1978 THE WINNERS

GREAT PRIZE OF THE CITY OF ‘s–HERTOGENBOSCH

‘In addition to her First Prize in the soprano category, I thought that Shevchenko should have been awarded the Great Prize of the City Den Bosch as well. That Prize is reserved for a vocalist who truly distinguished himself, so when President of the Jury Manus Willemsen not only dubbed her voice a present from heaven that she nurtured in life, his words should have been followed by actions.’ (Hans C.M. van Rooy, ‘Het vocalistenconcours Den Bosch,’ unidentified magazine cutting, 1978)

‘During the concluding IVC Gala Concert one could finally hear why President of the Jury Manus Willemsen had previously dubbed her voice ‘a gift from heaven. […] At first, one could simply relish in the rare, luscious splendor of her voice. Perhaps it has a sharp edge to it, but this is inborn with Slavic voices. She sculpted her arias from Boïto’s M efistofele and Verdi’s Il trovatore so beautifully, that anyone present awaited her final and finest number, Tatyana’s ‘Letter scene’ from Evgeni Onegin , with great impatience. This aria proved a triumph of lyricism.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Prachtig slotconcert,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 7, 1978)

Russian (Ukrainian) Soprano and People´s Artist of the USSR Larissa Shevchenko was born on July 19, 1950, in Lvov in present day Ukraine. While still studying at The Leningrad State Conservatory ‘Rimsky-Korsakov,’ she started testing her grounds in competitions from 1975 onwards, when she was a Prizewinner at the All-Russian Glinka Vocalists Competition. In 1976, after graduating from the Conservatory, she made her Mariinsky Theatre debut as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s Evgeni Onegin, and she became a Mariinsky Theatre soloist from the same year onwards. In1978, she participated in the International Vocal Competition (IVC) Den Bosch. She arrived there in great shape, on the wings of her Mariinsky experience, and armed with an aria catalogue that included the famous soprano arias from Faust, Il trovatore, Madama Butterfly, Cavalleria rusticana, War and peace as well as well as Stabat Mater, and the songs ‘Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis,’ and ‘Girl and death.’ With that armory, and accompanied from her own pianist, Felix Gottlib, she became the clear winner of the First Prize among sopranos. According to her own career resume, she also won the special Audience Prize here, as well as in Oostende, Belgium, 1978, where she also won the Gold Medal. Although we are not aware of the IVC 1978 having featured an official Audience Prize, the press reviews on the applause bestowed on Shevchenko’s appearances in the semi finals, finals, and gala Concert leave no doubt that she was indeed the audience favorite. The aria presented below from Kálmán’s Gräfin Maritza, perfectly demonstrates the power, the dramatic impact and the metallic bite of Shevchenko’s voice, as noted in the Dutch press reviews of her IVC appearances.

Kálmán: Gräfin Maritza ‘Aria of Maritza’ Larisa Shevchenko (Gräfin Maritza), Date & Orchestra unknown.

From 1992–1997 she was a soloist with the Bonn Opera, performing as Lisa in Tchaikovsky´s The Queen of Spades (Stage Director: Lyubimov; music revised by Schnittke). In addition to tours with the Mariinsky Opera Company to Italy, the Netherlands, the USA and Spain, she regularly gives solo concerts. She has performed in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Melbourne and throughout Germany.

In 2002, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Madame Akhrosimova in Prokofiev’s War & Peace in a cast that includedDmitri Hvorostovsky and Anna Netrebko, conducted by Valery Gergiev. She also appeaed there as Filippeyvna inEvgeni Onegin (with Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Ramón Vargas, also conducted by Valery Gergiev). In 2010 and 2011 she reappeared there as Nurse in Boris Godunov. Her repertoire includes many lead roles, among them Yaroslavna in Borodin’s Prince Igor; Filippeyvna in Tchaikovsky’s Evgeni Onegin, Maria inMazeppa, Lisa in The Queen of Spades; Akhrosimova in Prokofjev’s War and Peace; Katerina Ismailova in Shostakovich’Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ Amelia in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Leonora in La forza del destino, Elisabeth inDon Carlo, Aida in Aida; Giorgetta in Puccini’s Il tabarro, Turandot in Turandot; Senta in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer, Ortrud in Lohengrin, Brünnhilde in Die Walküre; Mrs Grose in Britten’s The turn of the Screw. In addition to operatic roles, she frequently performed in concerts of symphony music. Her concert repertoire was based on works by Beethoven (Ninth Symphony), Mahler (Second Symphony), Shostakovich (Fourteenth Symphony), Mozart (Requiem), Verdi ( Requiem) and Britten (War Requiem).

