Astrid Defauw is a French-Belgian mezzo-soprano whose warm, velvety timbre moves effortlessly between classical, jazz and contemporary crossover. With a high-level classical education and extensive international performance experience, she continues to interpret the classical canon alongside her crossover projects.
Renowned for her elegant stage presence and distinctive musical signature, she creates bespoke performances for exclusive concerts and prestigious events, delivering immersive and sophisticated musical experiences.
Alongside her performing career, she is a passionate voice coach and an choir director, sharing her expertise and passion for vocal artistry with the next generation of singers.
Musical Journey
Astrid recently took part in the world premiere of Bayerische Staatsoper's The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas, staged by Marina Abramović. In 2023, she debuted as Fricka in Die Walküre in Berlin with the Dramatic Voices Program, having previously performed the role of Grimgerde at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. Earlier, she sang Carmen at the Trentino Music Festival under Christopher Larkin.
Her operatic roles include Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (DeSingel Antwerp), Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel (Trentino Music Festival, Antwerp), Vanina (cover) in L’Ancêtre (Prinzregententheater), Babaricha in Tsar Saltan (Isny Opernfestival), La Badessa in Suor Angelica (Music Academy International, Italy), Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Laboratoire Lyrique Nei Stëmmen, Luxembourg), Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Junge Philharmonie Köln), The Mother in La Forêt Bleue (Royal Opera of Liège), and First Alto in Kris Defoort’s contemporary opera The House of the Sleeping Beauties in Antwerp.
A devoted interpreter of baroque music, Astrid has performed with ensembles such as New Baroque Times and Chapelle des Minimes in Brussels, singing Arnalta in L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Juditha in Juditha Triumphans with the Barock Vokal Ensemble in Mainz, as well as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Junge Philharmonie Köln.
Her oratorio repertoire includes Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elias, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Debussy’s La Damoiselle Élue, and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, performed in major venues such as the Philharmonie Köln, Philharmonie Essen, DeSingel, Ensemble Polyphonique de Versailles, and the Cathedrals of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg and Saint-Michel in Brussels.
Alongside her performing career, Astrid runs a private voice coaching studio in The Hague. She holds multiple degrees in music education and is devoted to guiding her students in the development of their voices with enthusiasm and care.
News: Astrid has recently launched a crossover concert project Confluences, from Opera to Jazz with jazz pianist Guillaume Marcenac.
Tickets reservations for their upcoming performance in The Hague are now open: https://fienta.com/nl/confluences
Education
At the age of six, Astrid began her musical education at the Conservatoire National de Nice in the CHAM program, where she studied harp, choir and music theory with boundless enthusiasm.
She later pursued her opera singing studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where she earned a Master's in Voice, a Master's in Voice Pedagogy, and a Master's in Music Theory Pedagogy.
In 2016, she also graduated with a Master's degree in Stage Performance with Great Distinction from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, where she studied under the tutelage of Wagnerian soprano Stephanie Friede, while also taking lessons with Abbie Furmansky and John Norris in Berlin.
In 2025, Astrid Defauw deepened her performance practice through Global NLP Training in Amsterdam, becoming certified as a Mindset and Personal Leadership Coach, a Social and Emotional Intelligence Coach, and a Mindset and Life Strategy Coach. This work supports both her own artistic preparation and her commitment to helping singers develop confidence, resilience, and stage readiness.