Céline Scheen

Soprano Céline Scheen has been equally successful in mainstream and Baroque repertory. She is also a notable educator. Scheen was born in the ancient textile town of Verviers, Belgium, on March 15, 1976. She took up singing early, studying with Annie Frantz. At first, she wanted to become a rock singer or a French-language pop performer. From 1994 to 1996, she was a member of the World Youth Choir, touring as far afield as Canada, Latin America, and the Baltic countries. She matriculated at the Royal Academy of Mons as a student of Marcel Vanaud and earned a first prize upon graduating. Scheen went on for a vocal and voice education degree at the Royal Academy of Brussels. She studied at the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel and then, for two years, at the Guildhall School of Music in London with Vera Rósza, earning an advanced vocal music degree. Scheen rounded out her vocal education with master classes from Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Monique Zanetti, and Helmut Deutsch. In 1999, she made her recording debut on the Deutsche Grammophon label, appearing on the soundtrack of the film Le Roi Danse. In 2004, she recorded the Symphoniae of Nicolaus à Kempis with the early music group Ensemble Clematis for the Musica Ficta label. Scheen has an unusually varied repertory that includes such operatic roles as Vespetta in Telemann's Pimpinone and Lucy in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Telephone. She has excelled in music from the Baroque to the 20th century, appearing in works by Cavalli, Gluck, Mozart, and Poulenc. Her credits include appearances at such theaters as the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg and the Théâtre de Caen and Opéra national du Rhin in France. Scheen is also in demand as a concert singer, having performed with major early music groups, including La Fénice, La Cetra d'Orfeo, and Musica Antiqua Köln. Her recording career has focused on early music. Scheen has appeared on several albums with L'Arpeggiata and director Christina Pluhar and in various operatic roles. In 2023, she was heard on the Harmonia Mundi label in Pygmalion's recording of Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine. Since 2019, Scheen has been on the vocal faculty at the University of Liège in Belgium.
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