1975 THE WINNERS

WINNERS

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GREAT PRIZE OF THE CITY OF DEN BOSCH

Vladimir Pankratov

‘The Second day of the competition brought the surprise that one is waiting for at such events. A 27 years old blonde singer from Russia came on stage. He looked like young Chaplin mixed with Danny Kaye, and hardly into his Bach aria, I knew that this was the winner […] A genuine bass, voluminous, dark, and noble.’ […] ‘An artist that is already a star of global allure, a true discovery.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘The Russian bass Vladimir Pankratov is the major discovery of the International Vocal Competition Den Bosch. With his phenomenal voice, his immaculate technique and his mature artistry he won an easy victory in the bas/baritone category. In addition he won the Great Prize of the City of Den Bosch, a Prize only awarded to singers that reveal qualities that are clearly above First prize level.’ (Roel van der Leeuw, ‘Russische Bas wint Vocalistenconcours,’ Algemeen Dagblad, September 8, 1975)

‘Pankratov is born for the theatre, born for opera. His timing is immaculate, his voice carries well and is used cleverly, his natural musicality and his sheer power have secured him an impressive breath control.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Leo Riemens dubbed Vladimir Pankratov (1948, Leningrad) an artist of first rank, someone who brought life to any given phrase in the Russian excerpts that he sang. An artist who reflected the character’s emotions on his face, thus managing to bring them to life even in concert. During the Finals, Pankratov sang a Verdi aria, a Honegger song, and ‘Le veau d’or’ from Gounod’s Faust. These qualities not only won him the First prize in his voice category, but also reaped him the Great Prize of the City of Den Bosch as the best singer of the competition (as the press continued to dub this prize). Given that with Riemens things were either great or completely devastating, one might want to take his exceedingly positive review of Pankratov with a grain of salt. The Russian bass won unchallenged and reigned supreme at the 1975 edition of the IVC Den Bosch, so much is sure.

Few biographical data are available for Pankratov. His first extant is clearly the concluding September 1975 IVC Gala, where he appeared in Simon Boccanegra’s ‘A te l’estremo addio,’ and in ‘La calunnia’ from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. In 1976 he appeared in Bach’sSt. John’s Passion with the Leningrad Philharmonic. His reappearance in The Netherlands as Kotzubej in the wake of a February 1980 VARA Concert of Tchaikovski’s Mazeppin in their Saturday Matinee series was news iat the IVC 1979 though, when Hein Zomerdijk announced the concert dubbing Pankratov 'the remarkable' and 'grand slam Winner of the 1975 IVC.' Not a word was yet mentioned about his co star in Mazeppa, the fabulous Irina Arkhipova as Ljubov. Other singers included IVC 1961 winner Henk Smit and IVC 1973 finalist Wouter Goedhart in comprimario parts.

Borodin: Prince Igor ‘Konchak’s aria’ Vladimir Pankratov (Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, 1980’s)

With the St. Petersburg Maly Opera (Small Opera) ensemble he recorded Shostakovich’ ‘Ten folksongs’ on LP in 1982 (LP Melodya SUCD11 00320). He appeared in Heidelberg in the 1993/94 season, first as Lodovico in Otello, then as Komtur in Don Giovanni, both preserved in broadcasts. From the latter opera a Soviet Singers’ anthology brings us also his rendition of Leporello’s ‘Catalogue aria,’ Konchak’s aria from Borodin’s Prince Igor, and the Miller’s Act 1 aria from Darghomizhki’s Rusalka. This aria also appears on a 1997 album that brings together singers of the Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre, where he apparently celebrated the highlights of his career. Another highlight was perhaps his appearance in the Russian film version of Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Leningrad Philharmonic in 1987. Pankratov is Sparafucile, in a superb Russian cast that includes Yuri Mazurok as an excellent Rigoletto.

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FIRST PRIZE WINNERS

Patricia Price

‘An excellent concert singer.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘She surprised by a combination of qualities, that will surely secure her a career of European standing.’ (Roel van der Leeuw, ‘Russische Bas wint Vocalistenconcours,’ Algemeen Dagblad, September 8, 1975)

‘Patricia Price fully merited her First Prize with her rendition of an aria from Britten’s The rape of Lucretia in the finals.’ (Hans Hierck, ‘Prijzen rondgestrooid,’ De Volkskrant, Spetember 8, 1975)

Granados:Goyescas ‘La Maja y el Ruisenor’ Patricia Price (mezzo soprano), Gérard van Blerk (piano) LP 1978 IVC 25 Years

