Biography

Isabel Pronk is a mezzo-soprano and theatre maker. With her warm voice and strong sense for text, she moves effortlessly between art song, opera, and music theatre.

In the 2024/2025 season, Isabel is a finalist in Dutch Classical Talent, a prestigious award for the most promising young classical musicians in the Netherlands. As part of this trajectory, she toured the country with her solo programme Als het donker wordt – a theatrical concert for those who dare to wander. On June 1st, the winner will be announced during the grand finale at TivoliVredenburg. Next season (2025/2026) marks another milestone: Isabel will make her debut as a soloist with Dutch National Opera.

She previously performed at festivals such as Down The Rabbit Hole and Into the Great Wide Open, and appeared on Dutch television in programmes like Podium Klassiek and Jinek. While rooted in classical music, Isabel also has a deep love for jazz and tango, and often joins projects that bring together different styles and artistic disciplines.

In addition to performing, Isabel creates her own productions, combining her musical and theatrical background. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, she learned early on to develop and realise her own ideas. In 2022, she created her first original piece: Her Soliloquy – a tango opera by the women of today. Together with three fellow musicians, she built a short tango opera inspired by Molly Bloom’s monologue from James Joyce’s Ulysses, interwoven with music by, among others, Astor Piazzolla. The performance won the Grachtenfestival Pitch and the Audience Award at the Café Theater Festival.

Together with violinist Valentine Blangé, she forms the duo ‘De Borski’s’. As a collective, they explore ways to use music in service of a kinder, more beautiful world. This summer, their first project Alle Markten Thuis – a musical mosaic of ordinary people with extraordinary stories will go on tour. For more information, visit: www.borskis.nl

Isabel studied classical voice at Codarts Rotterdam, where she completed her master’s degree in 2023 under Henk Neven, after previously earning her bachelor’s in Music Theatre. She also studied History at the University of Amsterdam.