The Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Royal Conservatoire proudly announce the appointment of Maria Riccarda Wesseling as Head of Dutch National Opera Academy, starting September 1, 2015. Based on her extensive career as an opera and concert singer, Maria has a broad vision of the needs and artistry of a modern singer/performer. 

We are very pleased that Maria, together with our team of teachers, coaches and supporting staff, will further develop the DNOA study programme.  

Being a very versatile artist herself, she appears as a regular guest in leading roles at L'Opéra de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Staatsoper Berlin, La Monnaie Brussels, Oper Frankfurt, Lyon, Helsinki, New York, Genève, Bilbao and Amsterdam just to name a few. 

Performing numerous leading roles in operas ranging from Handel, Gluck, Wagner, Bizet, Berlioz to Henze, Eötvös, Saariaho and Holliger, Maria has worked and also recorded with many distinguished colleagues, stage directors and conductors: Robert Carsen, Placido Domingo, Olivier Py, Mark Minkowski, Riccardo Chailly, Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe Jarousky, Philippe Herreweghe, Laurent Pelly, Pina Bausch, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Achim Freier, David Zinman, Peter Sellars, Johan Simons and others.

As concert and lied singer she performs at major venues in Amsterdam, Moscow, Berlin, Leipzig, Zurich, Barcelona with orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Tonhalle Zürich and many others.