Katsu, a composition by Hanne Deneire, was performed again after many years on May 4, 2023, during the Voorkempenfestival. Katsu is a mix of Japanese Taiko music with Western instruments and poems by Japanese Zen monks.

https://youtu.be/-74zol8Llf8?feature=shared

Have you ever seen fencing, dance, a violin, an opera singer, and a beatboxer all at once? This unique combination was performed in the 18th-century setting of De Franse Salons in Antwerp. The performance was directed by Marc Bogaerts, an artistic director and choreographer with an international career paved by collaborations with some of the most prestigious circus, opera, and dance companies worldwide. Marc was recently appointed the new artistic director of Blauwkasteel (Izegem). He is an initiator of innovative artistic achievements and currently focuses his work on the connection between sport, art, technology, and science.

https://youtu.be/SqU9sjnx1Z0?feature=shared

This production by theater company Salomee Speelt takes an entirely new approach to Jean Cocteau’s well-known play. Two women reflect on their stories, which take place in an anonymous hotel. One of the women waits in vain for some kind of reaction or attention from her lover. The other woman has lost everything, and can no longer face up to her lover and starts to sing on her own and in doing so tells us her story.

https://youtu.be/KEfg_mp5Vl8?si=K-gWeTGANBT7Irmk

https://youtu.be/5UlamcCFg6A?si=QdQrXkvsTtpIpLR1

Salomee Speelt's  theatrical production, written and directed by Noemi Schlosser premiered in 2009 in Belgium and was on tour in 2011 in New York.

https://youtu.be/7MWovq083Dc?si=J8WHyi3NHriQ5fSA

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxza8naOGnsGGMKVRRn8C5kwCmpe2rl_8X?si=PFAMUfVwfKFL78Ub

Together with my husband, violinist Eliot Lawson, we form a unique duo.

Here's an impression of our performance during the Covid pandemic, with our third son Alexis still in my belly:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnbnVe2BduA

Trio Law3on consists of myself, my sister-in-law, pianist Jill Lawson, and my husband, violinist Eliot Lawson. Our musical trio has performed regularly in Portugal (Lisbon, Évora) and has been featured at events such as the Festival Midis-Minimes (Brussels), the Festival Bar Bleu (Antwerp), HRD shows in the presence of Prince Filip and Princess Mathilde (Qatar), a series of concerts in the Netherlands and Flanders, and we've even performed together in the USA.

We've delved into the rare repertoire of chamber music for this specific instrumentation of violin, voice, and piano, allowing us to present a range of varied programs.

https://youtu.be/fZTUoF5eDJM?si=2lS9BO16K2ofBPLc

"De Verbeelding" in Zeewolde, Holland November 2012 Valerie Vervoort (soprano), Jill Lawson (piano), Eliot Lawson (violin)

I make music with my sister-in-law, the incredible world-class pianist, Jill Lawson. You can find out more about her here: https://jilllawson.com

In 2007, thanks in part to the exceptional accompaniment of pianist Jill Lawson, I won first prize at the José Augusto Alegria competition in Évora (Portugal). Since then, we've formed a Lied duo and perform regularly. Jill is a huge inspiration, and it's an immense pleasure to make music with her. Among our highlights, I joyfully recall our live performance for the classical radio station Antena 2 in Lisbon, and our concert in Hong Kong for HRDAntwerp.

Our programs combine vocal and poetic artistry with instrumental solo virtuosity and intimacy.

Google her name on YouTube and you will find many wonderful performances of here.

Here an excerpt of one of our concerts from November 2012 concert at "De Verbeelding" in Zeewolde, Holland.

https://youtu.be/YDStITT5Zs0?si=knZvHk_4eZvRCO-4

A composition by Wim Hendrickx for soprano and instrumental ensemble that I performed on March 17, 2012, at deSingel in Antwerp, during Wim's 50th-anniversary celebration.

 https://youtu.be/btw3CAM1h3k?si=YzJB7JNDS8aXlUaU

Hyperion by Bruno Maderna, together with Muta Imago, Hermes Ensemble, and the Orpheus Institute.