Hans Hierck noted that Australian mezzo soprano Patricia Price had shown her metal in the mentioned Britten aria, although her Duparc and Eckles revealed that she needed to gain experience and technique, even though he talent was obvious. Although Australian, Price was what one might label a home grown talent, since she had attended the Vocal Summer Course in Vught in the summer of 1973, where she took lessons from Hans Hotter and Maureen Lehane. We are most fortunate that the final concert of this Summer Course has been captured on tape in our archives, meaning that we get to sample Price’s artistry at the moment of her stage debut proper:

Händel: ‘My father’ Patricia Price (mezzo soprano), Rudolf Jansen (piano), concluding Concert of the IVC Summer Course Vught, July 13, 1973, Jeroen Bosch Huis, Den Bosch

From the IVC 1975 she first secured a position in the Glyndebourne Festival chorus 1977, and from there on she built on an English and Australian career of which little is known to us to date. Currently, she is a supervisor and a lecturer at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Should you have more information on Patricia Price, you are welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Maria Venuti

‘Maria Venuti, the American soprano studying in Germany, had but to let he natural vocal talents flow. These were augmented by her well-developed inner culture, all of which she had revealed previously in the semi finals. Still, she had to battle for it, because the two sopranos before her peaked during their finals appearances.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Maria Venuti (1953, New York) had studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. She went to Detmold in Germany for further studies on a Fulbright stipendium. There Helmut Kretzschmar and Gnther Weißenborn were her main tutors. She passed her concert exam with honors at Detmold's Hochschule für Musik, before embarking on a successful tour of Vocal Competition, that brought her the mentioned success in Den Bosch 1975. Maria Venuti had enlisted there with ‘Song’ as specialization, but according to Leo Riemens she won her First prize mostly because of her silvery spun notes in an aria by Puccini’s La rondine. Riemens hunch was correct, and Venuti would onwards secure an impressive operatic career. A master-class with Christa Ludwig helped Venuti to obtain an engagement at the Vienna State Opera, where she sang under Herbert von Karajan in her very first year (Inèz in Il trovatore, 1977, opposite Luciano Pavarotti and Leontyne Price). This was followed by a 1978 debut in Chicago. Onwards, she sang all the major lyric coloratura roles at the most reputable opera houses of the world, among them The Salzburg Festival, and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She was engaged at the Stadttheater Augusburg, and gave guest performances in such places as Brussels, Kassel (Ilia in 1984). Her operatic repertoire included both lyrical and coloratura parts in Mozart’s operas. Among her noted parts were also Amor in Gluck’s Orfeo, Oscar in Un ballo in Maschera, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, and Micaela in Carmen. In addition, she is also a sought-after concert singer. Broadcast recordings exist of her appearances in Mozart’s ‘Mass in C’ (Chicago, 1981, Solti conducting), Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (Hamburg 1989), Mahler ‘Symphony Nr. 8’ (Vienna, 1990).

Haydn: Die Schöpfung ‘Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün’ Maria Venuti (soprano), NDR Sinfonieorchester - Claus Peter Flor (conductor), Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, November 13, 1989

In addition there are LP/CD releases of minor roles in Stifellio (Philips), and the Karajan Trovatore (HMV). More important are her recordings of Schubert’s Lazarus (Electrola), Händel’s ‘Utrechter Te Deum’ (FSM), Mozart’s Requiem (Bayer), and the title role in Killmayer’s musical farce Yolimba (Orfeo). Maria Venuti has worked which conductors such as Sergiu Celibidache, Wolfgang Sawallisch. John Eliot Gardiner, Charles Mackerras and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and also devoted much of her time to Lieder singing.

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SECOND PRIZE WINNERS

Christiane Baumann

‘Christiane Baumann from West-Germany had not the biggest volume, but she managed her vocal talents so cleverly that she secured a deserved Second Prize. ’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

The German oratorio soprano Christiane Baumann is best remembered today by a handful of rare but interesting recordings. The first one is an Erato LP, which contains Baumann in Bach’s Cantatas BWV 11, and BWV 58. Erato also released her in Psalm 42 ‘Kommt, lasst uns anbeten’ and Psalm 95 ‘Wie der Hirsch schreit’ by Mendelssohn. She sings Haydn’s ‘Ave Maria in F,’ ‘Pietro Pompeo Sales’ and ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’ on the ARS Musica CD ‘Jubilate Deo: Festive Motets for the Church Year,’ recorded 1993/94. Finally, she is the feature artist on the 1998 CD ‘Religious arias by Händel’ on the Entrée label. Brilliant Classics released Schubert’s ‘Mass in B Flat Major ‘and his ‘Magnificat,’ with Baumann. Further releases include Haydn’s ‘Missa Sti. Aloysiï,’ and Mozart’s ‘Missa Solemnis in C.’

