Angela van Rijthoven has been practicing for the Breda Singelloop for weeks. Not for running, but for singing. She has been asked to sing the Wilhelmus on Sunday before the start of the National Half Marathon Championships, as required by the athletics association. The singer, who is also called the ‘Nightingale of Tuinzigt’, received a sports jacket and a T-shirt from the organization, but she thinks that is not acceptable.
To sing the Wilhelmus, Angela van Rijthoven has to step out of her comfort zone a little bit. The classical folk song is a far cry from her own repertoire, which is much more swinging. She is therefore critical of herself when she practices.
“Wilhelmus van Nassouwe,” she says with all her heart, “I’m like… no, this is really crazy.” When she then starts again, it sounds beautiful.
“The Wilhelmus passes here about 3,000 times a day.”
It is not without reason that she is popularly called the ‘Nightingale of Tuinzigt’, after the Breda district where she lives. “I find it quite exciting,” says Angela about her performance on Sunday. “I only sing the first verse, but those 1 minute and 23 seconds have to be good. That is important and it takes quite a lot of time. It doesn’t matter, because it is special to do.”
It therefore requires the right preparation. “I eat well in the days leading up to it and ensure there is little stress. And I also don’t drink wine for a while, haha. My voice has to be good, of course, and that is difficult in the fall with all those colds.”
“I always practice between companies,” Van Rijthoven continues, laughing. “On the bike or here at home, the Wilhelmus passes by about 3,000 times a day. There are only a few moments when I stand seriously in front of the mirror and am really concentrated. Then I pay attention to the technique and whether everything is clean. That I can produce the sound I have in my head.”
“I’m not going to sing the Wilhelmus in a T-shirt.”
Angela has thought carefully about her performance. She really put a lot of effort into her clothes. “They requested my clothing size from the Singelloop so that they could send me a sports jacket and a T-shirt. That is with the best intentions, but I am not going to sing the Wilhemus in a T-shirt. So I went to my regular couturier Victor went and he has a beautiful orange dress for me with all layers of silk.”
Angela will also put her own spin on the performance of the national anthem. “After some practice, I discovered that the classical part of the Wilhelmus does not suit me and my voice,” she explains. “I then started listening to various performances by other artists and noticed that they added their own recognizable elements. I am a jazz singer, so that sauce will get over it.”
