Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
Kollaborateur:in
Does reality deserve suspiciousness?
No
Did reason ever disappoint you?
Yes
Is a revolution necessary?
Yes
Love or money?
Love
Biography
Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe (1995, EINE, BELGIUM) is a countertenor, performer and director of operatic and visual performances. In his creations he mixes classical music with pop and contemporary scenography's. In doing so, he questions perfection and virtuosity.
In his work he often builds on the classical repertoire together with a diverse cast in which dancers sing and singers move. He often works with performers who are not classically trained and transforms dancers into singers, or vice versa. This puts musical perfection and virtuosity into question. For him, the theater is an echo chamber in which old and new times can be brought together. He is fascinated by the future, and the evolutions and revolutions to come. Without wanting to oppose the preservation of the existing repertoire, Meirhaeghe sees it as a challenge to combine classical fragments with new symbols and radical sounds. He makes mysterious and contemporary rituals that can reconnect with the life he knows, with real emotions, with our experiences and the political thinking of today.
"Art and repertoire are much more engaging in a relay where you pass them on to others who get to work with them than in the perpetual repetition of covers."
For his last production he worked with Jesse Kanda who is known for his collaborations with Bjork, Arca and FKA Twigs.
In 2018 he graduated from the theater academy in Maastricht with the megalomaniac 'The Ballet' in the large hall of Vooruit in Ghent. In 2019 he made 'Nachts' and performed with Jan Decorte and Sigrid Vinks. in 2020 he made 'A Revue' at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, in 2021 he made 'Madrigals' that premiered at DeSingel. As a singer, he tours internationally and opened the Berlin Fashion Week in 2021. From season 22-23 he is part of the artistic core of Toneelhuis, Bourla city theater of Antwerp, who are also responsible for the artistic direction.