • Many solo concerts and recitals given in South Africa and abroad with Piano or Orchestral accompaniment, between 1992 - 2002.
Coaches Galina Ryjikova - State Theatre, Pretoria
Hans-Otto Ehrstrom - Opernhaus, Zurich (Sibelius Institute, Helsinki)
Rogelio Raphel Riojas Nalasco - Opernhaus, Zurich (Metropolitan Opera, NYC)
Siro Battaglin - Opernhaus, Zurich (Melbourne Opera, Australia)
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