1977 THE WINNERS

FIRST PRIZE WINNERS

William Elvin

‘An English singer studying in Italy, where he is cultivating a formidable choice, judging from his rendition of an aria from The rake’s progress.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Mannen sterk,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 10, 1977)

‘William Elvin distinguished himself especially during the finals, with a remarkable performance of Iago’s diabolic ‘Credo’ from Verdi’s Otello.’ (Jules Cuyper, ‘Drie winnaars,’ De Telegraaf, September 12, 1977)

English bass baritone William Elvin was born in Turriff, Schotland. He studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music, winning the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship in 1967, and he studied Naples. He joined Scottish Opera, and sang several solo roles with the company, including Yamadori and Ned Keene. Most notably, he created the leading role of Davie in Robin Orr's Full Circle. He also toured with the Opera for All Company, singing Germont in La traviata. He joined Glyndebourne in 1969, and sang Papageno with the Glyndebourne Tour. By the tie he reached Den Bosch, he was apparently on the far end of the age limit for enlisting, and given his experience at the time, anything else than a victory would have been disappointing. For Elvin, there is no need to look for vocal samples other than those in our own archives, since he arrived to Den Bosch in his vocal prima!

Beethoven: Fidelio ‘Ha, welch ein Augenblick’ William Elvin (Pizarro), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977

He returned to Scottish Opera once for a tour in the title role of Don Giovanni. Onwards, he spent several years based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing a wide range of principal roles. These include Wagner in Faust, Schaunard in La bohème, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Happy in La fanciulla del West, One-eyed Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Marullo in Rigoletto, Christian in Un ballo in maschera, and Novice's Friend in Billy Budd. All his Covent Garden roles exist as broadcast performances among collectors. He also appeared in the 1979 Philips recording of Un ballo in maschera with José Carreras and Montserrat Caballé, the Decca reording of La traviata with Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland, and the Deutsche Grammophon recording of La fanciulla del West with Plácido Domingo and Caroll Neblett.

Linda Finnie

‘It happened only once during the finals that one could sense a shift in attention level among the audience, and that was when English alto Laura Finnie entered the stage. One sensed the artistic importance of this singer. Notwithstanding her youth, she prove herself an artist to be reckoned with both in Mahler’s ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen,’ and in ‘Addio, addio’ from Gluck’s Orfeo. A sure First Prize winner, although the Jury did not give her the Great Prize of the City of Den Bosch.’ (‘Goede kwaliteit op het 24e vocalistenconcours,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 11, 1977)

‘No one discussed Linda Finnie's First prize. Even if one might have had doubts post Ravel’s ‘L’indifferent,’ she secured her victory with a wonderful Mahler song, beautifully sung, with control, and impeccable style. She was definitely the best in her class, and the best vocalist in the competition as such.’ (‘Finale zonder verrassingen,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 10, 1977)

‘What Linda Finnie lacked in taste for dresses, she made up with her talent for song. She sounded ripe and ready, and was awarded with an ovation during the finals. The Jury mentioned her charisma as a special feature.’ (Jules Cuyper, ‘Drie winnaars,’ De Telegraaf, September 12, 1977)

Scottish mezzo-soprano Linda Finnie (May 9, 1952, Parkhall) attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where she earned each of the school's performance awards, and she won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Award in 1974. She achieved an international break through when she won the First Prize in the alto category (also known as the ‘Kathleen Ferrier’ Prize) at the IVC in Den Bosch, where she ranked among the favorites from the start. She was also clearly the favorite of the audience there, and impressed during the concluding Gala Concert on September 14, from which we provide a telling sample here:

Mahler ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ Linda Finnie (Alto), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Following her IVC Victory, Finnie made debuts with most of the major opera companies in the British Isles, among them Covent Garden and the English National Opera. Abroad, she sang first with the Frankfurt Oper, making her debut as Amneris. In Nice, she sang Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, establishing her suitability for the Wagnerian repertory. In 1988, she made her first appearance at Bayreuth, singing Fricka, Siegrune, and the Second Norn in the theater's new Ring cycle conducted by Daniel Barenboim. From her operatic repertoire we present here a sample of her appearance as La Haine in Gluck’s groundbreaking final opera, Armide.