FIRST PRIZE WINNERS

David James

British countertenor David James (1950) attended Oxford University as a Choral Scholar in Magdalen College. After graduation, he joined the choir of Westminster Abbey, from where he attempted to achieve a solo career by participating in the International Vocal Competition Den Bosch 1978. Only the 7 ^th countertenor to ever have competed in Den Bosch since Andrew Dalton put the countertenor voice type on the map in Den Bosch 1975, James achieved the First Prize in the 25^th Anniversary edition. This victory established his international solo career, although James had meanwhile (in 1974) also co-founded the Hilliard Ensemble, which specialized in music written before 1600. Apart from ancient music, they also premiered contemporary works by Arvo Pärt, Elena Firsova, James MacMillan, Stephen Montague, Veljo Tormis, Heinz Holliger, Edward Cowie, John Tavener, and Gavin Bryars, to name but a few. With the Hillard Ensemble James would eventually record over 40 Lp’s and CD’s. As a soloist he sang and recorded the alto arias in the reconstruction of Bach's Mattheus Passion with the European Community Baroque Ensemble, and he participated in a recording of Giya Kancheli's ‘Third Symphony,’ with the London Philharmonic on the EMI label. There is also an acclaimed LP recording with the Amsterdam Baroque Ensemble under Ton Koopman of Hasse’s L’eroe Cinese, from which we present an aria here as a sample of David James’ artistry:

Hasse: L’eroe Cinese Il mio dolor vedete’ David James (Siveno), Amsterdam baroque orchestra – Ton Koopman (conductor), Holland Festival, a Marion Hilhorst production in Tropeninstituut Amsterdam, June 1, 1985.

David James also has sung with the larger vocal ensemble The Sixteen, with whom he has recorded J.S. Bach's Johannes Passion, Händel's Messiah, and Bach cantatas. In the 1980’s and 90’s he was in demand for operas with countertenor roles, which include many Baroque ones and a few modern operas, including Britten's A midsummer night's dream. He has sung major roles with the English National Opera, the Handel Opera, the Geneva Opera, and the Aldeburgh Festival. As a solo singer he sings a wide range of pre-Classical and contemporary repertoire. He frequently worked with Heinz Holliger (recording for ECM, and widely singing Holliger's song cycle ‘Beiseit’) and Gavin Bryars, singing in the world premiere of Bryars' opera Dr. Ox's Experiment with the English National Opera, and recording several others of Bryars' compositions.

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Ingemar Korjus

‘Ingemar Korjus continued with what he had been doing from the start: improving himself round after round of the competition, and now again surpassing himself in the concluding IVC Gala Concert. For the first time the full scale of his noble and technically accomplished voice revealed itself.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Prachtig slotconcert,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 7, 1978)

Swedish bass-baritone, teacher and adjudicator Ingemar Korjus was born in Stockholm (April 8, 1950), of Estonian parents. His parents migrated to Canada in 1952 and settled in Toronto, where Korjus studied voice with Megan Rutledge. In 1960 Korjus became a naturalized Canadian. He studied voice from 1966-72 and intermittently thereafter with Megan Rutledge. He achieved his ARCT (Associate, Royal Conservatory of Music) in performance in1970, and in teaching in 1971. He also studied 1972-5 with Erik Werba in Vienna and Hans Hotter in Munich and in 1976 with Pierrette Alarie and Léopold Simoneau in San Francisco. He made his professional debut in 1971 in a performance of Händel’s Messiah with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. He won the top male prize in the 1973 International Hugo Wolf Lieder Competition and first prize (voice) and a special outstanding performer award in the 1974 CBC Talent Festival. In 1977 he placed second in the National Vocal Competition sponsored by the Edward Johnson Music Foundation. Still prior to his IVC Den Bosch appearance, Korjus recorded works by Schubert, Wolf, Britten, and Bissell on RCI 419, released in 1975.

