Michel Poels, conductor
Michel Poels (born May 10, 1968, Nijmegen) studied singing at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and choral conducting at the Utrecht Conservatory (HKU), where he obtained his Master of Music degree on May 10, 2019. In 1994, Michel won the competition of the Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland in his age category. From 1999 until mid-2013, he was a member of the professional chamber choir Cappella Amsterdam. Currently, he occasionally sings with Vocalconsort Berlin. Michel is a highly sought-after singer in music theater productions and has performed in most major oratorios. He has appeared at internationally renowned festivals such as November Music, Grachtenfestival, and Musicmonat Basel.
Music theater
Together with Petra Ehrismann, he founded Zangstudio Haarlem, an organization that focuses on collaboration between professionals and amateurs in the Zuid-Kennemerland region. Music theater productions they have created include: Kenau the Opera, Cajanus - a gigantic opera, which premiered in Finland in the summer of 2019, and Rossini.nu. In 2022, he collaborated with Russian director Ekaterina Vasileva on the music theater experience Cavalleria Rusticana. In October 2019, he founded Zangstudio Delft for music theater in Delft and the surrounding region. Their first music theater production will premiere in the spring of 2023.
Three choirs
In addition to the two ensembles of Zangstudio Delft - Rock me Amadeus and Lady Amazone - Michel Poels conducts the Chamber Choir of Zangstudio Haarlem, with whom he performed MartÃn Palmeri's Misa a Buenos Aires (Misa Tango) in October 2020.
From 2019 to 2022, Michel was the conductor of the Royal Christian Oratorio Choir Halleluja from Rotterdam, with whom he performed the Johannes Passion in March 2022. Since April 2022, Michel has been the permanent conductor of COV Zaanstreek. In April 2022, he conducted as a guest conductor Messa di Gloria by Puccini with the choir and orchestra of HWSO/HAK Wageningen, and is now their permanent conductor.