https://orpheusinstituut.be/en/publications/explosive-compressions-after-bruno-madernas-hyperion http://www.e-performance.tv/2015/12/hyperion.html?m=1 https://hermesensemble.be/en/productions/hyperion/https://www.mutaimago.com/hyperion_/ https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/259946/259947

Regarding "Schicksalslied," "Il canto del destino," interpreted by Vervoort's rich vocals worthy of a choir, the irreparable parabola of Hyperion and his lucid madness concludes. It is in this tireless tension upwards that his most alien frustration and imperfect poetry are hidden, because it is in self-knowledge that the precipice gives way, the key to reuniting with the beauty of one's self.

 https://cheteatrochefa-roma.blogautore.repubblica.it/page/51/?refresh_ce

Together with friends, family, and our young children, we make music and find inspiration. The strong connection between musician friends touches an even more sensitive chord when their gifted children also join the ensemble. It's inspiring to see how these young musicians show so much talent and passion at such a young age. For example, there's a lot of chamber music on the program with our oldest son Liam on cello (3rd prize in the Young Soloists competition, June 2025) and the super talented Charlotte Van Looveren on viola and her father, pianist David Van Looveren.

Our program, with orchestral flair, is perfectly suited for both intimate private concerts at home and grand communion parties and corporate events. "Family and friends" offers 3 time slots, each with 30 minutes of music. In between, there's time for drinks and food, celebrating, team building, or simply enjoying each other's company. Violinists Eliot Lawson and Lev Adamov provide extra virtuosity and the necessary humor to make it an unforgettable musical experience.

Liam Lawson on the cello, 9y

https://youtu.be/m5Py_exf7x4?si=ccvrpfuPxAsNTlOS

I just LOVE opera.

I have performed a wide range of opera roles: Serafina (Il Campanello, Donizetti) Frasquita (Carmen, Bizet), Gilda, Contessa di Ceprano, Paggio (Rigoletto, Verdi), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck), Elle (La Voix Humaine, Poulenc), La Prima Cercatrice, La Prima Conversa, Suor Dolcina, Genovieffa, (Suor Angelica, Puccini), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief, Menotti), Yvette, Lisette (La Rondine, Puccini), Peony (A Childhood Miracle, Rorem), Polly (The Three Penny Opera, Weill), Atalanta (Serse, Händel), Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Noémi, Cendrillon (Cendrillon, Massenet), Claudia (Nine, Yeston), Dulcinea (Ambras, Van Fleteren) the soprano role in Hyperion (Maderna), Candle Light, Love Story (Arne Werkman) and Europera5 (Cage).

Here an exccerpt as Frasquita in 2015 in Alden Biesen, while being pregnant of our first son, Liam.

https://youtu.be/oSGmrM7ffH8?si=GojRwPDFUpvpG8-y

Chamber music with the renowned Portuguese string quartet Lopes-Graça, winner of several awards, was founded in 2005 and consists of musicians who, in addition to chamber music, also each pursue solo careers. When I sing with them, I feel carried by an entire string orchestra because this string quartet consists of four great soloists: Eliot Lawson (violin), Luis Pachecco Cunna (violin), Isabel Pimente (viola), and Catherine Strynckx (cello). They are ambassadors of Portuguese and Latin American music at national and international music festivals across various continents. Through their music, they aim to convey the message that music culture is the connecting factor between the various member states of the European Union and far beyond. Music knows no borders and functions as a unifying language between diverse countries in this global world.

In the summer of 2023, I performed with them for the first time during "Buitengewoon klassiek" (Extraordinary Classical) in Park Sorghvliet in Hoboken (Antwerp). Since then, we have developed several projects together that we can perform in very diverse locations, such as (open-air) museums, churches, parks, gardens, industrial sites, living rooms, concert halls, terraces, auction houses, cinemas, and lofts...

"Zinderend Zuiders" and our program "Blockbuster Movie Hits" is a surprising and varied program with well-known musical hits from the film world, including songs from Habla con ella, Scent of a Woman, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, Farinelli, and much more.

You can find more information here: https://musicamera.pt/en/lopes-graca-quartet-epk/https://www.puntstudiohoboken.be/kalender/2023/8/20/buitengewoon-klassiek-lopes-graca-strijkkwartet-met-gastmuzikant-valerie-vervoort