While growing up in a family of classical musicians, soprano Channa Malkin initially enjoyed other creative outlets such as painting and writing. Music was always present, as she went from playing the flute to songwriting and singing in choir and bands. But when she discovered opera as a teenager, there was no way back: she auditioned for the role of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Dutch National Opera, and made her debut at 16 years old. There, Channa found her true voice and embarked upon a path that has led her to become the artist and performer she is today.
Channa is known for her compelling musical personality and unbridled creativity. She was recently praised by Opera Today for “her pure and smooth voice, but full of feeling.” and by La Opinión de Málaga for “her balance between vocal technique and precise musical phrasing and an unquestionable artistic talent”. She excels in a broad repertoire, from Mozart to Italian baroque opera and Sephardic chamber music.
Channa’s most recent highlights include her title role debut in Händel’s Acis and Galatea with the Joven Orquesta Barroca Andalucía in Málaga, as well as a Vivaldi and Händel aria programme with the same orchestra. She made her recital debut at the Royal Concertgebouw with a semi-staged programme around the various identities of womanhood, inspired by 17th-century Italian composer Barbara Strozzi and Russian 20th-century poet Anna Akhmatova. Part of this recital was recently released as an EP on the digital streaming platforms titled ‘Channa Malkin Live at Concertgebouw’. In the main hall of the Royal Concertgebouw, Channa performed the first soprano in Mozart’s C Minor Mass as well as an opera gala concert. With Ensemble Odyssee she debuted at the Utrecht Early Music Festival in a programme around Anna Magdalena Bach including some of the most beautiful Bach cantatas.
Other performances have brought Channa to Madrid, Göttingen, Istanbul, Ankara, Tata (Hungary), Lomza (Poland) and more, presenting programmes ranging from Zarzuela and Rossini arias with orchestra to Spanish and Sephardic folk songs with guitarist Izhar Elias, to intimate 17th-century songs with theorbist Mike Fentross and baroque ensemble La Sfera Armoniosa.
Channa has demonstrated her unbridled creativity and entrepreneurship with the creation of her own multimedia opera pastiche Handel goes Tinder, together with violinist Anastasia Kozlova and writer/director Michael Diederich. Channa has performed this production 33 times for sold-out venues and festivals in the Netherlands. In 2022, Handel goes Tinder played at the International Handelfestpiele in Göttingen. She creates profound bonds with her audiences by presenting musical programmes combined with personal storytelling. Her song programme This is not a lullaby explores aspects of motherhood and her Jewish-Eastern European cultural heritage through song and poetry. The album was particularly well received by the press, with Opernglas writing “Following this wonderful young singer through the diverse emotional moods is an experience of a very special kind." And Volkskrant: “Listening to Channa Malkin's clear-flowing voice is a real pleasure, but her new album, dedicated to her little son, is much more than an aesthetic experience”.
As a soloist, Channa has worked with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Holland Baroque, Phion, Joven Orquesta Barroca Andalucía, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and Intercontinental Ensemble, performing repertoire ranging from Bach’s Passions and Händel oratorios to Strauss Lieder, Bernstein’s Chichester psalms and world premieres by Josef Malkin, Maarten Ornstein and others. Channa has a particular affinity for Mozart, specializing in the virtuosic soprano parts of the C Minor Mass, Davide Penitente and concert arias.
Her performed opera roles include Despina (Così fan tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Galatea (Acis and Galatea, Händel), Charite (Cadmus et Hermione), Eve (In the beginning, a world premiere by Carlijn Metselaar), Second Niece (Peter Grimes) and all female roles in a staged production of Grieg’s Peer Gynt at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to opera and concert, Channa enjoys telling stories and connecting intimately with audiences in song recitals. Her debut album Songs of Love and Exile, together with guitarist Izhar Elias, was applauded by the international press. Norman Lebrecht from Slipped Disc recommended it as “Glorious”. The duo has performed in most major concert halls of the Netherlands including Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden, Theater aan ‘t Vrijthof Maastricht. Next season, Channa and Izhar can be heard in Cologne, Middelburg, Ghent and Tuscany, combining their Sephardic song programme with fiery Spanish repertoire.
