Finnie, Linda

Finnie, Linda, Scottish mezzo-soprano; b. Paisley, May 9, 1952. She was a student of Winifred Busfield at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow. In 1976 she made her operatic debut with Glasgow’s Scottish Opera. In 1977 she won the Kathleen Ferrier Prize at the Hertogenbosch Competition in the Netherlands, and then pursued successful engagements in both opera and concert. In 1979 she became a member of the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff; also appeared as a guest artist in London with the English National Opera and at Covent Garden. In 1986 she was a soloist in Mahler’s 8th Sym. at the London Promenade Concerts and in Verdi’s Requiem in Chicago; in 1988, made her first appearance at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1995 she sang in the Ring cycle at the Vienna State Opera. Among her prominent operatic roles are Amneris, Eboli, Ortrud, Brangane, Fricka, and Waltraute. Her concert repertoire extends from Handel to Prokofiev

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Finnie, Linda (b Scotland, 1952). Scottish mezzo-soprano. Won Ferrier Prize 1974 and won's-Hertogenbosch comp. 1977. Prof. début 1975 with Scottish Opera (in Robin Orr's Hermiston). CG début 1978; ENO 1978 (roles incl. Brangäne, Eboli, Amneris, and Ulrica); WNO 1980; Frankfurt Opera and Nice Opera 1987; Bayreuth Fest. 1988. Many concert-hall perfs. of Mahler and Elgar.