Manda Ophuis is a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 singer and composer, who is best known for being the lead vocalist in the Dutch symphonic rock

Symphonic rock

Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....

 band Nemesea

Nemesea

Nemesea is a Dutch female-fronted Symphonic metal band with pop and rock influences, formed in 2002 in Groningen. Their musical style has been compared to that of After Forever-Biography:...

. She has been involved in music since a young age.

Biography

Manda Ophuis is a Dutch singer and lead vocalist of the band Nemesea.

In 1998, Manda started taking singing lessons. Her teacher was a student at the conservatory in Groningen where she would be permitted a year later.
There she began taking vocal lessons with Floor van Zutphen. This was her vocal teacher during the whole conservatory periode (2000-2004)

In 2003 Manda started taking classical singing lessons too, also with a student from the same conservatory. She took those lessons for two years.

Manda graduated in 2004.

In 2005 Manda found herself a new vocal teacher in Kees Taal. He taught her a lot about breathing, resonance and how to use your whole body as an instrument.

This year Manda decided that she wanted to go broader and started taking singing lesson with Setske Mostaert as well.

Vocal coaches:
Floor van Zutphen
Kees Taal
Setske Mostaert

Workshops:
Annett Andriesen (Belting technique)
Miranda van Kralingen (Classical)
Carolina Mout (Performance)
Josee Koning (Latin)
Gerda van Zelm (Classical)
Jan van Zelm (Classical)
Elenita Sportel (Speech therapy)

Personal life

In her spare time, Manda cooks, writes, and reads. Her main inspirations are Anneke van Giersbergen

Anneke van Giersbergen

Anneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...

, Tori Amos

Tori Amos

Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...

, Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

, and Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...

.