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Petra BergerDutch singer.
Date of Birth: 23.10.1965
Country:  Netherlands |
Content:
- Biography of Petra Berger
- Rise to Fame with Chess
- The Oscar Album and Focus on Musicals
- Continued Success and Motherhood
- Solo Career and International Recognition
Biography of Petra Berger
Early Life and Career BeginningsPetra Berger is a Dutch singer who grew up in a musical family. However, after obtaining her HAVO diploma (secondary education in the Netherlands), she worked at a computer company. This job gave her more confidence than a singing career. During an annual company party, she formed a musical ensemble with a couple of colleagues for fun. That evening, she realized that singing was exactly what she passionately desired.
Rise to Fame with Chess
Together with her sister Lida, Petra participated in the television program Henny Huisman Soundmixshow. With their performance of "I Know Him So Well," they reached the finals in 1987. Following the show, the sisters received a recording contract under the name Chess and quickly achieved a modest hit with the song "Never Change A Winning Team," accompanied by future husband Jeroen Englebert. Soon after, their breakthrough came with "I Dreamed A Dream" from the musical Les Misérables. The growing success of Chess had a negative impact on Lida as she loved to sing but disliked the attention that came with it. She was replaced by Denise van der Hek in the duo.
The Oscar Album and Focus on Musicals
The duo's significant success led to the release of a full album featuring songs from musicals and movies called "The Oscar Album" in 1992. This album included a duet with René Froger. However, Petra wanted to focus on musicals, so she and Denise decided to leave Chess behind. During this period, Petra devoted herself to improving her skills, taking singing lessons from various teachers, as well as dance, acting, and piano lessons. She auditioned for roles in musicals like Les Misérables and Cyrano de Bergerac but faced disappointments and circumstances that led her to leave those roles. In 1993, she auditioned for the role of Johanna in the musical Sweeney Todd and finally landed her first significant role in a musical.
Continued Success and Motherhood
Petra went on to play Belle in Beauty and the Beast in Germany and Maria in The Sound of Music in Belgium in subsequent years. During this time, Petra and her husband Jeroen Englebert welcomed two children, Boris and Babette. While dedicating several years to motherhood, her passion for music never faded. She continued to work intensively on her voice and performed in the Dinnershow in 1999.
Solo Career and International Recognition
In 2000, Petra made some trial recordings with her husband Jeroen Englebert and producer Pim Koopman, including "O Mio Babbino Caro" by Puccini. Universal Music showed immediate interest in her voice and musical style, giving her and her husband the freedom to create an album. Their collaboration led to Petra's first solo album, "Eternal Woman," in 2001. This cross-over album, combining classical and pop music, celebrated eleven legendary women from world history. "Eternal Woman" became popular not only in the Netherlands but also enjoyed success in other countries such as Taiwan, Israel, and Turkey. Petra gained widespread recognition during the Night of the Proms concert series in 2002. Her second album, "Mistress," released in 2003, also achieved significant success. Once again, Petra sang about emotions experienced by lovers and betrayed women, featuring both new compositions and reworked famous classical works. In 2004, a duet titled "Every Time" was added to the album in Italian version (Cerco Te) with American singer Joshua Payne. Following the success of her two albums, Petra embarked on her own theatrical tour, "Eternal Women & Mistresses," performing in Dutch theaters. She was responsible for the concert program, with direction and screenplay by Bas Groenenberg, and musical arrangements by Jeroen Englebert and Pim Koopman.
