Artistic direction

Reinoud Van Mechelen began singing as a child in the choirs Clari Cantuli and Clari Cantus. In 2007, at the age of twenty, he took part in the Académie Baroque Européenne d’Ambronay under the direction of Hervé Niquet. A few years later, in 2011, he was selected for Le Jardin des Voix of William Christie and Paul Agnew, after which he quickly became a regular soloist with Les Arts Florissants. In 2012, he graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (class of Dina Grossberger), and in 2017 he received the prestigious Caecilia Prize for “Young Musician of the Year”, awarded by the Union of the Belgian Music Press. Van Mechelen is frequently invited as a soloist by leading baroque ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent, Le Concert Spirituel, Le Concert d’Astrée, Les Talens Lyriques, Le Poème Harmonique and B’Rock.

Reinoud Van Mechelen has sung numerous leading roles in prestigious opera houses such as the Opéra de Paris (Mercure, Jason, Castor), Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin (Hippolyte, Jason), Opéra Comique (Hippolyte, Titon), La Monnaie (Tamino), Théâtre des Champs‑Élysées, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (Ferrando, Pylade, Don Ottavio), Opéra de Toulon (Nadir), Opéra de Bordeaux (Dardanus), Opernhaus Zürich (Jason), Opéra de Genève (Castor), and many more. In October 2026, he performs the title role in Salieri’s Tarare at the Opéra Royal de Versailles. In June 2027, he will take on the title role in Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin under the direction of Simon Rattle.

Van Mechelen is also highly active on the concert stage. He has sung the role of Evangelist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Les Arts Florissants under William Christie, Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic under Paul Agnew. In March 2027, he will perform the Evangelist in the St Matthew Passion on a European tour with the Freiburger Barockorchester conducted by Simon Rattle. He will then take on both the Evangelist part and the musical direction in the St John Passion on a European tour with his own ensemble a nocte temporis and the Chœur de Chambre de Namur.

Firmly rooted in the baroque repertoire, Van Mechelen is now developing - both as a soloist and with his ensemble - an increasingly strong presence in the classical and romantic repertoire.