Gluck: Armide ‘Plus on connait l’amour’ Linda Finnie (La Haine), The City of London Sinfonia - Richard Hickox (conductor), Spitalfields Festival 1982 (CD EMI 7243 489880 2 7).

According to her online biographer Erik Eriksson, to whom we are much obliged for this portrait, her ‘full, ripe, if not especially large, instrument proved well-suited to a broad repertory, and she built her career upon opera performances and concert work. A long-standing exclusive recital and oratorio artist for Chandos Records, she has recorded numerous oratorios and song recitals.

Korngold: Abschiedslieder ‘Mond, so gehst du wieder auf’ Linda Finnie (Contralto), BBC Philharmonic – Sir Edward Downes (Conductor), 1993 (CD Chandos CHAN 9171).

With respect to her concert repertoire, we point to her 1986 Proms debut, the alto soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ‘Symphony of a Thousand.’ America heard her that same season when she appeared as a soloist in Verdi's Manzoni Requiem with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Other prominent orchestras figured in her engagement book, including the Pittsburgh and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the BBC Symphony, the Scottish National Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de Radio France. In opera, return engagements at Bayreuth and Frankfort were supplemented by appearances at London's Royal Opera and English National Opera and with the Nieuwe Nederlandse Opera.

Finnie became active in the recording studio early in her career, participating in Kurt Sanderling's recording of Beethoven's ‘Symphony No. 9’ in 1981. Since then, she participated in a significant number of recordings, among them Gluck's Armide (EMI, 1983), Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky (1988), Mendelssohn's Elijah (with Richard Hickox, 1989), and in the 1990s, such works as Mahler's ‘Kindertotenlieder’ and ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen,’ and Elgar's ‘Sea Pictures and Music Makers.’ Several commendable song recitals were also recorded for Chandos. She appears on their 1992 compilation Songs of the British Isles, and Korngold’s ‘Abschiedslieder’ (from which we presented a sample above).

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Raili Viljakainen

‘Raili Viljakainen, ‘the fresh flower from Finland,’ even surpassed her achievement s from the finals in three songs by Richard Strauss; this soprano will surely become a singer of the highest caliber.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘ Gul applaus,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 15, 1977)

Finnish soprano Raili Viljakainen (Helsinki, January 29, 1954) studied at the Helsinki Sibelius Conservatory and continued his studies in England, Germany, and under the leadership of Luigi Ricci in Rome. She arrived to the 24^th International Vocal Competition (IVC) Den Bosch 1977 as winner of the 1976 Finnish ‘Timo Muskakalio Concours.’ In Den Bosch, her coming out on top of her voice category, was never in doubt. On the grounds of the semi finals, some had expected her to also win the Great Prize of the City of Den Bosch for Best Singer in the Competition. Eventually, that Prize was not awarded, since Viljakainen proved less ‘fresh’ in the finals; according to the press this was ‘presumably’ due to the fact that she had chosen to travel up and down to East–Berlin the day before the finals, in order to give a concert there! Nonetheless, she still achieved the First Prize in the soprano category, and she proved inspired during the concluding Gala Concert, from which we present an excerpt of Richard Strauss’ ‘Vier Letzte Lieder’ (in addition to which she also sang Mimì’s aria from La bohème, which can be heard in the Gala Concert page) {HYPER TO CONCERT PAGE 1977}

Richard Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder ‘Im Abendrot’ Raili Viljakainen (soprano), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Her IVC victory secured Viljakainen a contract with the Württemberg State Opera as a soloist from 1978-1988. She has also appeared at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, as well as the United States, Australia and Japan. Her Mozart roles include Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. Then also Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen , Kata in Janacek’s Kata Kabanova, Sophie in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier; from Puccini Mimì in La bohème, Manon Lescaut, and Liù in Turandot. In 1981 she appeared in filmed version of Anchen in Der Freischütz, and Lisa in Leevi Madetoja’s Pohjalaisia (The Ostrobotnians). In Nuremberg she made her debut as Eva in Wagner's Die meistersinger von Nürnberg.