Paul Hindemith: ‘Cum natus esset, mottetto per la notte di Natale’ Christiane Baumann (soprano), Michael Baumann (piano) (1988 CD Christophorus CD 74546 ‘Hindemith: ‘Motetten zur Weihnachtszeit’

Should you have more information on Christiane Baumann, you are welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Rosendo F. Dacal

‘The best in his category.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘Among tenors the plethora of prizes was not so abounded. There was but one Second Prize in all, which was deservedly awarded to Rosendo F. Dacal.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Rosendo F. Dacal (1945, Cuba) was a Cuban refugee who settled in Pittsburg USA upon the death of his parents in 1961. His entry was sponsored by Most Rev John King Mussio, a Catholic bishop of the Steubenville Diaconese, who also urged the young man to train his voice professionally. While studying math in Steubenville and at the Pittsburgh University, Dacal paid for singing lessons through teaching math. He studied singing privately, first with Sylvie Derdain:

‘When the Bishop told me to take voice lessons I first said ‘No.’ The next time he didn’t ask, he just gave me the date for the first lesson that he had scheduled. At my first lesson with Madame Derdain she had me look into the mirror while I studied vocal techniques. I felt really stupid but she was a good teacher and encouraged me.’ (Dacal in The Pittsburgh Press, October 16, 1975)

His progress was such, that by 1966/67 he was send to Fontainebleau, France, for a Summer Course with IVC 1955 Juror Nadia Boulanger. She took a liking to Dacal, and had him sing lead parts in student performances. Regardless, Dacal considered music primarily a hobby and pursued his aims as a mathematician and came close to also obtaining a degree as a linguist, while performing at hospitals and the like, as part of his charity work for the Diaconese in Steubenville. One day, he had to sing at the Poverello Medal Awards, which had been awarded to Birgit Nilsson of the Met, and Dacal sang for her. Subsequently, Larry Malfatti coached the young tenor into his first operatic roles, which resulted in a 1973 debut in the Opera Barga in Lucca, Italy. Dacal:

‘This was my first and only real operatic experience. I was a lyric baritone then, but someone told me I sounded like a tenor, so I eventually switched. By then my interest in singing was very deep and I started competing in competitions. When the Met audition of 1973 and 1974 brought no results, I decided to quit teaching and concentrate on my singing. In 1974 I also married Anita Sammartino, niece of the famous wrestler Bruno Sammartino, who was a teacher herself. She supported me to pursue a career in singing. Before I knew it I came out as Nr. 3 in the local Met audition, which was enough to enter the Great Lakes Met audition, where I came out on top. That I did not achieve any results at the national auditions was not a great setback. Different Judges have different tastes and different preferences, so I decided to try my luck in Europe, where I wanted to participate in various vocal competitions, while auditioning for opera companies.’ (Pittsburg Press, October 16, 1975)

Before that happened, Dacal did take one more audition at home, for the Pittsburgh opera, where manager Richard Karp asked him where he had been hiding till then. All the main roles for the 1975/76 season were then already distributed, but he did engage Dacal as second tenor in Lucia di Lammermoor , with a scheduled debut in December 1975. Right in between came Dacal’s IVC participation, as part of his planned European tour of challengers. The first stop Dacal made in Europe was Den Bosch in The Neherlands, where he won a glorious Second Prize in the 22^nd IVC, the highest Prize Prize awarded to a tenor in that competition. The home Press wrote:

‘The Dacals dipped into their savings for his musical studied, so several Pittsburghers who had faith in his talent put up money to send him abroad. Once abroad he won a Gold medal [in the pre internet days the home press preferred gold to silver – RS] in a vocal competition in The Netherlands. Some 80 singers from 20 nations took part in it and he was the only tenor to win. The Prize: $ 500 and an appearance on Netherlands national TV in February 1976.’ (Pittsburg Press, October 16, 1975)

On the wings of that fine achievement, and with that in his pocket and Richard Karp’s recommendation at hand, he secured fine contracts with the opera houses of Saarbrucken and in Switzerland.

Should you have more information on Rosendo F. Dacal’s further career, you are most welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Alicja Swiatel-Matusik

‘She merited a First Prize.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘Alicja Swiatel-Matusik won her Second Prize by means of her touching, emotional and endearing performance.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Of Alicja Swiatel-Matusik we read that although she specialized in song, she proved an outstanding Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème.

