After 13 months of tense communication and the eventual involvement of the Flemish Ministry of Culture, singers who participated in an international vocal competition in Ghent have finally been paid the prize money owed to them.

Five singers joined together to confront the non-profit cultural organisation Lyrica after they did not receive promised prize money awarded during the second annual Rita Gorr Opera Contest in June 2022.

The outstanding payment, amounting to €5000 [approximately $8,250), was owed to singers from Belgium, Israel, China and Australia.

Jessica Harper, Nofar Yacobi and Alice Wielant at the Rita Gorr Opera Contest, 2022

The singers who participated in the competition ranged in age from 18 to 40 and were overwhelmingly students or recent graduates from conservatories. All contestants were required to pay a €90 ($150) application fee to Lyrica in addition to paying for their own travel and lodging expenses without reimbursement.

Singers have reported that John Boeren, then the Artistic Director of Lyrica and a former music critic for Het Laatste Nieuws, grew increasingly evasive and threatening in his email responses to inquiries regarding payment of prize money.

Competition entrant Jessica Harper, an Australian soprano who has lived in Belgium for nearly two years, feared potential damage to her professional standing if she involved lawyers. “Singers are often afraid of pursuing legal action because they do not want to get a reputation for being difficult to work with,” said Harper.

Artists are often afraid of coming forward in such situations, she added.

“Singers are constantly taken advantage of by the system of fear instilled in the classical music world.”

Dirk Cools, a Belgian baritone and recent graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, was the only prize winner to receive his €300 award after lengthy email exchanges with the Lyrica board. As part of his prize, Cools also won a concert with the company but said he would only participate if paid in cash upon his arrival.

The competition first prize winner, Israeli soprano Nofar Yacobi, says she was told after numerous calls with the Lyrica board that it was the Flemish Ministry of Culture’s fault that the prize money was not available. Yacobi then contacted the Flemish Ministry of Culture. In the process, it was revealed that Lyrica’s claims were untruthful.

Lyrica stated it would organise and fund the competition with funding from the Flemish government, part of which would cover prize money.

After being contacted by Yacobi, the Ministry of Culture wrote to Lyrica and to the singers involved, stating that Lyrica had not submitted any kind of funding application. Instead, Lyrica held the competition in the knowledge it did not have sufficient funds to cover prize monies.

Additionally, another prize winner found public records pointing to a €3,500 ($5,750) grant Lyrica received from Cultuur Gent, which was also earmarked to fund the competition.

Lyrica continued to insist that no money was available to pay prize winners. When forwarded this communication, the Ministry issued a government letter condemning Lyrica and urging them to pay what they owed.

Subsequent emails between Lyrica and singers took on an apologetic tone and the singers were asked to accept a fraction of the money they were owed instead of the full amount.

Lyrica treasurer Patrick Vlaemnick then admitted: “The organisation acted wrongly by referring to rejections from the Flemish Community (Flemish Ministry) in connection with subsidies. This was a deception. For the 2019 competition, the grant was approved, and for 2021 it was rejected. For 2022, no application was submitted. Due to pride and concern for image, we wanted the contest to organise anyway and be able to pay the prizes.”

The singers’ situation became more dire when, on 18 June, 2023, Boeren died due to complications from surgery. His death froze Lyrica’s bank account, but with help from their lawyer, the singers were finally paid in full on 13 July from Vlaemnick’s personal account.

A sense of justice being done drove the group of young singers to see the story through, says Harper. “Performers need to know they cannot be trampled on. It is totally unacceptable, and we should always stand up for our rights and the rights of other performers.”

Lyrica still has outstanding payments totalling more than €10,000 euros owed to singers who have performed for the company over the last decade. At least 10 singers on the company’s roster dating back to 2012 have yet to receive their full compensation for services rendered. Many of the singers did not pursue legal action because the legal fees would cost more than what they were owed. All continue to hope they will eventually be paid in full.

Hannah Moss is a singer and journalist working for the Belga News Agency.