Thanks to her versatility and captivating personality, soprano Elise Caluwaerts has grown into a renowned soloist both in Belgium and abroad. Her love for challenging repertoire – ranging from opera to multidisciplinary projects – led to various creations and remarkable collaborations with internationally renowned composers and ensembles. During the Sydney Festival 2016, she sang the highly acclaimed role of Lei in Pascal Dusapin’s chamber opera Passion :“Belgian soprano Elise Caluwaerts impressed with her supple sense of line and strength, displaying a soaring, pure-toned top register and richly coloured lower register.” (The Australian).

TIMUR, “the extravagantly transgressive tenor” (LA Times), has made solo appearances with LA Philharmonic, Bang on a Can All-Stars, LA Opera, Santa Cecilia Academy, Nouvel Opéra Fribourg, premiering over thirty operatic works by celebrated composers including Thomas Adès, David Lang, Silvano Bussotti, Ellen Reid, Gerald Barry, Louis Andriessen and Peter Eötvös. His band Timur and the Dime Museum, appeared on America’s Got Talent, Prototype Festival and BAM 2015 Next Wave Festival. In 2022, he premiered Black Lodge by Grammy-nominated David T. Little at Opera Philadelphia. In addition, Timur is an award-winning film producer of a Sundance 2019 Grand Jury prize winner “Clemency” (Alfre Woodard) and Richard Stanley’s “Color Out of Space” (Nicholas Cage).

About First Dates
With First Dates, O. links singers from different musical worlds and challenges them to perform together for the first time. They meet each other in an inspiring place and will amaze themselves, but also you as a visitor. And who knows, such a first encounter may lead to more… Exciting for musicians and audience in any case!