Dame Sarah Connolly
Jury President
Mezzo-soprano | IVC Prizewinner

Howard Haskin
Tenor | IVC Prizewinner

Christoph Prégardien
Tenor

Charles Spencer
Pianist

Roger Vignoles
Pianist

Mirjam Wijzenbeek
Programmer Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Dame Sarah Connolly
Jury president
Mezzo-Soprano
IVC Prizewinner

Born in County Durham, Sarah Connolly studied piano and singing at the Royal College of Music, of which she is now a Fellow. She was made a DBE in the 2017 Birthday Honours, having previously been made a CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours. In 2011 she was honoured by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and presented with the Distinguished Musician Award. She is the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2012 Singer Award.
In 1994 Sarah Connolly wins 2nd place (Opera category) at the 40th International Vocal competition 's-Hertogenbosch. On the jury panel were Elly Ameling, Claudio Desderi and Yvonne Minton. 

Highlights include her debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production of Ariodante, the title role in Giulio Cesare at the Glyndebourne Festival and Brangäne Tristan und Isolde for the Gran Teatro del Liceu.
Past highlights have included Fricka (Covent Garden & Bayreuther Festspiele) Brangäne Tristan und Isolde (Covent Garden & Festspielhaus Baden-Baden); Komponist Ariadne auf Naxos and Clairon Capriccio (Metropolitan Opera); the title role in Giulio Cesare, Brangäne and Gertrude in the world premiere of Brett Dean's Hamlet (Glyndebourne Festival); the title role in Ariodante and Sesto La clemenza di Tito (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence); Purcell’s Dido (Teatro alla Scala & Covent Garden); Jocaste in Enescu's Œdipe (Covent Garden); Gluck’s Orfeo and the title role in The Rape of Lucretia (Bayerische Staatsoper); Phèdre Hippolyte et Aricie (Opéra national de Paris) and the title role in Agrippina and Nerone L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Gran Teatro del Liceu).

She has also sung the title role in Maria Stuarda and Roméo I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Opera North); Komponist (Welsh National Opera) and Octavian Der Rosenkavalier (Scottish Opera). A favorite at the English National Opera, her many roles for the company have included Geschwitz Lulu; Octavian; the title roles in Charpentier’s Medée and Handel's Agrippina, Xerxes, Ariodante and Ruggiero Alcina; the title role in The Rape of Lucretia; Didon Les Troyens; Roméo, Susie The Silver Tassie and Sesto - for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
The future sees her return to the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, the Opéra national de Paris and make her debut at the Teatro Réal in Madrid.

Her many concert engagements include appearances at the Lucerne, Salzburg, Tanglewood and Three Choirs Festivals and at the BBC Proms where, in 2009, she was a memorable guest soloist at The Last Night. Other notable engagements have included The Dream of Gerontius (Boston Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis & Mozarteumorchester Salzburg/Bolton); Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 at the BBC Proms (LSO/Haitink); A Child of our Time and Brangäne (Berliner Philharmoniker/Rattle); Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Leipzig Gewandhausorchester/Chailly, Boston Symphony Orchestra/von Dohnanyi & Philadelphia Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin); Das Lied von der Erde (Concertgebouworkest/Harding, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin & LPO/Jurowski); Des Knaben Wunderhorn (L’Orchestre des Champs-Elysées/Herreweghe) and La mort de Cléopâtre (Hallé/Elder, CBSO/Gardner & BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis).

She has appeared in recital in London, New York, Boston, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Atlanta, Stuttgart; at the Incontri in Terra di Siena La Foce and the Schubertiada Vilabertran and at the Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Edinburgh and Oxford Lieder Festivals.

Committed to promoting new music, her world premiere performances include two re-discovered songs by Benjamin Britten (BBC Proms 2018) with Joseph Middleton; Sir john Tavener's Gnosis, (BBC Proms); songs by Mark Anthony Turnage, Sally Beamish and Dame Judith Weir, Jonathan Harvey.

Howard Haskin
Tenor

American tenor Howard Haskin garners praise and accolades worldwide as much for his “extrovert dramatic presentation” as his “ringing, lustrous” voice. A true polyglot, Mr. Haskin’s ability to speak French, German, Italian, Russian, Dutch and English always wins him high praise for diction and is invaluable in bringing roles to life on the opera stage. Audiences thrill to the unique combination of his multiple talents – first-rate musicianship, intelligence, his dramatic prowess, as well as the eloquence, vitality and expressiveness of his voice.