Channa is known for her compelling musical personality and unbridled creativity. She was recently praised by Opera Today for “her pure and smooth voice, but full of feeling.” and by La Opinión de Málaga for “her balance between vocal technique and precise musical phrasing and an unquestionable artistic talent”. She excels in a broad repertoire, from Mozart to Italian baroque opera and Sephardic chamber music.
Channa’s most recent highlights include her title role debut in Händel’s Acis and Galatea with the Joven Orquesta Barroca Andalucía in Málaga, as well as a Vivaldi and Händel aria programme with the same orchestra. She made her recital debut at the Royal Concertgebouw with a semi-staged programme around the various identities of womanhood, inspired by 17th-century Italian composer Barbara Strozzi and Russian 20th-century poet Anna Akhmatova. Part of this recital was recently released as an EP on the digital streaming platforms titled ‘Channa Malkin Live at Concertgebouw’. In the main hall of the Royal Concertgebouw, Channa performed the first soprano in Mozart’s C Minor Mass as well as an opera gala concert. With Ensemble Odyssee she debuted at the Utrecht Early Music Festival in a programme around Anna Magdalena Bach including some of the most beautiful Bach cantatas.
Other performances have brought Channa to Madrid, Göttingen, Istanbul, Ankara, Tata (Hungary), Lomza (Poland) and more, presenting programmes ranging from Zarzuela and Rossini arias with orchestra to Spanish and Sephardic folk songs with guitarist Izhar Elias, to intimate 17th-century songs with theorbist Mike Fentross and baroque ensemble La Sfera Armoniosa.
Channa has demonstrated her unbridled creativity and entrepreneurship with the creation of her own multimedia opera pastiche Handel goes Tinder, together with violinist Anastasia Kozlova and writer/director Michael Diederich. Channa has performed this production 33 times for sold-out venues and festivals in the Netherlands. In 2022, Handel goes Tinder played at the International Handelfestpiele in Göttingen. She creates profound bonds with her audiences by presenting musical programmes combined with personal storytelling. Her song programme This is not a lullaby explores aspects of motherhood and her Jewish-Eastern European cultural heritage through song and poetry. The album was particularly well received by the press, with Opernglas writing “Following this wonderful young singer through the diverse emotional moods is an experience of a very special kind." And Volkskrant: “Listening to Channa Malkin's clear-flowing voice is a real pleasure, but her new album, dedicated to her little son, is much more than an aesthetic experience”.
As a soloist, Channa has worked with orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Holland Baroque, Phion, Joven Orquesta Barroca Andalucía, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and Intercontinental Ensemble, performing repertoire ranging from Bach’s Passions and Händel oratorios to Strauss Lieder, Bernstein’s Chichester psalms and world premieres by Josef Malkin, Maarten Ornstein and others. Channa has a particular affinity for Mozart, specializing in the virtuosic soprano parts of the C Minor Mass, Davide Penitente and concert arias.
Her performed opera roles include Despina (Così fan tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Galatea (Acis and Galatea, Händel), Charite (Cadmus et Hermione), Eve (In the beginning, a world premiere by Carlijn Metselaar), Second Niece (Peter Grimes) and all female roles in a staged production of Grieg’s Peer Gynt at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to opera and concert, Channa enjoys telling stories and connecting intimately with audiences in song recitals. Her debut album Songs of Love and Exile, together with guitarist Izhar Elias, was applauded by the international press. Norman Lebrecht from Slipped Disc recommended it as “Glorious”. The duo has performed in most major concert halls of the Netherlands including Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden, Theater aan ‘t Vrijthof Maastricht. Next season, Channa and Izhar can be heard in Cologne, Middelburg, Ghent and Tuscany, combining their Sephardic song programme with fiery Spanish repertoire.
Channa graduated with honours from the Utrecht Conservatoire, where she studied with Charlotte Margiono. Being awarded scholarships from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Van den Ende Foundation, she went on to study with Rosemary Joshua, with whom she discovered her love for early music. Today, she continues working with her vocal coach Manuela Ochakovski on new repertoire. Channa is also passionate about sharing her knowledge with the next generation of performers. Most recently she has given a baroque singing masterclass at the Istanbul State Conservatoire to the students of the Opera Department. In her role as Professional Integration Coach at The Hague Royal Conservatoire, Channa coaches Masters students on the entrepreneurship aspect of their Masters Project.
