Lutenist and Singer Kristiina Watt enjoys a busy concert schedule in the UK and further afield. As an instrumentalist she performs regularly with leading groups in the historical performance scene and beyond such as the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, The English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, La Nuova Musica, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Ensemble. Kristiina particularly enjoys working with singers and regularly plays for consorts such as Ensemble Pro Victoria, The Marian Consort, Musica Secreta and Vache Baroque. She is featured on The Marian Consort’s latest CD ‘Una Poesia Muta’ in which her performance was reviewed as ‘flawless’ by Gramophone Magazine.
As a singer Kristiina specialises in renaissance and baroque repertoire and particularly self-accompanied performance practice. Her operatic roles have included 2nd witch/chorus in Purcell’s Dido&Aeneas with The Kellie Consort and 2nd Damigella in Francesca Caccini’s ‘La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’Isola d’Alcina’ in a concert and film version at the Brighton Early Music Festival. In addition to formal training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland she has been fortunate to receive coachings from Dame Emma Kirkby at the Guildhall School and continues her vocal studies with Dr Patricia Macmahon.
Kristiina is an enthusiastic advocate for the creation of modern repertoire for old instruments and is currently fundraising with her ensemble The Portrait Players for a new commission for soprano, theorbo and viol by composer Clare Elton on the sonnets of 16th century poet Louise Labe.
Kristiina is a recent graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where she studied with William Carter and David Miller. Previously she studied lute and singing with James Akers and Dr Patricia Macmahon, respectively at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland/University of Glasgow and classical guitar with Prof. Allan Neave.
Kristiina plays a theorbo made by Klaus Jacobsen, a baroque guitar made by Dallas Sutherland and renaissance lutes by Martin Haycock.
Photo by: Francesca Petryszak