Keith Bissell ‘Seventeen come Sunday,’ ‘Bright Phoebe,’ ‘Madam, madam, you cam courting’ Ingemar Korjus, Radio Canada International, LP RCI 419, 1974.

In 1977 he placed second in the National Vocal Competition sponsored by the Edward Johnson Music Foundation. In 1978 he won first prize in the baritone and bass category at the International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch, Holland, and second prize at the International Music Competition in Munich.

Korjus' repertoire encompasses songs, oratorio, opera, and operetta, standard and contemporary. He has appeared in recital and concert in Canada, the US, and Europe, and has been heard many times on CBC radio. He made his debut with the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in 1977 as the Monk in Don Carlos and the Speaker in The Magic Flute. He sang with the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), the Toronto Symphony (TS), the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and also with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Austria and the Haydn Orchestra in Italy. He participated in the Algoma Fall Festival and the Brattleboro Bach Festival in Vermont (1976, Mass in B Minor). At the Guelph Spring Festival in 1977 he sang in the premiere of Healey’s Seabird Island and the Canadian premiere (1978) of Schubert's oratorio Lazarus. In 1978 Korjus signed a two-year contract (effective 1979) with the Düsseldorf Opera and sang leading baritone roles such as Masetto in Don Giovanni and Gremin in Evgeni Onegin. He appeared as Gremin also at the 1979 Aldeburgh Festival. In 1980 Korjus returned to Canada to sing Schubert's song cycle ‘Die schöne Müllerin’ at the St. Lawrence Centre, Toronto. He performed in Britten's Curlew River at the 1983 Guelph Spring Festival and in 1985 he was bass soloist in the festival's performance of Schubert's Mass in G Major. In 1988 Korjus and his wife, mezzo-soprano Sandra Graham, toured China giving recitals and master classes. He sang in the 1989 production of Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila with Stuart Hamilton's Opera in Concert and, in 1990, was Yamadori in the NAC (National Arts Centre)'s concert production of Madama Butterfly. In 1982 Korjus joined the faculty of the University of Ottawa and in 2004 was the head of that university's voice department. In addition, he has conducted master classes in Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago, has served on the jury committee for the Canada Council for the Arts, and has been co-artistic director of the Opera Lyra Ottawa Young Artists Programme.

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SECOND PRIZE WINNERS

Alla Ablaberdieva

‘In terms of beauty of voice, the younger Alla Ablaberdieva from USSR/Tajikistan didn’t give an inch to her USSR/Ukraine compatriot and rival Larisa Shevchenko, although the latter had accomplished more technical baggage in the longer span of training and experience. Ablaberdieva was at her very best in her aria from Lucia di Lammermoor. Her accomplishments in opera at the Gala Concert are all the more remarkable, since her preferred genre was song!’(Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Prachtig slotconcert,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 7, 1978)

Russian chamber music soprano Alla Muhamedovna Ablaberdieva (1953) is a graduate of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she studied in the class of Professor Nina Dorliak. After completing her studies she won the All-Union ‘Mikhail Glinka’ Competition in Moscow. Subsequently, she participated in the International Voice Competition (IVC) Den Bosch in The Netherlands 1978, where she won a prestigious Second Prize, after her compatriot Larisa Shevchenko, and on a par with UK soprano Elaine Woods. Likewise in 1978, she also won a Second Prize in a UK Competiton. Since 1978 she was a soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. She appeared regularly in chamber music concerts in Moscow and Leningrad, and also toured the USSR, Czech Republic, Hungary, North Korea, Cuba, Sweden, and France during the first decade of her career. She has toured throughout Europe and the United States, and she performed in major concert halls in London (Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room) and New York (Carnegie Hall). She worked with conductors such as Rozhdestvensky, Sondetskisom, and Ponkinym; with pianists such as Rudinym, Ardakovym, Bahchievym, Sheludyakovym, Muntyanom, and others.

