The first 20 years
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Founded in 1983, the Competition is now an essential part of the musical calendar |
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1983: The biennial contest, which is organised by BBC Wales, was first held in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff and is now generally regarded as the most important operatic competition in the world.
There were 18 singers in the first Competition, each nominated by their local broadcasting organisation. Competing on the very first evening was the now legendary Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, who went on to win the Competition. Notable amongst the seven-strong jury was the late Sir Geraint Evans, who was a member of the adjudicating panel for the first three competitions.
1985: The Competition was increased in size - 24 contestants took part and the American baritone David Malis was the winner.
1987: The intake of competitors was raised to 25, and the Competition was won by Italian soprano Valeria Esposito. Notable amongst other finalists were Soile Isokoski (Finland) and Iris Vermillion (Germany) who have since gone on to considerable careers. The late Professor Shen Xiang made his first appearance on the jury.
1989: A number of changes were made. The Lieder Prize was introduced, there were 29 contestants and, for the first time, the finalists were the best singers overall, rather than the winners of individual rounds. The continent of South America was represented for the first time, and BBC Two broadcast the Final live for the first time.
This outstanding year featured the legendary Battle of the Baritones with Bryn Terfel winning the Lieder prize and Dmitri Hvorostovsky taking the overall title. Among the other finalists were Monica Groop (Finland) and Hillevi Martinpelto (Sweden) who are both now well-established artists.
1991: The numbers were reduced to 25 - five singers per night with five finalists, a format which has remained since. The Lieder prize was won by another Welshman, Neal Davies, Australian soprano Lisa Gasteen won the final which also included Isabelle Vernet (France), Franz Hawlata (Germany) and Randi Stene (Denmark), all of whom have gone on to significant operatic careers.
1993: This was the first Competition to be sponsored (by BP), enabling two innovations: worldwide auditions and masterclasses held by jury members. Dame Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne sat on the jury for the first time.
The Competition was won by Danish soprano Inger Dam-Jensen - who did not win her concert round. New Zealand baritone Paul Whelan took the Lieder prize and the other finalists were Tito Beltran (Chile), Vassili Gerello (Russia) and Nina Stemme (Sweden), all now established artists.
1995: The re-emergence of countries from the former Soviet Union brought contestants from Lithuania and Georgia to the 1995 Competition. The Finnish soprano Kirsi Tiihonen took the Lieder prize and Swedish mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus won a thrilling Final.
1997: The first ever English contestant to reach the Final - Christopher Maltman - went on to win the Lieder prize. The winner was the truly amazing Chinese mezzo-soprano Guang Yang, who was singing with a professional orchestra for the very first time. Such was the demand for tickets for the Final that a 600-seat pavilion complete with giant television screens was built in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.
1999:The Lieder prize was won by Dae-San No from Korea, a new country to the Competition, with the main Prize going to German soprano Anja Harteros. Among the jury was another operatic legend, Italian tenor Carlo Bergonzi.
2001: Dame Joan Sutherland returned to the jury for the fifth time and Marilyn Horne for the third. This year saw history made when the 27-year-old Romanian tenor Marius Brenciu won both the Song Prize and what by now had become the most coveted title in the world of opera.
2003: To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a number of changes have been made. These include the renaming of the event as BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff; the separation of the Song Prize into a separate event; the introduction of a new Audience Prize and the announcement of Dame Joan Sutherland as the Competition's first Patron.
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