Should you have more information on Alicja Swiatel-Matusik, you are welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Nina Terentieva

Russian alto Nina Terentieva was born in the village of Kusa, in the Chelyabinsk region. In 1973 he graduated from the Leningrad State Conservatory where she was in the class of Olga Mshansk. As a third year student she made ​​her stage debut as Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Evgeni Onegin at the Kirov Theatre (the current Mariinsky), where she performed for seven years. The Russian alto, specialized in opera, secured her Second Prize at the 1975 IVC Den Bosch on the grounds of her excellent rendition of an aria by Tchaikovsky, wrote Hein Zomerdijk. Since 1977 he has been a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre, from where she built an impressive international career. Her repertoire includes Bartók: Judith in Bluebeard's Castle; Bizet: Carmen; Cilea: Princess de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur; G. F. Gendelya: Cornelia in Julius Caesar; Mascagni: Santuzza inCavalleria rusticana; Massenet: Charlotte in Werther; Mussorgsky: Marina Mnishek in Boris Godunov, Martha inKhovanshchina; Ponchielli: Laura in La Gioconda; Prokofief: Sonia in War and peace; Rimsky-Korsakov: Duniasha Ljubasha in Tsar's Bride, Spring in Snow Maiden, Liubava in Sadko; Saint –Saëns: Dalilah in Samson et Dalilah; Shostakovich: Bellpull in Katerina Ismailova; Tchaikovsky: Pauline and Countess in Queen of Spades, Verdi: Amneris in Aida, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Eboli in Don Carlos, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Ulrika in Un ballo in Maschera; Wagner: Fricka in Wagner’s Das Rheingold. She appeared in Western Europe and the USA in a series of guest performances that included the Vienna State Opera (1987, 1994, 1996), Hamburg State Opera (1987, 1994), Canadian Opera Company Toronto (1988), Los Angeles Opera (1988, 1998, 2000), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires, 1991), Deutsche Oper Berlin (1991, 1994), Bavarian State Opera (1992 , 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001) , San Francisco Opera (1992, 1997), Teatro Liceu (Barcelona, ​​1993), Bordeaux Opera (1994), Covent Garden (1995), Opera Baltimore (1996 , 2000), Arena di Verona (1997, 1999, 2000), Opera Santiago (1997), Teatro Real in Madrid (2000), New National Theatre in Tokyo (2001), Finnish National Opera (2002), Metropolitan Opera (1998, 1999 Plácido Domingo conducting, 2002 James Levine conducting) Atlanta Opera (2003), Carnegie Hall (2004). Her discography includes the Princess in Dargomyzhsky’s Rusalka (Melodya 1983), suite from the opera Denisov’s Foam days (Melodya 1990), Kashcheyevna in Rimsky –Korsakov’s Kaschey the immortal (CD Russian Season, 1992), and Ljubasha in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar's Bride (CD Russian Season, 1993). In In 1985 she was awarded the title ‘Honored Artist of the USSR,’ in 1995 followed by the title of ‘People's Artist of the Russian Federation.’

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Maria Laferrière

'The mezzo's direct expressiveness was a constant pleasure, particularly because she understood the nature of the music she was singing, its relationship to the texts and its various stylistic demands. Her voice was attractive, steady, and slightly cool in timbre. It moved cleanly and was always on pitch' (Raymond Ericson on Marie Laferrière’s Carnegie Hall debut, New York Times, December 2, 1979).

Canadian mezzo-soprano Marie Laferrière (May 21, 1949) is a native of St-Barthélemy, in the Lanaudière region of Quebec. At the École Vincent-d'Indy 1966-72 she studied with Louise André and Bernard Diamant, and at the Salzburg Mozarteum in 1971 she was coached by the pianist Erik Werba. She won the Prix d'Europe in 1972 and resumed study with Werba at the Vienna Academy of Music 1972-3, as well as with Bernard Turgeon at the Banff SFA (summers of 1972, 1973). She was a pupil of Léopold Simoneau in San Francisco 1974-6 and placed first in auditions held by that city's opera company. At the Accademia Chigiana of Siena she worked in 1975 with the coach Giorgio Favaretto. A long list of other institutes and teachers followed. The many prizes and awards she has earned include a Canada Council for the Arts scholarship, the Dallas Dealy Award, as well as bronze and silver in international competitions in Geneva, Switzerland, First Prize at the San Francisco Opera auditions 1974, and the Second prize among sopranos at the IVC Den Bosch 1975. She won her IVC Prize with enthusiastic and moving renditions of a arias by Massenet and Mozart. Her emphasis on emotion was apparently such, that it threatened the purity of style, yet it was enough for a joint Second Prize in the mezzo/alto category at the 22^nd IVC.

