Els Van Laethem earned a master’s degree in voice with Lieve Vanhaverbeke at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven. After advanced studies with Dina Grossberger she opted for early music. She is a member of the Huelgas Ensemble and occasionally performed with the Collegium Vocale Gent. With Jurgen De bruyn she founded the ensemble for early music Zefiro Torna in 1996.

As a freelance singer Els Van Laethem stands out as a soloist in the cantata and oratorio repertoire. Once in a while she breaks away from early music: she has a special interest in alternative forms of music such as music theatre and music for the stage. She sang for the CD Jardin Clos by Wim Mertens, and performed a couple of times with the contemporary music ensemble Champ d’Action.