Belgium again wins awards in the Netherlands: opera singer Leander Carlier (23) from Antwerp wins the ARIA competition at NPO 1

For 8 weeks, the television network Omroep Max and the media company MediaLane, together with the Dutch National Opera, will be searching for new opera talent in the Netherlands. They crown Leander Carlier from Belgium as the best new opera singer in the Netherlands. “This is amazing, I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved,” said Carlier.

Faithful viewers could follow the final on Sunday, but he himself knew for much longer that he had won. “The recordings took place in January. It was a very intense and stressful time, but above all fun and unforgettable. I am happy to be able to share this news -share with everyone eventually.”

Carlier wins with the aria, which is a wide vocal solo with orchestral accompaniment, ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen’ from the famous opera ‘Die tote Stadt‘ by the composer Korngold. This is Carlier’s favorite aria, which he says he knows inside and out. “There weren’t many technical errors in my performance. I was happy that it appeared on TV and it just wasn’t good in my head.”

Bekijk: Carlier verse of ‘My Longings, My Dreams’