Isabelle Kabatu

Born in Montignies-sur-Sambre, Kabatu studied voice and at the Royal Conservatories of Belgium in Mons, Brussels and Ghent. She improved her skills with Jessye Norman.Les Inrockuptibles, issues 85–92, Editions Indépendantes, 1996, {{p.|70}}Belgian Opera Houses and Singers, Richard T. Soper, Reprint Co., 1999, {{p.|225}}.Le rêve d'Élisabeth : cinquante ans de Concours Reine Élisabeth by Thierry Bouckaert, Editions Complexe, 2001, {{p.|210}}.

She was a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in May 1992. Kabatu was ranked 12th out of 12 finalists,{{Cite web |url=http://www.concours-reine-elisabeth.be/fr/i/294-Isabelle_KABATU.html |title=Lauréats/Jury – Isabelle Kabatu 12th prize, Chant 1992 |website=www.concours-reine-elisabeth.be |access-date=11 October 2019 |archive-date=22 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722083005/http://www.concours-reine-elisabeth.be/fr/i/294-Isabelle_KABATU.html |url-status=dead }} and two years later, in 1994, she won first prize in the Viotti Competition. That same year, she made her operatic debut in the title role of Verdi's La traviata in Lisbon.

Kabatu furthered her studies at the Conservatory of Nice with {{Ill|Jean-Pierre Blivet|fr}} in 1995. In 1996, she appeared in a production of the Houston Grand Opera as Bess in a production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess that toured to La Scala in Milan, the Opéra Bastille in Paris, and the Bunkamura of Tokyo.

At the Glimmerglass Festival in New York, she had a great success in the title role of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Her roles also include Verdi's Aida, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera and Leonora in La forza del destino, Puccini's Tosca and Manon Lescaut, and Dolly in Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Sly, alongside José Carreras in the title role, in a production that was recorded.

In 1999, she married the director and painter Stefano Giuliani in Ixelles and in 2000 founded with him a lyrical workshop, "Da Tempesta Company", to help young artists musicians, singers, scenographers, decorators and visual artists.{{Cite news|url=http://archives.lesoir.be/-titre-l-8217-habitat-c-8217-est-quelque-chose-d-8217-e_t-20100518-00WZNR.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215810/http://archives.lesoir.be/-titre-l-8217-habitat-c-8217-est-quelque-chose-d-8217-e_t-20100518-00WZNR.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 March 2016|title=Interview|date=22 May 2010|newspaper=Le Soir|location=Brussels}} Since its creation, this workshop has produced about ten operas, often with orchestra.{{Cite news|url=http://archives.lesoir.be/opera-le-baroque-montois-mer-trop-houleuse-pour-monteve_t-20000916-Z0JP2X.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701112750/http://archives.lesoir.be/opera-le-baroque-montois-mer-trop-houleuse-pour-monteve_t-20000916-Z0JP2X.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2012|title=Opéra – Le baroque montois Mer trop houleuse pour Monteverdi|language=fr|author=Michel Friche|date=16 September 2000|newspaper=Le Soir|location=Brussels}}

Kabatu won the {{ill|Prix des arts de la scène (Hainaut)|fr|lt=Prix des arts de la scène}} in Hainaut Province, Belgium, in 2003.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hainaut.be/magazine/archives/Dialogue54/dupont.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909164627/http://www.hainaut.be/magazine/archives/Dialogue54/dupont.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2012 |title=Les Prix du Hainaut 2003 sont décernés |website=www.hainaut.be }} She sang Aida in Rome in 2005 and there met the tenor Placido Domingo, with whom she often collaborated.

In 2008 she sang Chimène in the new production of Massenet's Le Cid at the Opernhaus Zürich alongside José Cura, supervised by Michel Plasson and Nicolas Joel, and in 2009 she performed the role of Madame Lidoine in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse.A performance broadcast on France Musique as part of Le concert du soir, Thursday 21 January 2010.{{better source needed|date=December 2023}} In September 2012, she played the role of Léonor in the world premiere of Franck's Stradella at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège.{{Cite web|url=http://www.moustique.be/mosquito/152168/opera-stradella-bulles-miroirs-rideaux-de-pluie|title=Opéra: Stradella – bulle, miroirs, rideau de pluie|language=fr|access-date=11 October 2019|archive-date=22 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122204809/http://www.moustique.be/mosquito/152168/opera-stradella-bulles-miroirs-rideaux-de-pluie|url-status=dead}}

• Dolly in E. Wolf-Ferrari's Sly ovvero La leggenda del dormiente risvegliato, Munich, Koch International, 2001 (2 CDs, recorded in 2000), alongside José Carreras[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/June01/Sly.htm Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876–1948) / Sly], musicweb-international.com June 2001
• Aida, in Verdi's opera, conductor {{ill|Fabio Mastrangelo|it}}
• Léonor in César Franck's Stradella, conductor {{ill|Paolo Arrivabeni|de}}, direction Jaco Van Dormael, DVD label: Dynamic[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/May14/Franck_Stradella_37692.htm "César Franck / Stradella], musicweb-international.com
• Carmen in Bizet's Carmen, Festival of AvencheCarmen (1996 recording) {{OCLC|716533217}}

• Venus in Wagner's Tannhäuser conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Zürich, 2004 (2 DVDs EMI, 180 minutes){{Cite web |url=http://www.jkaufmann.info/cdKritik_fr/tannh_01.htm |title=Wagner: Tannhäuser, Zürich |website=www.jkaufmann.info}}
• Bess in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Munich, Sony Music Entertainment, 2009 (3 CDs and a leaflet, recorded in Graz, Helmut-List-Halle, Austria), conducted by Nikolaus HarnoncourtPorgy and Bess 2009 recording {{BNF|42088443q}}Clements, Andrew, [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/19/porgy-bess-nikolaus-harnoncourt-review "Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: Lemalu/Kabatu/Nwobilo/Forest/Arnold Schoenberg Choir/Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Harnoncourt"], The Guardian, 19 November 2009.

{{reflist

| refs =

{{cite book

| last1 = Kutsch

| first1 = K.-J.

| author1-link = Karl-Josef Kutsch

| last2 = Riemens

| first2 = Leo

| author2-link = Leo Riemens

| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dsfq_5dFeL0C&pg=PA2297

| chapter = Kabatu, Isabella

| title = Großes Sängerlexikon

| publisher = Walter de Gruyter

| edition = 4th

| language = de

| year = 2004

| page = 2297

| isbn = 978-3-59-844088-5

}}

}}

• {{discogs artist}}
• {{official|https://www.isabellekabatu.com/}}
• [https://www.lesarchivesduspectacle.net/?IDX_Personne=72631 "Isabelle Kabatu"], lesarchivesduspectacle.net

{{Portal bar|Biography|Opera|Belgium}}

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Category:Musicians from Charleroi

Category:Belgian operatic sopranos

Category:21st-century Belgian women opera singers

Category:Royal Conservatory of Brussels alumni

Category:Date of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:1970 births