Rimsky-Korsakov ‘Я в гроте ждал тебя’ Alla Ablaberdieva (soprano), orchestra unknown

She recorded six long play vinyl albums for Melodiya Records, and some CD’s for Sony, Hungaroton, and Orfeo. Among her recordings are Stravinsky’s Les noces, and mostly on Melodiya, several cantatas by Pergolesi and Vivaldi, art songs by various Russian composers, and numerous works by Bach, Händel, Purcell.

Efrem Podgaits: Children Cantata How to draw a bird ‘Painting Lesson 1’ Alla Ablaberdieva (soprano), CD Cooperative Assotiation ‘Artservice,’ Moscow, 2005.

Ablaberdieva relocated to London in 1991 and her career has since been centered there. She appeared, among others, with the London Symphony Orchestra, and as a teacher she headed the Russian repertoire class at the Royal College of Music. She advised ‘Benjamin Britten’ International singers in the Opera School and gave master classes at Trinity College of Music. Among her students is the celebrated singer/songwriter Mika.

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Grzegorz Caban

‘A typical, ‘Italianate’ opera tenor, which made his Carmen aria (‘La fleur que tu m’avais jetée’) ‘hammy,’ as the Americans say.’ (Hans C. M. van Rooy, ‘Het vocalistenconcours Den Bosch,’ unidentified magazine cutting, 1978)

‘The 2^nd Prize among tenors went to 26 years old Polish tenor Grzegorz Caban, who demonstrated that his throat could produce quite some volume. We hope that his vocal chords will sustain this sort of singing for the duration of a career…’ (Karin Maria Kwant, ‘Internationaal Vocalistenconcours Kwart Eeuw,’ Mens & Melodie, Oktober/November, 1978)

‘One hopes that the concluding Gala Concert confirms the results as published by the jury. In this respect, the audience couldn’t have complained, since Polish tenor the audience could not have been served better, since most participants surpassed their finals achievements, starting with Polish tenor Grzegorz Caban surpassed his achievements during the competition with his Gala Concert renditions of ‘Amor ti vieta’ from Giordano’s Fedora, and ‘Quando le sere al plácido’ from Verdi’s Luisa Miller . His voice is one to envy, and at a concert like this one, his youthful ardor works decidedly in his advantage.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Prachtig slotconcert,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 7, 1978)

Polish lirico spinto tenor Grzegorz Caban (February 22, 1952) achieved a career that eventually brought him to the Wiener Staatsoper, Volksoper Warszaw, Augsburg and Enschede (where, in 1991, he performed Manrico in Il trovatore, from which performance we present the ‘Di quella pira’), to mention but a few. In Augsburg, Caban received rave reviews for his Parsifal. Post career, Caban became a hotel owner at the luxurious Mazurek Hotel in Osjaków, Poland, also used for conferences and as a spa. Together with the artist, we are currently working on a more complete portrait.

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Elaine Woods

‘A very cultured singer […] I believe she deserved more than a Second Prize. If Shevchenko was the best, one should have given her the Great Prize, Elaine Woods the First and Ablaberdieva the Second Prize. In that way, full justice would have been done to their respective qualities.’ (Hans C.M. van Rooy, ‘Het Vocalistenconcours Den Bosch,’ unidentified magazine cutting, 1978)

‘Among the sopranos at the concluding IVC Gala Concert, we would first like to mention Elaine Woods , because of her gorgeously sung aria from Massenet’s Hérodiade . Her vocal make-up is of wholly different nature than the one of her Russian competitors, but the mildness in combination with temperament in expression conquered the hearts of the audience nonetheless.’ (Hein Zomerdijk, ‘Prachtig slotconcert,’ Brabants Dagblad, September 7, 1978)

Other than Van Rooy’s remark about British soprano Elaine Woods, little is known about her today. Whereas Van Rooy judged her a Lieder singer, she later proved her operatic stamina as a lyric soprano. She had a notable career in opera, and was at some time engaged at the Zurich Opera, judging form a preserved 1986 broadcast that featured her as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte there. From the same year we have a broadcast of her as Amital in Mozart’s La Betulia liberata, from Konzerthaus Wien, with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Yehudi Menuhin. Her discography includes a Sony release on Beethoven’s ‘Songs from the British Isles’ (CBS/Sony 64301).

