Brussels/Antwerp, May 4, 2022 – On Tuesday, May 10, the Flemish Community will present the Ultimas 2021 during a live show at deSingel. The Flemish culture prizes will be awarded to 13 laureates, in as many categories, in recognition of their merits in the socio-cultural sector. Actress and theatre icon Reinhilde Decleir receives the Ultima for General Cultural Achievement as the crowning achievement of her career. The Ultima Music goes to soprano Lieselot De Wilde
About the Ultimas
The tradition of awarding Flemish culture prizes began in 2003. Since then, the Flemish government awards 12 prizes each year, in as many categories, to leading artists, creators, organizations or ensembles. The laureates are selected by a jury of experts.
For the Ultimas 2021 edition, a Public Prize is being added for the first time, for artists or organizations who contributed to the expansion of culture in the past year, but who do not immediately fit into the existing Ultimas categories. The winner of the Public Prize will be revealed during the awards show.
All laureates will receive a physical award on May 10. For this occasion, it has been given a new look by visual artist Daan Gielis (°1988). In addition, each laureate receives a prize money of 10,000 euros. The exception is the winner of the Ultima for General Cultural Achievement, who receives a sum of 20,000 euros as recognition of an entire career.
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Ultima Music: Lieselot De Wilde
The jury nominates Lieselot De Wilde as laureate for the Ultima Music 2021.
Soprano Lieselot De Wilde obtained her diploma from Dina Gossberger and Katelijne Van Laethem at the Lemmensinstituut with great distinction. Lieselot is a very versatile singer who performs diverse musical pieces: from medieval to contemporary compositions. She loves creative and adventurous projects where she can also pursue her other passions such as theatre, poetry and improvisation.
Together with jazz guitarist Peter Verhelst, she forms the core of the ensemble Bel Ayre, which was named Selected Promising Ensemble at the Festival Laus Polyphoniae (Antwerp) in 2011. With pianist Gabi Sultana, she forms a duo for improvisation and creation of contemporary music.
Lieselot works with LOD muziektheater in the productions Muur, Meneer Afzal, Huis der verboden muziekjes and L'Inconnue de la Seine, and through this had the opportunity to work with Spectra, Asko/Schönberg, Lucelin, Dick van der Harst, Dominique Pauwels, Thomas Smetryns, Pieter De Buysser, Inne Goris, Frederik Neyrinck and many others.
Furthermore, she is a sought-after singer for creating contemporary music by composers such as Frank Nuyts, Dick van der Harst and many others. She was one of three soloists in the opera The Wasp Factory by Icelandic composer Ben Frost and toured with it to, among others, Bregenzer Festspiele, Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ.
With early music ensembles Psallentes, Chœur de Chambre de Namur and Encantar, she recorded various albums. She is also a guest with ensembles such as Zefiro Torna, Vox Luminis, Canto LX and the Norwegian Solistenkoor. She maintains close collaboration with Korneel Bernolet and his ensemble Apotheosis and recorded an album with them featuring 'Cantates Françaises' by Nicolas Bernier on the Etcetera label. Bel Ayre also released a record featuring Neapolitan 'Canzoni Popolari' (popular songs).
In 2014, she was selected for the prestigious Luzern Festival Academy where she sang as first soprano soloist in Luciano Berio's Coro under conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Lieselot was also laureate of the Dexia Axion Classics competition, winning first prize.
Even when the coronavirus pandemic struck in full force in 2020, Lieselot succeeded in taking us on a world tour with her multimedia project Around The World in 72 Songs. With this project, Lieselot emphasized the power of music as a universal language and wanted to promote female singer-songwriters. She continued her success story in 2021 with another highlight Cupid and Death, a production by the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Correspondances.
In the near future, she will create the role of poet Arthur Rimbaud in Dominique Pauwels' first opera L'Autre Hiver (LOD muziektheater) for the OPERA XXI festival. She is also currently working on the Figurines project, which will be a series of artworks and performances in which she discusses artistry and the human condition from her personal and feminine perspective. The project will premiere next year at Concertgebouw Brugge, as part of their makers' trajectories, in which De Wilde will participate for the next two seasons.
The jury hopes that the Ultima for this talented soprano will be an encouragement to continue her rich career in all its versatility.
"The career of the Flemish vocalist, performer and maker Lieselot De Wilde is bursting with boundless versatility and creativity. She performs with early music, contemporary music, songs, music theatre creations and her own creative projects."
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