She returned to Helsinki in 1988, becoming a soloist at the Finnish National Opera from then until 2008. Here her key repertoire were roles such as Tatyana in Evgeni Onegin, Mimì in La bohème, Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, and Ellen Orford in Britten’s Peter Grimes, along with a number of Finnish opera’s. In addition to her operatic career, Viljakainen has performed in the concert circuit, as well as in Lied recital at home and across Europe and the United States. She has also performed in Japan, Australia and the former Soviet Union. Her repertoire included a substantial range of contemporary composers, including Finnish ones. Her commitment to the national musical scene is attested by her two Finnish CD recordings, where she appears in the cast of Tapio Tuomela’s Mothers and Daughters, and Armas Launis' As lak Hetta. Her only recital CD is a Lieder album dedicated to the songs of Nikolay Karlovich, Sergei Vasiljevitš, György Kurtág, Jean Sibelius, and Franz Schubert. In addition, we have broadcast recordings of the Stuttgart Staatsoper featuring her in a small part in Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten from 1987, and one from the Finnish National Opera featuring her as Mimì in La bohème.

Puccini: La bohème ‘Donda lieta uscì’ Raili Viljakainen (Mimì), Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus – Markus Lehtinen (conductor), 1992.)

Viljakainen’s last concert appearance was in August 2008, Kalevi Aho Luosto, Luosto Fell symphony soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland with John Storgårds. In 2014, she received the Finnish Cultural Foundation Award (20.000 euro). This prestigious award had previously been given also to bass and IVC Juror Kim Borg (1992), dramatic soprano Anita Välkki (2002) and to bass Matti Salminen (2009). The motivation for awarding the prize to Viljakainen was cristal clear:

‘The Finnish Cultural Foundation has awarded ‘Lea Inv Award’ to opera singer Raili Viljakainen, for her versatility as an international and national opera and concert singer. Viljakainen has captured the hearts of her audiences with a strong identification with her roles and music, combined with an uncompromising professionalism.’

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SECOND PRIZE WINNERS

Daisietta Kim

‘Daisietta Kim’s voice sounds lush and effortless. With all four songs of a cycle by Argentine composer Rodrigo, she earned her place among finalists.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘ Gul applaus,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 15, 1977)

American Korean soprano, pianist, dancer and choreographer ‘who also plays violin and organ’ Daisietta Kim (April 21, 1950) was born in New York to Korean parents. Her father was a European-trained architect who earned a master's at Columbia and her violinist mother a Juilliard graduate. Kim grew up near Fresno in Reedley, California. She began dance and drama classes at 4 because her mother wanted to correct her shyness, which, to her own acknowledgement, worked out fine. She started taking piano lessons started shortly after, and then continued her musical pursuits at Smith College, where she founded a chamber orchestra and served as assistant conductor of the Smith-Princeton Chamber Singers, with whom she toured South America. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa, she went on to study at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria under the German bass-baritone Hans Hotter. Presumable, it was also Hotter who suggested her to compete in Den Bosch 1977, where he himself had been a celebrated Summer Course coach in Vught, 1974. Kim then obtained an important Second Prize in the 1977 IVC, on the grounds of the intrinsic beauty of her voice.

Weber: Der Freischütz ‘Kommt ein schlanker Bursch gegangen’ Daisietta Kim (Agathe), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Although not born in Korea, and a chance appearance on the operatic firmament, Kim’s victory still marks the subsequent rise of the Korean vocal school as much as Dan Iordachescu’s victory in 1963 marked the rise of the Romanian vocal school. In 1978, still studying with Hotter, she won the 1978 Schubert Prize in Austria, which marked the moment to start her professional, multifaceted performing career.

Kim: ‘My father always wanted me to be a scholar, a philosophy professor. But once he realized my destiny was music, he was accepting. I love getting it all out onstage, and with lots of intensity - the joy, the rage. I'm very comfortable doing that. But not so in real life, not when people expect me to be something more than an ordinary person.’ (Kim in The Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2005)