In 1976, Laferrière married the US tenor David Doane, who wrote an insightful resumé of their life together:

‘I met my wife, the Canadian mezzo-soprano Marie Laferrière, while she was singing in a San Francisco Opera production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. As fate would have it, we were subsequently both asked to perform the leading roles in The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County , a contemporary opera by Lukas Foss, at the San Francisco Community Music Centre. My future wife left North America to sing in Europe for six months, but on her return we met in St. Barthélemy, Quebec, where her family has lived since the 1700s. There, on a blustery winter day in January 1976, we were married. Soon after our marriage, my wife became seriously ill and had to return to Montreal — for radiation treatment and then a delicate operation. She spent six months recovering in California, all the while preparing for the Dallas Dealey Opera Competition, which she won. Then, thanks to several contracts awaiting her at Radio-Canada in Montreal, and my desire to improve my vocal technique by studying with her voice teacher, in April 1977 we drove across the continent with what little we could stuff into my old Rambler. Home became the upper floor of a historic townhouse on Sherbrooke St. across from the entrance to McGill University. It was the adventure of a lifetime: living and working in French while also experiencing the British influence in Quebec’s culture and architecture (and in how English words were spelled in Canada); the first trip to a sugar shack and tasting a sugar pie; in-laws who didn’t understand a word of English; eating crétons and cheese for breakfast, fresh cheese curds from Kinsey Falls, Oka cheese, the unlimited variety of liver pâté, and pig-feet ragout; coming home from rehearsals in the middle of the night in perfect security; celebrating Christmas after midnight mass; playing in the snow; and enjoying the brilliant starlit nights of winter and the warm colors of autumn. When we learned that we were to have our first child, we decided to make Montreal our permanent home. When the grandchildren arrived, we were not thrilled by the idea of daycare, so right from the start we cared for them at home. It does not make for an easy retirement, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.’ (Excerpts from: David Doane, ‘Raising a family in this ‘arpent de neige,’ The Gazette Montreal, January 20, 2013)

Laferrière continued competing until 1981, when she was a finalist at the International Singing Competition of Montreal as late as 1981, hile she followed additional lessons and courses for decades, which may attest to her genuine vocation for teaching onwards. In the wake of her various successes at competitions, she managed a succesful Canadian career. Upon winning the 1979 Concert Artist Guild Award in New York, she was invited to give a recital at Carnegie Hall, and her International career took wing in the USA and France. Equally at home with the romantic and contemporary classical repertoire, Marie Laferrière was invited to sing with the symphony orchestras of Montreal, Québec, Laval, San Francisco, Dallas, Radio France, Edmonton and Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, Musica Camerata, and with Les Violons du Roy in Quebec and Montreal. In recital, she has been heard fat Carnegie Hall in New York, the Orpheum in Vancouver, Toronto Town Hall, NAC Ottawa, the Canadian Institute of Quebec and the Salle Pleyel in Paris. Her operatic roles included Donizetti's Viva la Mamma (San Francisco Opera's 1975), Milhaud's Le Pauvre matelot (Victoria International Festival 1982), L’enfant in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Lazuli in Chabrier’s L’étoile, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Eneas, Marguerite in Berlioz’La damnation de Faust, Third lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Opéra de Montréal 1986), Frau Reich in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, and Fidalma in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto (Quebec tour 1984). Between 1985 and 1989, she participated in various performances of Vivier's Kopernikus.

Claude Vivier: Prologue pour un Marco Polo (excerpt) Marie Laferrière (mezzo), Pauline Vaillancourt (soprano), David Doane (tenor), Michel Ducharme (baritone), Montréal CBC Instrumental Ensemble, 1990.

In contemporary music she often sang with the Society for Contemporary Music of Quebec (SMCQ). Laferrière is also passionate about the interpretation of the liturgical repertoire. She has also created many works by Canadian and international composers, among them Serge Garant’s ‘Chant d'amours,’ which she recorded under the direction of Walter Boudreau. She also recorded Claude Vivier and Serge Provost. She appeared on recording labels such as CBC and SNE. She also recorded three CDs with Austrian songs for SNE. Since 1990, Marie Laferrière was particularly noted for his performances of Austrian music. A tour of a dozen concerts in June 1996 in Austria, the Vienna Festival, and the Strauss Festival in Cobourg, Germany. Marie Laferrière has taught singing at Laval University in Quebec from 1984 to 1987; at the École de musique Vincent d'Indy from 1983 to 2006 and since 1991, at the Little Singers of Mount Royal in Montreal.

