Caroline Bruker is known for her versatility and expressive artistry across operatic, concert, and contemporary repertoire. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, before moving to the Netherlands in 2008 to continue her operatic and early music studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Following her graduation, she attended the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Opera Studio in Rome, where she studied under Renata Scotto and Anna Vandi. She has also participated in masterclasses and private coachings with renowned artists such as Cheryl Studer, Montserrat Caballé, Helen Donath, Krisztina Laki, Laura Claycomb, Valerie Sorel, and Helen Kwon.
Caroline completed her Master’s degree in Opera at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, where she performed leading roles including Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), and Miss Havisham (Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night by Dominick Argento).
Caroline’s career is distinguished by collaborations with esteemed conductors, orchestras, and ensembles. She regularly performs with John Neumeier’s Bundesjugendballett, presenting a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach’s “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben” (St. Matthew Passion) and Mahler’s “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” (Rückert-Lieder), to Verdi’s “Addio del passato” (La Traviata) and Gershwin’s “Has One of You Seen Joe?” (Blue Monday). She has graced prestigious stages such as the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Konzerthaus Berlin, Ernst Deutsch Theater Hamburg, Linbury Theatre at Covent Garden, Meininger Staatstheater, Staatsoper Hamburg, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, and the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing.
Her wide-ranging repertoire spans from early music to contemporary works, with a particular focus on oratorio. Caroline is celebrated for her performances in masterpieces such as Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn's Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor, Fauré’s Requiem, and Orff’s Carmina Burana, earning praise for her vocal precision, emotive depth, and dynamic stage presence.
In addition to these core works, she has captivated audiences with performances of Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien at the Konzerthalle Bamberg and Steve Reich’s Desert Music at De Doelen in Rotterdam. She frequently collaborates with leading early music ensembles, including Los Temperamentos, Bremer Barockorchester, Merlini, and The Muses’ Fellows. In 2022, she performed with Los Temperamentos at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg in Festejo Peruana, a program highlighting Peruvian Baroque music in collaboration with the Ballet Folclórico Nacional del Perú—a program she will reprise at the International Bachfest Stuttgart in 2025.
Caroline is also committed to contemporary classical music, having premiered several new works, including Michael Wertmüller’s Palimpsest at Bayer Kultur’s stARTfestival and Christopher Muscat’s Stabat Mater with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra at St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.
Her operatic roles include The Vixen in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with the Trentino Music Festival, Woglinde in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with Hamburg Kammeroper’s Theater für Kinder, and Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at Theater Osnabrück. In 2019, she recorded the title role of Bätely in Ingeborg von Bronsart’s rarely performed opera Jery und Bätely with the Malmö Opera Orchestra, released by Naxos Music Group.
Caroline’s 2024/25 season features an exciting array of performances across Europe. In the fall, she will appear with the Bundesjugendballett at the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. During the winter season, alongside numerous performances of Requiems and Christmas Oratorios, she will sing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Neue Philharmonie Hamburg at prominent venues such as the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Musik- und Kongresshalle in Lübeck, and the Berlin Philharmonie. In the spring, she will return to the International Bachfest Stuttgart with Los Temperamentos, followed by summer performances of Carmina Burana in Hamburg and Prague, as well as her participation in John Neumeier’s highly anticipated new creation, Shall We Dance.
