Winners

on 31 August, 2014

2010 THE WINNERS

GREAT PRIZE OF THE CITY OF DEN BOSCH
Daniela Köhler Soprano GE
OPERA PRIZE
Claudia Boyle Soprano IRL
Miriam Daenesse Clark Soprano FRG/USA
TOONKUNST ORATORIO PRIZE
Rosanne van Sandwijk Mezzo-soprano NL
ARLEEN AUGÉR PRIZE FOR VOCAL ACCOMPLISHMENT
Jeanine de Bique Soprano TTO
MARGIE WEIDEMAN SONG PRIZE
Not awarded
PROVINCE OF NORTH BRABANT YOUNG TALENT PRIZE
Kateryna Kasper-Machula Soprano UKR
STAETSHUYS FOUNDATION PRIZE
Rosanne van Sandwijk Mezzo-soprano NL
DUTCH SONG PRIZE
Elsa Barthas Mezzo-soprano FR
RABOBANK AUDIENCE PRIZE
Yun-Jeong Lee Soprano KOR
NTR MEDIA PRIZE
Eung Kwang Lee Baritone KOR
FRIENDS OF THE IVC PRIZE
Júlia Bányai Soprano HUN
YOUNG JURORS PRIZE
Claudia Boyle Soprano IRL
DUTCH RECORD COMPANY AWARD
Miriam Daenesse Clark Soprano FRG/USA
ELLY AMELING SONG COURSE
Bernadeta Astari* Soprano IDN
Júlia Bányai Soprano HUN
Seil Kim Tenor KOR
Benjamin Russell Baritone IRL
Rosanne van Sandwijk Mezzo-soprano NL
*Invited to participate but did not compete in the 48th IVC

 

Daniela Köhler

  • IVC 2010 Daniela Koehler
  • IVC 2010 WINNER Daniella KoМhler Fotograaf Hans Hijmering

“The finals in Den Bosch were a veritable battle of sopranos, with Daniela Köhler deservedly running off with the Great Prize (€10,000). She has a huge voice that carries and radiates. She impressed with arias by Richard Strauss and Wagner, yet she proved surprised by her victory: ‘In the Ernst Haefliger Competition in Gstaad I was out in the first lap. Winning here in Den Bosch is really important to me. I take it as a sign that I am on the right track.’” (Peter van der Lint, Trouw, September 28, 2010)

German soprano Daniela Köhler (b. 1979) studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, where Ingrid Haubold was her teacher. She participated in master classes with Julia Hamari in 2000 and Brigitte Fassbaender in 2005. In 2007 she became a member of the Opera Studio of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, where she since performs as a soloist. The singer has also appeared at the Mozart Festival in Hallstatt. She was particularly successful in the soprano part in Verdi’s Requiem and has appeared with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. According to Köhler, her large volume came naturally to her, although just five years earlier she was unable to handle it properly. Studying and working on her technique helped her to master her natural resources, and in the process her voice grew. At the time of her IVC victory she had a guest contract with the Badisches Staatstheater chose to wait for the big roles for which her voice was born until she was ready to achieve her ultimate goal: becoming a great Wagnerian soprano. She started her career with light dramatic soprano roles such as the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, the Mother inHänsel und Gretel, Gerhilde in Die Walküre, the Duenna in Der Rosenkavalier and, in concert, Carmina Burana. In the 2011–12 season she progressed to the title role in Spontini’s La vestale. In May 2014 she sang Helwige in Die Walküre at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. She is indeed on the right track.

Yun-Jeong Lee

Screen Shot 2014-07-25 at 1 13 27 AM“I can imagine that being a juror can be a difficult job. Just imagine trying to evaluate both the small but extremely refined voice of Yun-Jeong Lee and the overpowering sound of Wagner-diva-in-the-making Köhler?” (Marjolein Sengers, Brabants Dagblad, September 27, 2010)

Yun-Jeong Lee scored ovations before and after the break, with several bravos. Why? Her fantastic virtuosity in the coloratura passages and her lighthearted treatment of both text and role. A radiant top, and, if I am correct, a high G. Unbelievable!” (Mariska van der Meij, Place de l’Opera, September 2010)

South Korean soprano Yun-Jeong Lee (b. 1980) won Third Prize at the International Singing Competition Dresden, the Second Prize and Audience Award at the Maritim Vocal Competition and First Prize at the Elise Meyer Competition in Germany in 2009, the Grand Prix at the Maria Callas International Singing Competition and the Audience Award at the Francesco Viñas International Singing Competition in Spain in 2010. She arrived in ’s-Hertogenbosch for the 48th IVC already armed not just with all those prizes, but also with debuts in Gala Concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Berlin Philharmonic on her schedule. Her repertoire at that time included arias from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bellini’s I Puritani, Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate. Meanwhile she has performed in the United States, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and South Korea, where she gained stage experience in major roles such as the Queen of the Night, Despina, Gilda and Zerbinetta. In 2011–12 she added Parrot/Cricket in Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, L’Amour in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and Pacovská in Janáček’s Osud.