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Andrew Dalton

‘The only countertenor Andrew Dalton demonstrated enough vocal talent to be worthy of his Second prize.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Australian singer Andrew Dalton was the first countertenor ever at the International Vocal Competition and therefore also the first Prize Winner in this special category. Not all believed he fully merited his Second Prize, some not even because of his singing, but rather because there were no countertenors to compete with in a special category, that was created entirely for what was then decidedly a great vocal ‘rarity’. One of his only recording credits appears to be a disc of his Tolemeo in highlights from Giulio Cesare with Australian Opera, conducted by Richard Hickox (Australian Broadcasting Company Records). During the 1980’s he sang in some fine baroque performances in Germany, Austria and Swiss, among them broadcast recordings of Händels Rodrigo (Insbrück 1984, with Gloria Banditelli and John Elwes under Alan Curtis), and Belshazzar (Lausanne 1985, with Robert Tear, Jill Gomez, and Felicity Palmer). Naturally, he was a sought after countertenor in his native Australia, where he was, among other alto soloist in the Melbourne Symphony's St. John Passion. He reprised his Tolomeo for Brisbane Lyric Theatre's Cesare in October 1998. In 2006 Dutch label Etcetera rereleased his 1998 album Purcell song recordings. Finally, Etcetera released a 1988 LP with Dalton in songs by John Dowland.

Händel: Rodrigo ‘Spera, o donna regai… Agitata da fiato incostante’ (Act 1) Andrew Dalton (Fernando), Il Complesso Barocco - Alan Curtis, August 24, 1984, Innsbrück Festival.

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Heiner Eckels

‘Heiner Eckels secured his Second Prize by means of his performance of a fragment of Schönberg’s Erwartung and a very musical rendition of a song by Richard Strauss.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Grote Zangkwaliteiten op Internationaal Vocalistenconcours,’ Ons Brabant, September 8, 1975)

Leo Riemens thought the German baritone Heiner Eckels to be a tenor in disguise. Nonetheless Eckels secured a local career as an oratorio and Lieder singer, before becoming a teacher in Detmold, where he had among his pupils the noted bass baritone Andreas Wolf.

Should you have more information on Heiner Eckels, you are welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ENCOURAGEMENT PRIZE ‘TOONKUNST’

Annett Andriesen

‘Annett Andriesen secured the Encouragement Prize, after she stranded in the semi finals. This surprised me, since I was convinced that she would make it to the finals, just like her compatriot Elisa Galema.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘A scholarship went to the Dutch soprano Annett Andriesen, who, according to many, would have cut a fine figure in the finals had she not been eliminated in the second round.’ (Hans Hierck, ‘Prijzen rondgestrooid,’ De Volkskrant, September 8, 1975)

Annett Andriesen (1950, Den Haag) made her operatic debut with Opera Forum (now Dutch Touring Opera) in the role of Orfeo (Gluck) in 1975, just a few months before she won the Encouragement Prize ‘Toonkunst’ at the 22^nd International Vocal Competition Den Bosch. This Prize was the upbeat to her participation in a Dutch Television Competition, which landed her an assignment with the Dutch National Opera. There, she made her debut in a legendary 1977 Elektra production directed by Harry Kupfer. In the past 40 years she has sung in more than 100 different operas at the Dutch National Opera, Flanders Opera, Opera Forum, Opera Zuid and other opera houses in Europe and the USA, including Teatre Liceu in Barcelona and the San Francisco Opera. Her repertoire includes roles as Fricka (Die Walküre), Erda (Ring), the Countess (Pique Dame), Ulrika (Un Ballo in Maschera), Fortunata ( Satyricon), Frau Mary (Flying Dutchman), Suzuki (Butterfly), La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), La Prieure - MMe Croissy (Les Dialogues), Azucena (Il trovatore), Clytemnestra (Elektra), Kostelnicka (Jenufa) and Kabanicka ( KatjaKabanova), etc.

She has sung several world premieres of operas by Dutch composers, among them Axel (Van Vlijmen / De Leeuw), Naima (Loevendie), Dr. Faustus (Konrad Boehmer), Raaff (Robin de Raaff), Rixt (Henk Alkema), and musical works of Wim Stoppelenburg, Tera de Marez Oyens, Willem van Manen, Ilse van de Kasteelen et al. In 2010 she sang at the Dutch National Opera in a production at the Holland Festival, the world premiere of A Dog's Heart by Alexander Raskatov. She has sung this role in March 2013 at the Scala in Milan in January 2014 at the Lyon Opera.

Annett Andriesen is associated as a consultant and board member with various institutions in the field of performing arts. She produced two large scale operas, opera Rixt and the opera Bonifacius. She had been working as a singing teacher and vocal coach at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Currently, she is coordinator and teacher of the Master Singer Performer there. For many years she was president of the advisory committee Opera and Music Theatre at the Performing Arts Fund. Recently she became consultant of the national Council for Culture for opera and musical theatre. She was president of the TV series Una Voce Particolare and sat on the jury at the last Grand Final of this NCRV program. Since 2009 she has been a frequent guest on the panel of Discotabel (NTR radio). She is a regular jury member of competitions, as in Dublin at the Veronica Dunne Singing Competition at the SJMN Foundation, at the Classic Young Master Foundation and in 2012 and 2014 in Rome at the Musica Sacra Competition. In 2014 she is a member of the jury for the final of the Dutch Classical Talent at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Since 2007 Annett Andriesen is the artistic and commercial director of the renowned International Vocal Competition IVC in 's- Hertogenbosch. For a complete biography with chronology and various recordings of Annett Andriesen you may visit her profile at 401DutchDivas.nl