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Howard Haskin received his early musical education at Wichita State University and at Indiana University, Bloomington. He first attracted attention throughout Europe in 1981 by garnering first prize in both Paris singing competitions, as well as first prize at the 28th International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch, a distinction that had not been bestowed on a tenor in 15 years.

Howard Haskin is also known for his versatility, having performed over fifty operatic roles. The first black dramatic tenor to have ever sung Verdi’s Otello in a major opera house (at Opéra de Nice in 1995), Howard Haskin also broke ground earlier in his career, receiving wide acclaim as the first and only black tenor to have ever taken the title role of Peter Grimes in the United Kingdom (at Kent Opera in 1984). Both of these title roles are still very much in his repertoire, having most recently performed Otello with the Dorset Opera Festival in 2011 and Peter Grimes with the Finnish National Opera in 2010. Howard Haskin created the pivotal role of Vova (the Idiot) in Schnittke’s Life with an Idiot at Nederlandse Opera, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, and has appeared as the Jailer/Grand Inquisitor in Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioneiro in New York, Montreal, Paris, Amsterdam, Florence, Tokyo and Stockholm. A live recording of this last perfomance, under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen and released on the Sony Classical label, received a Grammy nomination in the “Best Opera Recording” category. Other standout roles include Bacchus, Don José, Cavaradossi, Jason in Cherubini’s Médée, Oedipus Rex, Paris in Tippett’s King Priam, Samson and Sportin' Life.

Howard Haskin’s incredible musicianship has allowed him to replace indisposed colleagues at very short notice on more than a few occasions. The Nice Otello in 1995 was a case in point, as he was called to save the day only 24 hours before the curtain was to rise (read the full story behind this unprecedented event). In 2002, he stepped in to sing the role of Bacchus to critical acclaim for the full run of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Opéra de Lyon under the baton of Ivan Fischer and directed by Günther Krämer. Mr. Haskin repeated this exploit a few weeks later in a different production of Ariadne at the Opéra de Marseille under Michiyoshi Inoue and reprised his performance in the Lyon production at the Théâtre du Châtelet’s Festival des Regions in Paris later that same year.

Along with his operatic successes, Howard Haskin enjoys a distinguished career as a concert singer and recitalist. Among other works, he is well known for his performances of Dream of Gerontius, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Christus am Oelberg, Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Verdi’s Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem. He has often has been featured as the tenor soloist in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Performances of all these works and many others have taken him to such prominent venues as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York; Opéra Comique in Paris and Opéra Bordeaux; the Franck Conservatory in Budapest; the Alte Oper in Frankfurt; the Dresdner Musikfestspiele; Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London; and to a range of other cities, including Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Glasgow, Stockholm, Kansas City, Montreal, Dallas and Los Angeles.

Howard Haskin frequently collaborates with leading conductors other than those already mentioned, such as Bruno Bartoletti, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, David Zinman, Sir Charles Mackerras, Hartmut Haenchen, Anne Manson, Ira Levin, Andrew Litton, Robin Stapleton, Sir Edward Downes, Elgar Howarth, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Roger Norrington, Donald Runnicles, Urs Schneider, Nicholas Harnoncourt and Nello Santi. Distinguished directors with whom he has worked on stage include Sir Nicholas Hytner, Boris Pokrovski, Charles Hamilton, Peter Sellars, Harry Kupfer, Trevor Howard, Götz Friedrich, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and Günther Krämer. Mr. Haskin has performed at many of the world's great opera houses, including Covent Garden, English National Opera, Paris-Garnier, Théatre du Châtelet, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Amsterdam, Florence, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Dublin, Helsinki, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Zürich, as well as the festivals of Buxton, Wexford, Glyndebourne, Orange and Bregenz.

Leading orchestras with whom Howard Haskin has performed include the Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Scottish Symphony, Dublin Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Radio Kamerorkest NCRV, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl, Orchestre de Caen, Orquestra Nacionales de España, Scharoun Ensemble, Haarlem Orkest, Orquestra Symphonica do Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro, Haifa Symphony, Meitar Ensemble, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Nancy, Niew Vlams Symfonieorkest, and the Kansas City Symphony.