Jeanine de Bique

 

  • Jeanine De Bique013
  • Jeanine De Bique018

“At competitions you look for ‘the special one,’ the one that can silence the audience by captivating them. There were some that had this X factor, beginning with Jeanine de Bique from Trinidad. The audience and I held our breath during her ‘Adieu, notre petite table’ from Manon . With the utmost musical intelligence and sensitivity, along with one of the most beautiful voices Imaginable, she made an unforgettable impression on me.” (Jordi Kooiman, Place de l’Opera, September 22, 2010)

 

Winners

on 31 August, 2014

1983 THE WINNERS

GRAND PRIZE OF THE CITY OF DEN BOSCH
Judith Malafronte Mezzo-soprano USA
SOPRANO PRIZE
1st prize Not awarded Soprano  PO
2nd prize Mila Krustnikova Soprano  BGR
2nd prize Alison Pearce Soprano  UK
2nd prize Nellie van der Sijde Soprano  NL
MEZZO/ALTO PRIZE
1st prize Judith Malafronte Mezzo-soprano USA
2nd prize Elizabeth Campbell Mezzo-soprano AUS
TENOR PRIZE
Not awarded
BARITONE/BASS PRIZE
1st prize Not awarded    
2nd prize Harald Bjørkøy Baritone NOR
2nd prize John Hancorn Baritone UK
COUNTERTENOR PRIZE
No candidates
HONORARY DIPLOMA (THIRD PRIZE)
Tamás Csurja Bass-baritone HUN
Suzanne Rodas Soprano USA
TOONKUNST ENCOURAGEMENT PRIZE
Andrea Poddighe Baritone ITA/NL
FRIENDS OF SONG PRIZE
Jorine Samson Baritone NL
BUMA FOUNDATION PRIZE
1st prize Not awarded  
2nd prize Chieko Okazaki Mezzo-soprano JPN
JANINE MICHEAU FRENCH REPERTOIRE PRIZE
Marga Melerna Mezzo-soprano NL
GRÉ BROUWENSTIJN DUTCH OPERA TALENT PRIZE
Not awarded
ELLY AMELING SONG PRIZE
Elizabeth Campbell Mezzo-soprano AUS
ERNA SPOORENBERG PRIZE
Judith Malafronte Mezzo-soprano USA
TROS BROADCASTING PRIZE
John Hancorn, Judith Malafronte

 

Judi th Malafronte

Judith Malafronte“The ‘Day of the Mezzos’ became a veritable triumph for the overwhelming American mezzo Judith Malafronte, whose reputation is already established. Malafronte, age 32, has a bell-like voice and fabulous technique, especially in coloratura. The only one to receive a curtain call during the finals, she triumphed even before the jury had a chance to honor her.” (Ferd op de Coul, “Sensationeel optreden Malafronte,” September 1973)

American mezzo-soprano Judith Malafronte (b. August 20, 1951, New Haven, Connecticut) told critic Ferd op de Coul that she had to overcome some fears in order to return to Den Bosch, where in 1982 she had lost in the semifinals. Said Malafronte:

“A little voice inside my head kept bugging me to try again. So many things happened that year, so many people gave all sorts of advice, and I got confused. … I am glad I got the chance to show the people here what I have been doing for the past year. … I learned my trade from Giulietta Simionato, an amazing, indestructible and energetic living legend who taught me to approach each role in any given language individually. … More theoretical and technical things I studied with Nadia Boulanger. I prefer tragic roles to comic opera because in my heart I am a serious person and then, well, comic roles are much more difficult because timing is crucial for the effect. … The IVC was not my Dutch debut: in Utrecht, some years back, I performed in the world premiere of a Steve Reich composition.”

Malafronte had an impressive career in opera, oratorio, and recital. Her operatic roles include major mezzo parts in Serse, Scarlatti’sL’Aldimiro, Dido and Aeneas (singing both Dido and the Sorceress), Tamerlano, L’incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. She recorded for BMG, DHM, EMI, and Koch in a wide range of repertoire, from the 12th-century chant of Hildegard von Bingen to Richard Strauss, as well as Handel operas, Bach cantatas, medieval music and 17th-century Spanish music.

Eliz‹abeth Campbell

Elizabeth Campbell“Malafronte may be the star of this IVC, yet one should not overlook the excellent competition from considerable talents such as Elizabeth Campbell whose rendition of a song cycle by De Falla was a first-class achievement.” (Ferd op de Coul, “Vier Prijzen,” September 1983)

“The Australian Elizabeth Campbell made a tremendous impact with some Schoenberg songs, rendered with great dramatic power, rich coloring and an enormous compass.” (Ferd op de Coul, “Slotconcert Imponerend,” September 1983)

Australian mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Campbell graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and completed her studies in London and Europe. Apart from winning Second Prize and the Elly Ameling Song Prize in Den Bosch, she represented Australia in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. She made her operatic debut as Carmen with West Australia Opera. Her operatic repertoire includes leading roles in Così fan tutte, Evgeni Onegin,Carmen, Serse, Giulio Cesare, Alcina, La clemenza di Tito,Boris Godunov, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Les Troyens, Les contes d’Hoffmann, Werther, Hänsel und Gretel,La forza del destino, Il trovatore, Madama Butterfly, Lulu, Peter Grimes, Die Fledermaus,L’incoronazione di Poppea, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Capriccio, Rigoletto, Andrea Chénier, The Turn of the Screw and Dead Man Walking, as well as the world premieres of Richard Mills’s Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1996), Batavia (2001) and The Love of the Nightingale (2002) and Moya Henderson’s Lindy (2002). Campbell is one of Australia’s leading concert artists and recitalists. Additionally, she has performed at Covent Garden, toured the United States with the Sydney Symphony and given recitals at Wigmore Hall and in The Hague and Antwerp. Currently she is shifting her repertoire to more mature roles. Her recordings include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Messiah, Giulio Cesare, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and South Australia’s Ring cycle.

Nellie van der Sijde

NellievanderSijde“The Brabant Orchestra under Jan Stulen accompanied Brabant-born Nellie van der Sijde with Mozartian charm in ‘Porgi amor’ from Le nozze di Figaro , and she sang it to perfection. Her light, agile voice and her musical understanding are magnificent not only in arias but also in lieder, as could be heard in Wolf and, even better, in Schubert’s ‘Gretchen am Spinnrade,’ very accurately accompanied from the piano by Frans van Ruth.” (Ferd op de Coul, Brabants Dagblad, September 8, 1983)