The International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch (IVC); is a

music competition A music competition is a public event designed to identify and award outstanding musical ensembles, solo (music), soloists, composers, conducting, conductors, musicologists or compositions. Pop music competitions are music competitions which are h ...

for classical singing founded in 1954. It is the only classical vocal competition in the Netherlands that also focuses on

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

and

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

. This yearly event is organised by the International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch (IVC). The IVC is a member of the

World Federation of International Music Competitions The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) is an organization based in Geneva, Switzerland that maintains a network of the internationally recognized organisations that aim to discover the most promising young talents in classi ...

since 1959. The IVC offers singers the chance to perform for casting directors, concert managements, impresarios, the media and a concert and theatregoing audience. Alongside its competition, the IVC also presents

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es, workshops, summer schools and concerts. Concerts are organised in collaboration with various organisations. The IVC also provides advice on repertoire, career possibilities, media management and auditioning. The IVC has helped launch the careers of many internationally renowned singers (see List of notable IVC alumni). Annett Andriesen, herself an opera singer and a prizewinner of the IVC in 1975, was head of the IVC from 2008 until 2018. She has since been replaced by Ivan van Kalmthout. From 1 September 2023, British countertenor Andrew Watts has been appointed General and artistic director of the IVC. The IVC is open to singers of all nationalities who have had conservatory training or have reached an equivalent level. The competition has two categories: Opera/oratorio and Lied Duo.

List of notable IVC alumni

* Elly Ameling * Jules Bastin * Measha Brueggergosman *

Ileana Cotrubaș Ileana Cotrubaș (; born 9 June 1939) is a Romanian operatic soprano whose career spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was much admired for her acting skills and facility for singing opera in many different languages. Life and career Cotru ...

* Viorica Cortez * Veronica Amarres * Peter Gijsbertsen * Robert Holl *

Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...

* Howard Haskin * Nadine Koutcher * Petra Lang * Yvonne Minton *

Nelly Miricioiu Nelly Miricioiu (born 31 March 1952) is a Romanian-born British operatic soprano singing a large repertoire ranging from bel canto to verismo. Biography Born in Adjud, Romania, Miricioiu started singing at 5 and was hailed as a child prodigy. At ...

* Jard van Nes * Yevgeny Nesterenko * Vladimir Pankratov * Lenneke Ruiten * Wolfgang Schöne * Elżbieta Szmytka * Thomas Thomaschke * Stefania Toczyska * Pretty Yende * Ruth Ziesak

58th International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch 2025 - Theatre in Song

The 58th International Vocal Competition Theater in Song will be held from 25 - 28 September at Theater aan de Parade in

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

, Netherlands. The IVC offers young and talented singers the chance to perform for an international jury, casting directors, concert managements, impresarios, the media and public. The total prize money of the Theatre in Song competition amounts to €32.500. For more information about criteria, applications and Preliminary Rounds see www.ivc.nu The International Jury of 2025 includes Iain Burnside Jury President, BBC Radio 3 programme maker, soprano Yvonne Kenny, bass Robert Holl, conductor, musicologist and artistic director of Musica Viva Australia Paul Kildea, Anita Crowe, programming Royal Concertgebouw, director Simon Burney and Andrew Comben, chief executive officer at Britten Pears Arts.

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch Singing competitions Opera competitions Dutch music awards Music festivals in the Netherlands 1954 establishments in the Netherlands Annual events in the Netherlands Music in North Brabant 's-Hertogenbosch Biennial events