Kim was active in a wide field of musical and theatrical activities. She played Maisie Kim in the 1980 television movie A Christmas Without Snow, where she played a young soprano who auditioned for a part. Very funny is the remark of Mrs. Burns who comes up to her post audition, saying how lovely her voice is, which is all the more ‘amazing, since there are so few singers among her people’… If this sparked a cultural uprising in Korea, or if the boom in Korean singers occurred otherwise, few television programs have ever been outdated so fast! Onwards, Kim would be most celebrated for concert performances, most notably with modern music. In 1979 she founded the Los Angeles Vocal Arts Ensemble. She gave many recitals ranging from Berio’s ‘O King’ to one of her most celebrated interpretations in all, Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire (1989 South Bay), songs by Purcell, Schubert, Britten, Crockett, Fauré, and Guridi (1994 Spith Bay), or Stalvey’s ‘Pound Songs’ (2005, Los Angeles County Musem). In addition, she has a part in the CD release of John Cage’s Europeras III & Europeras IV. Apparently, Kim was a local favorite in the LA Art scene, and in 2005 she starred in the world premiere of Windup, a mixed-media piece she created for herself, which she presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as part of a concert by the contemporary music ensemble Xtet (a group which she cofounded in 1986).

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Eligia Kłosowska

All that we currently know about Eligia Kłosowska (May 23, 195?) is that she studied from 1967 to 1972 in the State Conservatory in Krakow, with Dr. Adam Szybowski. In 1970 she attended on a State Stipendium the XIth Internationa Music Seminar in Weimar. She graduated from the State Conservatory in 1972, with distinction, following which she became a soloist at the State Opera in Bytom. In addition, she was ensemble member in the ensemble for Alte Musik (Ancient Music) ‘Capella Ctacoviensis’ of the State Philharmonic, in Krakow. Even before arriving to Den Bosch, she had participated in a number of Polish radio and television broadcasts, and in symphonic concerts, and appeared in France, the USSR, Romania and Czechoslovakia. In 1975, she obtained the First Prize at the Vocal Competition in Łódź. To date, the only extant example of her art is her IVC 1977 Final Concert appearance, which was reserved in our archives.

Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila ‘Mon Coeur s’ouvre a ta voix’ Eligia Kłosowska (mezzo soprano), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Upon winning the Second Prize in the 1977 edition of the International Vocal Competition Den Bosch, she entered into a long-term engagement with the Würzburg Stadttheater in Germany, where she resides till date. One of her roles there was The Mother in Menotti’s The Consul, in 1992. Should you have more information, photos and/or recordings of Eligia Kłosowska, you may contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Janusz Marciniak

Very little is know about Janusz Marciniak, other than that he remained active as a tenor until well in the 1990’s, when traced of concerts with him can still be found, such as in 1995, when he appeared at the concert cycles ‘Burmistrz Miasta Zaprasza’. His voice is preserved through his aria from Elias at the concluding IVC Gala Concert in 1977, and through his appearance on the Rajmund Ambroziak In memoriam CD, where he sings Richard Strauss’ ‘Morgen,’ Tadeusz Szeligowski’s ‘Arion,’ and Hugo Wolf’s ‘Verborgenheit.’

Mendelssohn: Elias ‘So ihr mich von ganzem Herzen suchet’ Janusz Marciniak (tenor), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Should you have more information, photos and/or recordings of Janusz Marciniak, you may contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Graham Titus

‘Although enlisted in the song category, his singing in an aria of Mendelssohn’s Paulus was no less convincing. He also showed courage by not just singing a popular Schubert song, but also a composition by a contemporary Dutch composer.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Mannen sterk,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 10, 1977)

After studying at Cambridge University, where he was Organ Scholar of Clare College, UK baritone Graham Titus won a scholarship to study singing at the Cologne College of Music. At the International Vocal Competition Den Bosch 1977 it was a close call between First Prize winner William Elvin and Titus, with the latter obtaining a fine Second Prize, while he turned the concluding Gala Concert nearly into a prolongation of the contest in search for the audience’s favor! His remarkable rendition of Dutch contemporary composer Daan Manneke’s ‘Envoi,’ ‘Heaven-Haven,’ and ‘The Author’s Epitaph’ can be heard in the Gala Concert page, whereas here we single out his celebrated rendition of Brahms’ ‘Sind es Schmerzen, sind es Freuden.’

Brahms: ‘Sind es Schmerzen, sind es Freuden’ Graham Titus (baritone), Brabants Orkest – André Rieu Sr. (conductor), IVC Gala Concert, Casino Theatre, Den Bosch, September 14, 1977.

