Mary Bevan

Joseph Middleton

Leeds Conservatoire

Rossall International Piano Academy is a unique and innovative programme for outstanding young pianists aged 11–18. Teaching and coaching are delivered through lessons and workshops with worldclass performers such as Martin Roscoe and Kathryn Stott.

Rossall International Piano Academy

Soprano Mary Bevan joins Leeds Song Director Joseph Middleton for an evocative recital built around Elegy, the pair's acclaimed 2025 release on Signum Records.

Born from their programme From Earth to Heaven, Elegy reflects a period of profound personal loss and the healing power of music. Shaped by Bevan’s experience of grieving for her father, the performance traces a moving arc from sorrow to consolation, exploring the mystery of death and the quiet transcendence found in song.

The programme features works by Schubert, Fauré, Mahler, Jeanne Landry, Errollyn Wallen, Pauline Viardot, and others—an intimate journey through mourning, reflection, and renewal. Their previous album Voyages was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award, and their recitals across Europe have earned widespread critical praise.

Leeds Song: Mary Bevan and Joseph Middleton

Cellist Bartholomew LaFollette and pianist Simon Callaghan present an evening of contrast, discovery and championed repertoire.

Bartholomew LaFollette & Simon Callaghan

Isobel Neary-Adams studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where they hold a scholarship. They cultivated a passion for chamber music at MusicWorks, Festival Resonances Academy, Maiastra, and IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

The Leeds Song Young Artists Programme supports 20 emerging singers and pianists each year through intensive training, masterclasses and coaching. Rooted in Leeds Song's annual Festival, the Young Artist Programme plays a vital role in the UK’s classical music pipeline, strengthening the skills and professional readiness of early‑career musicians. Leeds Song is delighted to welcome back two duos from its 2026 Young Artist programme to give this special recital, as part of the prestigious Leeds International Concert Season.

Chinese countertenor Zheng Jiang is rapidly emerging on the operatic and concert stage with recent highlights including debuts with The Mozartists, The Grange and Salzburg Festivals, and as a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards. Pianist Yihan Zhao, winner of the Royal College of Music's Chappell Medal, recently made their Wigmore Hall debut and continues to build a distinctive profile as both pianist and harpsichordist.

Leeds Song Young Artists Alumni

Oboist Esther Williams and pianist Alexandra Standing’s programme shows the evolution of expressive chamber music writing from the Romantic period to the present day.

Born and raised in London of Vincentian and Jamaican-Indian heritage, Esther Williams completed her undergraduate studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen, studying with world-renowned oboist, Nicholas Daniel OBE. She now has a burgeoning freelance career, performing regularly with orchestras such as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Chineke!, Aurora, and the Heritage Orchestra.

Esther Williams & Alexandra Standing

Pianist Clare Hammond’s imaginative programme spans centuries, from the pioneering voice of Hélène Montgeroult to virtuosic showpieces by George Gershwin, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Igor Stravinsky.

Clare Hammond

The Ukrainian-born pianist performs music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Schumann.

From an early age, the Ukrainian-born pianist Anna Fedorova showed an innate musical maturity and amazing technical abilities. This evening Anna showcases the depth of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata and following the dreamy, elegiac, nature of Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzi, we head to the carnival. Robert Schumann’s Carnaval is a set of 21 short pieces, representing the revellers at a masked ball during carnival. Schumann characterises himself, his friends and colleagues, and characters from commedia dell’arte, an early form of professional theatre that was popular in Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Anna Fedorova

Will Duerden is much in demand as a soloist and orchestral leader. He was a 2018 BBC Young Musician finalist, 2024 Classic FM Rising Star, and Borletti-Buitoni Fellow. Born in Ukraine, Svitlana Kosenko trained in Kharkiv and Saarbrücken and is an accompanist at the Royal College of Music.

Aquinas Piano Trio & Rachel Roberts

A Celebration of Christmas
Step into the festive spirit with A Celebration of Christmas – an enchanting evening of music, song, and spoken word brought to life by the talented students of Leeds Conservatoire. 

Led by the incredible Musical Theatre Choir, this heart-warming performance blends classic and contemporary seasonal favourites, guaranteed to get you in the Christmas mood. 

A Celebration of Christmas

Holy Trinity Boar Lane

When fate throws strangers together on an unfamiliar shore, nothing goes to plan — and everything goes wonderfully, disastrously wrong. In a household full of passion, pride, and too much wine, hearts are broken, tricks are played, and no one escapes unscathed.

This fresh new adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night breathes vibrant new life into the beloved comedy with original music and lyrics, transforming the story into a joyful theatrical celebration. 

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Triptych is a lively, joyful, highly versatile folk trio that blends Celtic traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales with original tunes and arrangements to create an energetic, animated sound. The trio’s aim is simple: to create music that makes people feel good and spread the tradition and joy of folk music. Their programme will have a Christmas theme to celebrate the festive season.