The versatile Dutch mezzo-soprano and theatre maker Roza Herwig (1996) sings, acts, presents,  plays the violin and writes theatre texts. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree Classical Voice with great success at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, Roza continued her vocal studies in the Artist Masters at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where she graduated with distinction in 2023. Next to her classical singing lessons, Roza has followed a Minor in Jazz singing.

Roza likes to take on creative challenges and gives colorful, innovative performances, combining different art disciplines. Her work includes: ‘De verleiding van Vivaldi’ with director Jeroen Kriek, ‘DESIRE’, children performances ‘Puss in boots’ and ‘Storytime!’, ‘Fladderen’ with the Nachtlicht Ensemble, ‘Dream with me’ and the heartbreaking ‘Crazy he calls me’, inspired by La Voix Humaine by Poulenc. Roza developed herself as an actress in several acting classes and masterclasses.

This talented young performer has not gone unnoticed. Roza won prizes in both the Regional and National Finals of the Princess Christina Competition, at the Britten Violin Competition and was nominated for the Talent Prize Overijssel. Recently she won the Charters Surveyers Competition in London, Kanjerprijs de Leest and was in the Semifinals of the prestigious International Vocal Competition in Den Bosch.

In addition to singing as a soloist with, among others, the North Netherlands Symphonic Orchestra, Phion Orchestra, the Bauhaus Band and the Nederlands Kamerorkest, with whom she made her debut in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Roza often appears in concerts, recitals and performances. She has performed in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Tivoli Vredenburg and at several festivals, such as the Schiermonnikoog festival, Tête a Tête Festival, O Festival and the Grachtenfestival. Furthermore, Roza sang multiple times on Dutch radio ‘NPO Radio4’, 3FM and in the TV program ‘Podium Klassiek’. In January 2021 Roza sang and played the leading role in an opera production of Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in München (DE) and in 2022 Roza portrayed the role of Cherubino in a production of Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart at the NLC in London, which was received with great enthusiast. Summer 2024 Roza will sing a role in a production from Holland Opera.

Roza enjoys working closely with composers and has premiered several new works, such as music by Mees Vervuurt and Jake Landau.

Roza has played the violin since she was nine in various orchestras. She was concertmaster of the Britten Youth String Orchestra for four years. With this orchestra she has played many concerts, recorded CDs and performed as a vocal soloist many times in the Netherlands and abroad.

In masterclasses and workshops, Roza has had the opportunity to learn from world-famous singers, pianists, conductors and directors, such as Antonio Pappano, Margreet Honig, Emma Kirkby, Ann Murray, Susanna Eken, Claron Mcfadden, Ed Spanjaard, Mark Padmore, Linda Watson, Julia Bullock, Xenia Meijer, Charlotte Margiono, Floris Visser and Gavriel Lipkind.

"My greatest passion is to combine music and theater. I do this in different ways and with various types of music, from classical to cabaret. I love to play with the text and to take on the character of the song or aria. My goal is to communicate both the music and the story to the audience. I want to take them to another world and let them fully understand what the music is about, even though I may sing in French, Swedish or any other language."