Finnie, Linda (1952–)

views updated

Finnie, Linda (1952–)

Scottish mezzo-soprano. Born in 1952 in Paisley, Scotland; studied with Winifred Busfield at Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Successful opera and classical music concert singer with broad repertoire, won 1st Prize at International Ferrier Competition (1974); made debut with Scottish Opera (1976) and won Kathleen Ferrier Prize at international competition in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (1977); began to sing widely with Welsh and English national operas (1979) and as guest at Covent Garden, Bayreuth, Frankfurt Opera, among others; embarked on successful concert tours in Australia, US, Asia and Europe; especially commended for Wagnerian portrayals as Brangaene, Waltraute, and Fricka; worked with many renowned conductors including Abbado, Maazel, Previn, and Barenboim. Made numerous recordings on Chandos label, including Mendelssohn: Elijah (1990), Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible (1991), Elgar: The Light of Life (1993), Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (2001) and Ravel: Orchestral Works (2004).