Beethoven: Songs from The British Isles ‘To the Aeolian Harp’ Elaine Woods (soprano), Festhalle, Bad Urach, 1987 (CD Sony)

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HONORARY DIPLOMA

Henry Haas

‘Belgian bass baritone Henry Haas judged his Honorary Diploma not enough to come to step forward in order to receive it’. (Hans C.M. van Rooy, ‘Het Vocalistenconcours Den bosch,’ unidentified magazine cutting, 1978)

Nothing further is known to us of the career of Henry Haas. Additional info, photos and/or recordings are welome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Jard van Nes

‘Van Nes is very much ‘an artist’’ (Hein Zomerdijk, Brabants Dagblad, September 1978)

After finishing her piano studies with Sas Bunge, Jard van Nes started her vocal studies with Herman Woltman at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 1978 she won an Honorary Diploma, The ‘Toonkunst’ Young Talent prize and the BUMA Prize in the International Vocalist Competition (IVC) Den Bosch. In 1981 in the International Opera- and Belcanto Competition, organized by the Belgian Radio. In 1984 Jard van Nes received the prestigious Dutch Music-award after additional studies with Christa Ludwig and Noemie Perugia. She made her debut with the 'Nederlandse Operastichting' in 1983 as Bertarido in Händel’s Rodelinda. In 1985 she sang the title part in Händel’s Orlando with the Nederlandse Opera Stichting. In the same year she collaborated in the Holland Festival world premiere of Theo Loevendie’s Naima. She sang roles in works of Händel, Wagner (Brangäne, Fricka, Erda), Verdi (Ulrica) and Richard Strauss. In a very short time Van Nes became one of the most sought-after Dutch singers, not just in The Netherlands, but also abroad. She was regarded as one of the most important mezzo-sopranos of her generation, working on a regular basis with conductors of great fame like Daniel Barenboim, Roberto Benzi, Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Ivan Fischer, Carlo Maria Giulini, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Reinbert de Leeuw, Kurt Masur, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kurt Sanderling, Georg Solti, Hans Vonk and Edo de Waart. She performed with all the Dutch orchestras, but also with most of the top-orchestras in the world she became a regular returning guest-soloist. Her repertoire ran from the period of early Baroque-music till pieces specially written for her by Dutch composers such as Theo Loevendie, Caroline Ansink, and Tristan Keuris. During her singing career she worked in all the continents, except South-America and Africa. She performed in Wigmore Hall London, Carnegie Hall New York, Le Theâtre de l'Athenée Paris, Musikverein Vienna and on all the important podia of The Netherlands, such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, De Doelen Rotterdam, and Vredeburg Utrecht. A special reputation she earned with the music of Gustav Mahler. Her interpretation of Das Lied von der Erde became legendary – not bad for a singer whom one 1978 IVC critic judged as having ‘no voice.’

Mahler: Symphony Nr. II ‘Urlicht’ Jard van Nes (contralto), Dutch Radio Orchestra – Hans Vonk (conductor)

On December 26, 2000, she gave her last concert, dedicating herself further to coaching talented young singers via private lessons and public Master classes, among others in 's-Hertogenbosch, where she also became a juror.

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Christoph Rösel

‘The German Lieder singer Christoph Rösel received his BUMA Prize for his performance of Hans Bijvanck’s song ‘Dem aufgehenden Vollmonde.’ (Karin Maria Kwant, ‘Internationaal Vocalistenconcours Kwart Eeuw,’ Mens & Melodie, Oktober/November, 1978)