Following his Second Prize at the IVC 1977, he sang principal roles in opera at ENO, Handel Opera Society, Opera North, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and Opera Factory London. He performed in opera, oratorio and recital in many countries. He has recorded several solo recitals of Lieder with Erik Levi for BBC Radio 3, as well as programs of contemporary music. For 10 years he was a full-time member of the BBC Singers, where he specialized amongst other things in contemporary music. He sang bass for the Gesualdo Consort of London for many years and took part in Werner Herzog’s 1995 documentary film about Gesualdo, ‘Death for Five Voices’. Apart from his official Hyperion discography, there are also several broadcast recordings extant, among them George Rush’ The Capricious Lovers (with IVC 1968 Second prize Winner Wendy Eathorne in the cast).

George Rush: The capricious lovers ‘Tho’ my drefs, as my manners’ Graham Titus (Hobbino), City of London CO – Thomas McIntosh (conductor), Queen Elisabeth Hall, 1982.

In addition he is Mr. Jenks in BBC’s 2000 broadcast of Aaron Copland’s The tender land, and Pilate in the 2006 UK premiere of Francis Grier's oratorio The Passion of Jesus of Nazareth.

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HONORARY DIPLOMA

Doreen O’Neill

‘UK Mezzo soprano Doreen O’Neill received an Honorary Diploma. No doubt she earned this distinction with her beautifully sung, stylish, controlled an moving Monteverdi aria.’ (‘Finale zonder verrassingen,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 10, 1977)

Whereas there is abundant information on her sister Patricia, who also competed at the 24^th edition of the International Vocal Competition (IVC) Den Bosch, where she was a finalist, remarkably little is known of Doreen O’Neill’s career as a concert mezzo soprano post her IVC 1977 Honorary Diploma. In fact, it seems Doreen’s greatest talent was only revealed in 1986, when she founded the Harlequin Agency in Cardiff, whose main aim was to nurture young talent in Wales. It currently represents more than twenty-five artists including one of the world's finest bass baritones Bryn Terfel, international tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones, singer, presenter and actress Shân Cothi, The Three Welsh Tenors, mezzo-soprano Leah-Marian Jones, and West-End Star John Owen-Jones. Doreen is part of the musical O’Neill family, which further includes brother and star tenor Dennis O'Neill, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth O’Neill, the late Andrew O'Neill (an Award winning producer), and Sean O'Neill. Should you have more info on Doreen O’Neill’s career, including photographs and recordings, 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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TOONKUNST PRIZE

Joke de Vin

The Dutch contralto Joke (van) de(r) Vin began her singing studies with Jo Bollekamp at the Rotterdam’s Conservatorium, finishing in 1976 with diploma for solo singing (in 1978 she won de Prix d’Exellence). In between, she won the Encourgement Prize ‘Toonkunst’ at the IVC Den Bosch 1977, which sparked a fine career. De Vin developed a wide repertoire, from Lieder to oratorio, and opera, with both modern and period instruments. She made her Dutch Opera debut on November 3, 1988 as 3e Dame in Die Zauberflöte, followed by Stimme aus der Höhe and Zaubermädchen in Parsifal (1990). Her finest hour in Amsterdam was doubtlessly her Miss Quickly in Falstaff (1990); her last debut there was Nutrice in L’incoronazione di Poppea, followed by a reprise of the Parsifal sequenz, both in 1993. Others roles in her repertoire are the Königin der Nacht in DieZauberflöte, Flosshilde in Das Rheingold by Wagner, and Marcellina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Apart from Amsterdam, she sang in various opera houses, among them in Bordeaux en Boston (USA). In the sound sample of her voice below, she performs together with IVC 1958 2^nd Prizewinner Bernard Kruysen.

Sonja Beets: ‘De Orgelspeler’ Joke de Vin (mezzo soprano), Bernard Kruysen (dialogues), organ player unknown (© Sonja Beets, published with courtesy of the composer)

In 1995 Joke de Vin appeared in Lisbon at the première and CD-recording of Mattutino dei Morti by the Portuguese composer Joâo Domingos Bomtempo. Other important engagements were in Madrid under the baton of Rafaël Frühbeck de Burgos, and with the violist Nobuko Imai in Las Palmas and Bilbao. In 1998 she participated in a special concert for Z.K.H. Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène. Post career she became a successful vocal teacher.