In 1978, Howard Haskin was awarded a scholarship by the Zürich Opera Studio, where he profited from intensive coaching and performed a number of smaller roles, becoming a member of this company during the 1979-1980 season.

Christoph Prégardien
Tenor

Precise vocal control, clear diction, intelligent musicality and an ability to get to the heart of everything he sings all ensure Christoph Prégardien’s place among the world’s foremost lyric tenors. Especially revered as a Lieder singer, he kicks off the 2020/2021 season together with pianist Julius Drake at the Chopin and his Europe Festival, before the pair give joint recitals in the Boulez Saal Berlin and at Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in spring 2021. Additional appearances include concerts with Michael Gees and Roger Vignoles in London and Madrid as well as with Stefan Litwin at the Schwetzinger SWR Festival. Also, he performs several times with piano trio accompaniment, first, with the Oberon Trio, followed by recitals with Franziska Hölscher, Jens-Peter Maintz and Daniel Heide at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, amongst others. In the beginning of 2021, a special «father&son» project together with his son Julian Prégardien, pianist Lars Vogt, Orchestre de chambre de Paris and choreographer Thieû Nang was presented at Philharmonie de Paris, broadcasted by ARTE Concert. Further highlights of the two-generation-duo include performances in the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie Brussels and, together with Anima Eterna, in the Kölner Philharmonie.

Christoph Prégardien regularly appears with renowned orchestras the world over. He has worked with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, as well as the Boston and San Francisco Symphonies, along with conductors such as Barenboim, Metzmacher, and Thielemann. His wide orchestral repertoire includes the great baroque, classical, and Romantic oratorios and passions, as well as works from the 17th and 20th centuries. In opera, his roles have included, among others, Tamino, Almaviva, Fenton (Falstaff), Don Ottavio, Titus, Ulisse, and Idomeneo.

His extensive experience singing the Evangelist roles, together with his close working relationship with conductors such as Nagano, Chailly, Herreweghe, Harnoncourt, Luisi, and Gardiner have provided the perfect base for his increasing dedication to conducting the works of Bach. Following the success of his conducting debut in 2012, leading Le Concert Lorrain and the Nederlands Kammerkoor, he meanwhile regularly conducts renowned ensembles like the Balthasar-Neumann Choir, Dresdner Kammerchor and the Collegium Vocale Gent. In the spring 2021 he will conduct the Antwerpren Symphony Orchestra and Vlaams Radiokoor performing Bach’s St John’s Passion.

The singer has recorded much of his repertoire on a discography of over 150 records, which have received awards such as the Orphée d’Or of the Académie du Disque Lyrique, the Edison Award, the Cannes Classical Award and the Diapason d’Or. For the label Challenge Classics he has recorded Schubert’s Schwanengesang with Andreas Staier and Die schöne Müllerin with Michael Gees – selected as Editor’s Choice by Gramophone magazine and awarded the MIDEM Record of the Year – followed by Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with Julia Kleiter, Between Life and Death, Wanderer and the Grammy-nominated Winterreise disc – all with Michael Gees – as well as Father and Son with his son Julian Prégardien. His Schubert CD Poetisches Tagebuch (with Julius Drake) was awarded the German Critics’ Award 2016. His most recent releases include a recording of passion cantatas by Telemann and Bach with the Vox Orchester for Sony (where he appears as a baritone for the first time), along with Schumann's Dichterliebe and Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder with Michael Gees, released by Challenge in autumn 2019.

Teaching remains an important part of Christoph Prégardien’s musical life. Following many years at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Zurich, he gives masterclasses for young singers the world over and since 2004 has been a professor at the Academy of Music in Cologne.

Charles Spencer
Pianist

The pianist Charles Spencer was born in Yorkshire,England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London with Max Pirani where he won various prizes including an Austrian Government Scholarship to study in Vienna with Walter Fleischmann, Noel Flores and Robert Schollum. He has also attended master classes given by Vlado Perlemuter and Geoffrey Parsons. On completion of his studies, with unanimous distinction in Vienna, he was awarded the Prize for Artistic Merit of the Austrian Government. 

