Isabella Calmet (1996) is a Peruvian composer, singer, artist, and 2D animator whose primary project involves blending classical music with animation, with her animated music films serving as the main expression of this work.
She studied classical orchestral composition at the Music School of the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences. In 2021, after receiving the MEXT scholarship from the Japanese Embassy, she moved to Kyoto as a research student in Japanese traditional music at Kyoto City University of Arts. Isabella has been based in the Netherlands since 2023. In July 2025, she completed her master’s degree in Creative Performance and Composition at the Fontys Academy of the Arts with the distinction “Cum Laude.”
The importance of imagination and storytelling is strongly present in her music and visuals. With a colorful and naive aesthetic, her work seems to emerge from the imaginary world of a child’s dream, where that childlike sense of wonder and discovery forms the key to her artistic process. Playfulness, sincerity, and vulnerability are interwoven in both her music and her visuals. Some examples of her animated musicals include “Underwater,” an orchestral arrangement that immerses you in her childhood underwater daydreams; “Fight Me,” a story about sisterhood, and “Nelumbo,” which centers on a dancer named Nelumbo who struggles to finish a choreography due to an emotional block.
Isabella Calmet responds to the exhibition YARN. The performance will take place on Saturday 6 June at 3.30pm.
Cooperation with De Link – podium voor nieuw gecomponeerde muziek, Tilburg