Residency of Hadewych van Gent & Ana-Carmen Balestra

hosted by Viva Musica! festival

Participating countries:

  • Hungary
  • Slovakia
  • The Netherlands
  • Turkey
  • Music
© Zdenko Hanout

Period

  • From 01-05-2026 to 30-09-2026
Generation #4

Website

Address

Bratislava

Project summary

Dutch-Argentinian soprano Ana-Carmen Balestra and Dutch cellist Hadewych van Gent both studied in London and have known each other since high school. Together with Berlin-based guitarist Vitor Noah, they create a programme centred on voice and expression, inspired by Ana-Carmen’s Argentinian roots. Their warm and rhythmic selection of South American and Spanish works, especially arranged for their combination of voice, cello and guitar, is designed for the outdoor settings of the four festivals in Turkey, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Netherlands. It blends familiar songs with intimate classical pieces that connect with audiences in an open-air setting, where expressiveness is key to capturing attention. Something Hadewych and Ana-Carmen do naturally.

Artist

Hadewych van Gent & Ana-Carmen Balestra

Biography: Dutch cellist-singer Hadewych van Gent (*1997) blends voice and cello into one distinctive sound. A recent graduate and Bicentenary Scholar of the Royal Academy of Music, she has performed across Western Europe with artists such as Janine Jansen and Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Summer 2025 she was nominated for the Grachtenfestival Prize in the Netherlands.

Dutch-Argentinian soprano Ana-Carmen Balestra (*1997) is praised for her clear, expressive voice and lively stage presence. A recent Guildhall Opera graduate and Young Artist at the National Opera Studio, she has performed with English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, and Scottish Opera. Autumn 2025 she toured the Netherlands as a Dutch Classical Talent finalist and made her debut with Opera2Day in the opera Carmen.
Contact: hadewychvangent@gmail.com
Website: https://www.hadewychvangent.com/
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/hadewych.van.gent/ https://www.facebook.com/hadewych.vangent/ https://www.instagram.com/anacarmenbalestra_soprano/
Work: https://www.hadewychvangent.com/media https://www.anacarmenbalestra.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxdIY8lfsvw

Participating festivals

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