“If children are not introduced to music at an early age, I believe something fundamental is actually being taken from them.” (Luciano Pavarotti)

From the age of twelve I was a regular attendee of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Opera aka the K.V.O. (Royal Flemish Opera) in Antwerp. In the early seventies it was still an ensemble theater. Performances were still given in the vernacular and one was still able to cast every opera with Flemish singers. A world now gone with the wind and which has been replaced by activist woke managers.

In my youth the K.V.O. brought about 205 opera/operetta performances each season spread over 31 (!!) different works. A look at the  2024-2025 season results in 32 (!!) performances -in Antwerp- spread over 6 works. Need one say more?  Operetta has disappeared and the current director excels through countless side events that turns the house into a “cultural center” instead of focusing on its core task which is to present opera.

One of the stalwarts of the “old” house was the legendary children’s chorus founded and led by Mia Vinck.

It all started in 1966. Mia Vinck at that time a “Solfège” teacher at the Antwerp Conservatory suggested to director Renaat Verbruggen to form a children’s chorus. Previous attempts at the theatre were mostly a hit or miss affaire for various reasons. Verbruggen ever the professional agreed and the debut of the chorus in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel was an enormous success. Initially the chorus was named “K.V.O. kinderkoor” yet a few seasons later it was renamed “Kinderkoor Mia Vinck”. This enabled the chorus to appear with other companies as well. Thus Mrs. Vinck and her chorus also appeared in various operas at the Brussels Muntschouwburg under Maurice Huisman. Fond memories she also has of the late Gerard Mortier who invited the chorus for appearances in Janacek’s Cunning little Vixen, Boris Godunov, Pelléas et Mélisande and seven concert performances of Boito’s Mefistofele with José van Dam in the lead conducted by the then already ill Emil Tchakarov. Mia Vinck also provided the “three boys” for Mozart’s Zauberflöte under Sylvain Cambreling (1990).

Mia Vinck was born in Antwerp (6 February 1930) into a musical family. Her mother was a “Solfège” teacher at the Antwerp conservatory and from the age of nine Mia Vinck studied with her, later she would also study the piano (First prize!) and singing with Irma Van Dijck (who also taught Alice van Haaren and Mia Ceuppens) and subsequently with Dutch baritone Willem Ravelli (Hoger Diploma voor Zang) and the Brussels tenor Frans Mertens.

Soon the piano made room for singing and as a light lyric soprano she started to sing in various recitals, concerts and masses. In 1958 at the Brussels Expo she was selected for a masterclass with Eric Werba in the Austrian pavilion. “Eine hupsche Stimme” exclaimed the famous accompanist .

 Before too long she also appeared at the Belgian Radio and Television and for a while she was  a member of the Antwerp Chamber Opera (1960-1965). From 1965 -1970 she also sang as soprano soloist with Safford Cape’s Pro Musica Antiqua. At the K.V.O. she made her debut as Ortlinde in Wagner’s Walkuere and in 1968 she appeared as Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicci under Luigi Martelli. During the same performance of Puccini’s Trittico she also sang the pair of lovers with Kamiel Lampaert  in Tabarro.

Mrs. Vinck also gave many Lieder recitals (kunstavonden), sang in Bach’s 3 oratorio (Mattheus, Marcus, Johannes) and his Weihnachtsoratorium. Her concert repertoire also included Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, die Jahreszeiten and The Seven last Words of Christ.

After the Trittico performances her stage career ended and she totally focused on her teaching career at the Antwerp conservatory and her chorus. Vinck achieved with her choir something which was never equaled since or probably will be.

Her “children” were praised for their musicality and sense of rhythm. Another major asset praised by many a music critic in those days were the excellent enunciation not only in Dutch but in various other languages.

Rehearsals are the absolute core basis for a children’s choir, according to Mrs. Vinck. Here the children learn to sing: diction and sound formation, both individually and above all in group: the holy choral sound.

She taught them not only music but especially to be musical in phrasing and intonation. Due to the great diversity, a lot is involved: knowledge of the orchestra, dramatic tensions, a sense of measure and proportion, but also patience and willpower.

Mia Vinck also coached several of her choir members for specific “solo” roles  at the Muntschouwburg and abroad.

“Het Kinderkoor Mia Vinck” ceased to exist in 1991 after a dispute with Silvio Varviso during the rehearsals for Tosca where the maestro proved himself less aimable as most people took him for. Soon after a request from the Monnaie/Muntschouwburg to form a chorus at the house was offered but declined by Vinck.

Several of her children continued to make a career in music such as the harpsichordist Herman Stinders, the famous guitarist Rafaëlla Smits, Jazz musician Bert Joris, the harpist Annemie Neuhard, Cristel en Griet De Meulder (singing), the cellist and conductor Stijn Saveniers, Kathleen Segers (singing), Joost Cuypers (cello teacher), Cecilia Crabbeels (muziekprogrammatie BRT), David De Groodt (guitar teacher), Pieter Bergé (musicologist), An Engels (cello), Bart Meynkens (piano), Nicole Van der Veken (actress and singing) and choir conductor and teacher Luc Anthonis, Bert Helsen (bassoon player Belgian National Orchestra) and Flemish radio employee Cecilia Crabeels.

Conductors Mia Vinck appeared with are in alphabetical order

Sylvain Cambreling

Safford Cape

Frans Cauwenberghs

Frits Celis

Willy Claes

Walter Crabeels

Frans Cuypers

August Delhaye

Lodewijk De Vocht

Frans Dubois

Jacques Maertens

Ernest Maes

Luigi Martelli

Gaston Nuyts

Walter Proost

Edmond Saveniers

Michael Schönwandt

Emile Tchakarov

Fernand Terby

Mikis Theodorakis

Dirk Vaerendonck

Silveer Van den Broeck

Rudolf Werthen

Ronald Zollman

DISCOGRAPHY

• De Wind en de Cijfertjes , kindermusical , LP Inelco
• “De wereld in” and “Van Rijswijckcantate” by Peter Benoit LP Inelco
• “Koning Tijd en de Seizoenen” kindermusical, LP Van In
• “De Blauwe Olifant”, kinderliederen LP BRT
• “De Witte”, musical LP Cera bank
• “Kerstliederen” with I Fiamminghi conducted by Rudolf Werthen  CD
• Mia Vinck zingt Benoit  LP EMI   

“There is music in every child. The teacher’s job is to find it and nurture it.” Thus the famous piano pedagogue Frances Clark. A task Mia Vinck was born for and which she accomplished summa cum laude much to the gratitude of the public, ‘her children’, the parents, and the compiler of this tribute.