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PRICE FOUNDATION DUTCH MUSICAL INTERESTS

Assen Vassilieff

 The Bulgarian bass Assen Vassilieff (1948) stepped in the national tradition that had produced such illustrious predecessors as Boris Christoff and Nicolai Ghiarov. He graduated from the Bulgarian State Conservatory, where he studied with Mihail Popov, before taking further training from IVC 1975 juror Frédéric Anspach in Belgium and Rafael Arie in Israel. In 1975 he won the Fourth international Opera Competition in Skopje, and then the Prize ‘Foundation Dutch Musical Interests’ at the 22^nd IVC Den Bosch. Vassilieff returned to The Netherlands to compete in the 1976 NCRV Television Vocal Competition, where he was he was among the four Prize Winners (Dutch tenor Adriaan van Limpt won the Great Prize there). His prize at this Television Competition secured him further contracts in to sing in Belfast, where he made his stage debut as Méphistophélès in Faust, which drew the attention of the English Press. Noted was also his participation as Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia in Israel, 1979. Since then Vassilieff has been the leading bass at the Israel Opera for three seasons. His repertoire further includes Don Giovanni and Leporello in Don Giovanni, Zaccria in Nabucco, Don Pasquale, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Giorgio in I puritani, Rodolfo in La sonnambula, Procida in I vespri Siciliani, Escamillo in Carmen, Colline in La bohème and so on. In Bulgaria Vassilieff has sung in concerts during Festivals such as the Sofia Music Weeks, Vana Summer, and March Music Weeks in Rousse. In addition the bass made some recordings, among them a fascinating Balkanton recital accompanied from the Bulgarian National Chorus and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Downes. Recorded in the ‘Bulgaria’ Concert Hall in Sofia, January 1983, Vassilieff sings here extensive scenes from I Puritani, Norma, La sonnambula and Lucia di Lammermoor.

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor ‘Dalle stanze ove Lucia’ Assen Vassilieff (Raimondo), Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra – Edward Downes (conductor) (1983, LP Balkanton BOA 11119)

These excerpts reveal the dark splendor of his voice in an impressive manner. In addition we know that he performed in London (Pacini’s Maria Tudor, 1983), and in St. Petersburg (Lucia di Lammermoor, 1985), both in preserved broadcast performances. Thus, the mid 1980’s were the highlight of his otherwise short career. Further recordings include Bellini’s I puritani, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Bruckner’s Missa Solemnis in B, Magnificat in B, and his settings of ‘O du Liebes Jesu Kind’ and ‘In Jener Letzten der Nachte.’ Repertoire rarities with Vassilieff include Shostakovitch ‘The Execution of Stepán Bazin,’ Stoyanov’s ‘Liturgia Solemnìs,’ and Sviridov’s Oratorio Pathétique.

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Frieder Lang

German tenor Frieder Lang (April 28, 1950, Affalter, Germany) sang as a boy in Dresdner Kreuzchor from 1960 to 1968. In 1968 he came to West Germany and had training for choir and orchestra directing, school music, organ playing and singing (with Margit Kobeck) at the College of Music Cologne. At the same time he studied German and music science at the Cologne University from 1969 to 1975. He completed his singing studies with Paul Lohmann in Thun (Switzerland) and with Hans Hotter in Munich. His Prize ‘Foundation Dutch Musical Interests’ at the 1975 IVC Den Bosch proved the upbeat to winning a singing competition for opera in Bonn 1977, which initiated his career. As an opera singer Frieder Lang made guest appearances at the State Opera of Hamburg, at the Opera House of Cologne, at the Holland Festival, in Berne, Klagenfurt, Heidelberg and Tel Aviv.

Hans Werner Henze: Voices ‘Patria’ Frieder Lang (tenor), Musikfabrik NRW - Johannes Kalitzke (conductor) CD CPO 1992

Frieder Lang's international career materialized as a concert singer. As such, he appeared in Switzerland and Germany, including in Basel, Berne, Zürich, Geneva, in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Mainz, Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Wiesbaden, in Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin. He performed at the Luzern Festival Weeks, at the Bach and Handel Festival Munich, with the Lüneburg Bach Weeks, at the Festival of Wroclaw (Breslau) and at Salzburg Festival, where he appeared in 1986 as a soloist in a Mozart concert. Further concert appearances in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Paris and Toulouse, in Antwerp and Gent, in Turin and Rome, in Vienna, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Both as oratorio soloist and as Lieder interpreter he mastered an extremely versatile repertoire. He lives in Richterswil in the Swiss canton Zürich. Selected recordings: Bach’s Matthäus-Passion (CBS); Works of Heinrich Schütz and H.W. Henze (DGG); Carissimi’s Jephte, Mendelssohn’s ‘Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang, Nicolai’s ‘Messe in D major,’ Lortzing’s Christi Himmelfahrt (Schwann); Dittersdorf’s Doktor und Apotheker (RBM); Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht (Cascavelle).