Charles Spencer is now one of the most sought after piano-accompanists worldwide. He was the preferred accompanist of the great mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig with whom he collaborated for more than 12 years. Further collaborations have been with Gundula Janowitz, Peter Schreier, Marjana Lipovsek, Jessye Norman, Thomas Quasthoff, Andreas Schmidt, Wolfgang Holzmair, Ulf Baestlein, Bernarda Fink, Ildiko Raimondi, Elena Garanca, Peter Seiffert, Petra-Maria Schnitzer, Paul-Armin Edelmann, Chen Reiss, Iris Vermillion, Rainer Trost, Christiane Oelze, Vesselina Kasarova and Florian Boesch. Recitals with these artists have taken him to the major international concert venues, and were received enthusiastically by the international press. 

Since 1999 Charles Spencer is Ordinarius Professor of Liedinterpretation at the Music University, Vienna. In addition he holds an annual master class with Professor Ulf Baestlein in Husum, Germany. He is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Roger Vignoles
Pianist

Roger Vignoles is one of the most distinguished piano accompanists of our time. In a career spanning five decades he has become recognised throughout the world as a leading exponent of the art of song. He has appeared at all the world’s principal venues and festivals, from the Concertgebouw to Carnegie Hall, and with many of the world’s foremost artists, such as Sir Thomas Allen, Barbara Bonney, Christine Brewer, Florian Boesch, Bernarda Fink, Elina Garanca, Susan Graham, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Angelika Kirchschlager, Dame Felicity Lott, Mark Padmore, Christoph Prégardien and Sarah Walker. 

His extensive discography includes a long and fruitful association with Hyperion Records, recently crowned by the completion of the Complete Songs of Richard Strauss. Other notable recordings include Reynaldo Hahn with Susan Graham; Schumann, Brahms and Dvorak with Bernarda Fink; Schubert, Loewe and Krenek with Florian Boesch; Britten and Finzi with Mark Padmore, Fauré, Wolf, Rachmaninov, Chausson and Koechlin with Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and a wide range from Schubert to Cabaret Songs with Sarah Walker. 

Recent engagements include recitals in London, Toulouse, Marseille, Stuttgart and Quebec with Marie-Nicole Lemieux, at the Edinburgh Festival with Dorothea Röschmann, recital and masterclasses with Bernarda Fink for the Musée d'Orsay, a Schubert series with Mark Padmore in Florence, residency at the Bogota International Music Festival, as well as masterclasses at Tanglewood Music Center, the Marlboro Music Festival, National University of Singapore, the Cleveland Art Song Festival, and the Aldeburgh Festival. 

Vignoles recently gave recitals with Michael Spyres at Opéra National du Rhin and La Monnaie, with Christoph Prégardien in Hong Kong and the Netherlands, and made several appearances at the Wigmore Hall with Elizabeth Watts, James Gilchrist, Nash Ensemble, Julia Sitkovetsky, and Johannes Kammler. Other highlights include a Britten and Russia Weekend at Snape Maltings, Poulenc Les Mamelles de Tiresias and masterclasses at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, and an all-Tchaikovsky programme with Sofia Fomina at de Singel Antwerp. 

While continuing his busy playing career, Vignoles is deeply committed to working with and coaching younger singers and pianists. He gives frequent masterclasses and workshops in Europe, Scandinavia and the US, where he is a regular visitor to the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center. He is an Honorary fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge and Prince Consort Professor of Accompaniment at the Royal College of Music. 

Originally inspired to pursue a career as a piano accompanist by the playing of Gerald Moore, Vignoles read music at Magdalene College, Cambridge, studied piano and accompaniment at the RCM, and later joined the Royal Opera House as a repetiteur. He completed his training with the renowned Viennese-born pianist and coach Paul Hamburger.

Mirjam Wijzenbeek
Programmer Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Mirjam Wijzenbeek is classical music programmer of The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Officially trained as a violist, she studied at the Conservatory of Utrecht with Chris Duindam and Emmy Verhey. After several years of working as a performer in numerous orchestras and (chamber) music projects she decided to change course and focus on a role within cultural organizations. At the Amsterdam Grachtenfestival she started as producer and eventually became head of programming. Mirjam also worked as producer at the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht and was management assistant at international agency Ivy Artists in The Hague. With her varied stage experience and great love for (classical) music, Mirjam is a broad-based programmer.