German tenor Christoph Rösel was born in Gera, Thüringen. Just five years old he received his first piano lessons and started a twelve-year membership with the Thüringer Sängerknaben. During his childhood years he sang various boy soprano parts t the various boys games at the German Nationaltheater Weimar. He studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Franz Liszt’ in Weimar, where he graduated in opera and teaching. During his studies, he started entering Voice Competitions, winning prizes at the International Robert Schumann Competition, the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, and the 25^th International Vocal Competition in Den Bosch, 1978. Subsequently, he achieved solo engagements at the German National Theatre in Weimar, Dessau and the State Theatre of the Semperoper Dresden. In addition, there were guest appearances at opera houses in Augsburg, Coburg, Meiningen, the State Theatre Innsbruck and the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, and at various International Opera Festivals. He was a soloist at concerts by the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra and Berlin, the Leipzig Thomanerchores, the Dresden Cross Choir the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Riga Philharmonic, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Bach Choir of Salzburg, the Festival of Baroque Music in Porto, the Philharmonic Orchestra Stettin, the Academy of St. Martin in the fields, as well as in the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Teatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro, to mention but a few. He sang under distinguished conductors such as Kurt Masur, Peter Schreier, and Helmuth Rilling. He appeared in opera and concert in Belgium, Brazil, Germany, England, France, The Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Among his numerous CD recordings is Schubert’s ‘Die schöne Müllerin’ with guitar accompanyment from Carlo Marchione. In addition, he participated in various radio and TV productions.

Schubert: ‘Erlkönig’ Christoph Rösel (tenor), Private collection of the artist

As a teacher Rösel is head of a singing class at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg in Innsbruck. He gave international master classes, such as the International Music Seminar Weimar (course Lore Fischer), the Summer Academy Pollensa / Mallorca (course Geoffrey Parsons ), and the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart (course Kurt Equiluz). He is a visiting professor at several international classes for singing and interpretation. As a conductor he worked among others with the Chamber Orchestra of the Thüringen Philharmonie and the University Mozarteum Salzburg/Innsbruck.

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BUMA PRIZE

Ulrike Bäusch-Belician

‘Ulrike Bäusch-Belician received her BUMA Prize fro her interpretation of Jan van Vlijmen’s ‘Drei Morgenstern Lieder.’ (Karin Maria Kwant, ‘Internationaal Vocalistenconcours Kwart Eeuw,’ Mens & Melodie, Oktober/November, 1978)

Nothing further is known to us of the career of Ulrike Bäusch-Belician. Additional info, photos and/or recordings are welome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Glyn Davenport

‘Among bass-baritones another BUMA Prize was awarded to the English baritone Glyn Davenport, who gave a captivating performance of the very difficult Rudolf Escher song ‘Strange Meeting. ’ (Karin Maria Kwant, ‘Internationaal Vocalistenconcours Kwart Eeuw,’ Mens & Melodie, Oktober/November, 1978)

English baritone Glyn Davenport performed in various concerts, operas and choirs in the UK between the 1971 and the late 1990s.

The first mentioning of his name dates back to seven years before his 1978 IVC entry, when he appears as the soloist in Anthony Moore’s ‘Pieces From The Cloudland Ballroom,’ a palindrome that takes nearly 20 minutes to complete based on the odd numbers 3, 5, 7, 9, 11.

This minimal music piece, originally released onto LP was later published on CD by Polydor, and the Blueprint. A broadcast recording of Hänel’s Agrippina from The Kent Opera Baroque Ensemble conducted by Ivan Fischer, features him as Pallante. Next he is Lord Elfort in the 1995 DVD production of Auber’s Le domino noir, from Compiègne. Although a character role, he’s on stage there for at least 30 minutes, and at the end he finally also gets a tune to sing!

Nothing further is known to us of the career of Glyn Davenport. Additional info, photos and/or recordings are welcome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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TOONKUNST PRIZE

Tiny Peters

Very little is known of Dutch soprano Tiny Peters career, other than that she was born in the province of Limburg, and that she won the ‘Toonkunst’ Young Talent Prize in the International Vocal Competition (IVC) Den Bosch 1978. That she had a prospering career onwards is clear from the fact that she was still performing in 2001, when she sang Juliette in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt in Staatstheater Karlsruhe. Given that her only know recording, Der Waldvögel in Gunter Neuhold’s 1995 recording of Wagner’s Siegfried, is also from Germany, in addition to which she is absent on the roster of the various Dutch Opera companies until 1993, it seems that Peters had the larger part of her career in Germany.

Wagner: Siegfried ‘Hei! Siegfried gehört nun der Niblungen Hort!’ Tiny Peters (Waldvögel), Badische Staatskapelle – Gunter Neuhold (conductor), 1995 (CD Documents 223059)

Nothing further is known to us of the career of Tiny Peters. Additional info, photos and/or recordings are welome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.