Biography
Biography English
The Damascus-born Bassem Alkhouri studied singing at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam. He made his operatic debut as Don José in George Bizet’s Carmen. Guest engagements have taken him to various opera houses in the Netherlands and France, as well as to his hometown in Syria. His roles include Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Alfred in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Count Almaviva in Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Rodolfo in Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller, and the Prince in Sergei Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges. After leaving his permanent engagement at the Staatstheater Kassel, he initially pursued a freelance career. Since the 2023/24 season, he has been a permanent ensemble member at Theater Vorpommern.
In addition to his operatic work, Bassem Alkhouri is an internationally sought-after concert singer. Furthermore, he is a master of the Syrian zither, the Qanun, performing both as a soloist in concerts with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra and, since 2003, as a member of the New Ensemble and the Atlas Ensemble in Amsterdam under the direction of Ed Spanjaard. He specializes in contemporary music written specifically for the Qanun.
Biographie Deutsch
Der in Damaskus geborene Tenor Bassem Alkhouri studierte Gesang am Königlichen Konservatorium in Den Haag sowie an der Akademie der Holländischen Nationaloper in Amsterdam. Sein Bühnendebüt als Opernsänger feierte er mit der Partie des Don José in George Bizets Oper „Carmen“. Gastengagements führten ihn an verschiedene Opernhäuser in den Niederlanden und in Frankreich sowie nach Syrien in seine Heimatstadt. Zu seinen Rollen gehören u. a. die Partie des Lensky aus Tschaikowskijs „Evgenij Onegin“, Alfred aus Johann Strauß‘ „Fledermaus“, Graf Almaviva aus Gioachino Rossinis „Barbiere di Siviglia“, Rodolfo aus Giuseppe Verdis „Luisa Miller“ oder der Prinz aus Sergej Prokofjews „Liebe zu den drei Orangen“. Von seinem Festengagement am Staatstheater Kassel wechselte er zunächst in die Freiberuflichkeit. Seit der Spielzeit 2023/24 ist er festes Ensemblemitglied am Theaters Vorpommern.
Neben seiner Operntätigkeit ist Bassem Alkhouri auch ein international gefragter Konzertsänger. Darüber hinaus trat er als Meister der syrischen Zither, des Kanun sowohl solistisch in Konzerten mit dem Nationalen Syrischen Symphonieorchester auf und ist seit 2003 Teil des New Ensembles und des Atlas Ensembles in Amsterdam unter der Leitung von Ed Spanjaard, wo er zeitgenössische Musik spielt, die speziell für das Kanun geschrieben wurde.
Bassem Alkhouri - Timeline
2000 Studies in Syria
2000: Graduated from the Conservatory in Damascus as a specialist in Qanun. Teacher: Almera Achandova.
2006 - 2007 Studies in the Netherlands
2006: Graduated from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague as a solo singer (studied with Manon Heijnen, Barbara Pearson, and Diane Forlano).
2007: Master's degree in Opera Singing from the Dutch Opera Academy in Amsterdam. Key roles:
• Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi" (Puccini) • Snout in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" (Britten) • Basilio in "Le Nozze di Figaro" (Mozart) • Don José in "Carmen" (Bizet, graduation performance).
2002 - 2013 Early Engagements
2002: Solo and ensemble performances with the theater group ZT Hollandia across Europe.
2008/2009: Don José in "Carmen" with Het National Toneel and Stella Den Haag.
2012: Don José in the production by Opera Delft.
2013: Solo tenor with the National Reis Opera for the production *OperaGala*.
2013 - 2021 Engagement at the Staatstheater Kassel
2013–2021: Permanent engagement as a solo tenor in the opera department of the Staatstheater Kassel, Germany.
2023 - Present Engagement at Theater Vorpommern
Since 2023: Permanent engagement as a solo tenor at Theater Vorpommern (Greifswald-Stralsund-Putbus), Germany.
2001 - Present Activities as a Qanun Player
2001: Second prize at the International Music Competition in Algeria.
Since 2003: Performances with the New Ensemble and Atlas Ensemble in Amsterdam under Ed Spanjaard.
2008: CD recording of "On Love I" (Saed Haddad) with Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt.
2009: Performances of "On Love I" at festivals in Salzburg, Riga, and the Royal Festival Hall in London.
2010–2011: Performance with the WDR Philharmonic in Cologne and CD recording of a piece by Fabio Nieder.
Since 2017: Member of the Trickster Orchestra in Berlin.