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HONORARY DIPLOMAS

Rosario Andrade

‘The Mexican soprano Rosario Andrade had one of the most remarkable sounding individual voices of the competition.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

‘Impossible to understand why Rosario d’Andrade, excelling in Boïto’s Mefistofele, was left with only an Honorary Diploma.’ (Hans Hierck, ‘Prijzen rondgestrooid,’ De Volkskrant, September 8, 1975)

Mexican soprano Rosario Andrade (1951, Veracruz) achieved success in Europe after winning first place in the ‘Fanny Anitua ‘ contest, which gave her the opportunity to study on a scholarship in Rome, Italy. Upon completing her studies, she made her debut at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City in 1974. The year thereafter, she was awarded an honorary diploma at the IVC Den Bosch. Although not the highest distinction there, her vocal temperament was duly noted and, as can be read above, some critics publically stated their suprrise about not seeing her among the main Prize Winners. Those critics were right in so far that Andrade achieved a remarkable career, which culminated in her four season with the Metropolitan Opera House New York, where she sang from her 1982 debut as Antonia in Les contess d’Hoffmann until 1987. She sang there among others Arabella, La traviata, Mimì, and Micaela.

Naturally, she was a star of the Teatro del Palacio de Bellas Artes Mexico, where she was a celebrated Tosca and Nedda, among others. In 1977 she sang the Priestess in Aida in Brussels. She was Asteria in the 1982 Carnegie Hall performance of Boïto’s Nerone, conducted by Eve Queler. Also noted was her title role performance in Léhar’s Merry Widow in Puerto Rico, and duets concerts with Plácido Domingo in Vera Cruz and Acapulco, from which we present the Otello love duet ‘Già nella notte densa.’ In Europe she sang in France, Belgium and the United Kingdom. For further details, we quote the diva herself, from a Mexican interview:

My mother Dolores Tiburcio Zamudio discovered my voice, although I fell asleep at my first opera perfomance. Regardless, one day I told her that I wanted to be an opera singer. I studied with Daniel Ayala Pérez in Veracruz. Then in Mexico at the National Conservatory of Music and on the mentioned scholarship at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. Meanwhile I was doing international competitions. It wasn’t easy, because my father opposed my desire to become a singer, and I had to simultaneeously obtain a diploma in accountancy. I was well prepared the National Conservatory of Mexico, but I learned true discipline only in Europe. Singing takes a lot of sacrifice, separation from one’s family, and intense study. I believe in emotion as the basis for opera, and I delve deep into understanding the specific emotions of my characters. For Suor Angelica I went into a convent, for Mimì in La bohème I read all I could find about the creative process. Mozart was a composer who sang a lot, so was Verdi. Mozart was a dissolute man, very messy, wasting time and money on parties. In his operas you have to be to be singing and dancing, you must be joking, and do many things. He was versatile, and wanted singers to like he was. Naturally, my Metropolitan Opera debut in 1984 was a very emotional experience. Reaching The Met as a Mexican is the same as reaching La Scala for a European. The Metropolitan is wonderful because the audience is always looking for new talent, and when they discover it, the support it unconditionally. But you cannot have it all… the great dissapointment of my life came in 1990, when medical problems forced me to give up my career. In 2000 I returned to Mexico to teach there. Today I can look back with contentment. I always believed in the gift God gave me, I never had any doubts regarding my talent, and I achieved my aims, which now extend themselves to my vocation as a teacher. Along with Plácido Domingo, with whom I sang several times, I am the living proof that Mexico has plenty of talent, which only needs to be stimulated and supported a bit to come out in numbers.’ (Celeste Laviani, ‘Nunca dude de mi capacidad,’ Veracruz, 2009)

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Anatoly Sipnik

‘In terms of vocal and technical accomplishment one of the best singers of the competition.’ (Leo Riemens, ‘Jonge Rus Vladimir Pankratov winnaar Vocalistenconcours,’ De Telegaaf, September 8, 1975)

Nothing other than Riemens’ extremely positive quote is currently known about the Russian baritone Anatoly Sipnik. Should you have more information on Anatoly Sipnik, you are welcome to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.