About Us

L: Dame Margaret Price
R: Jane Anthony

Leeds Lieder was founded in 2004 by Jane Anthony in partnership with a group of individuals and Leeds College of Music, to promote the enjoyment, understanding, appreciation, composition and performance of art song.

With relatively few opportunities to hear the art song repertoire in live performance outside London, this gap in the musical landscape provided the inspiration for Leeds Lieder.

Leeds Lieder was inaugurated with a Festival of song in 2005 and there followed a decade of biennial Festivals attracting some of the finest singers and pianists of our time. Encouraged by this success, in 2017 it was decided that the Festival should become an annual event. In between Festivals, audiences are able to enjoy a lively season of concerts and masterclasses presented as co-promotions with our principal partners, the Howard Assembly Room, the University of Leeds and Leeds International Concert Season.

The pianist Joseph Middleton was appointed Director of Leeds Lieder in December 2014.

Our aims are to:

Introduce the magnificent art song repertoire to an ever wider audience
Inspire successive generations of performers, composers and poets
Commission more new work and help to sustain the tradition of song writing

Each Festival offers:

The opportunity to hear some of the world’s finest interpreters of art song, together with the cream of outstanding young artists
At least one new work for solo voice and piano is commissioned for every Festival
A Composers’ + Poets’ Forum which encourages the next generation of song writers by providing expert advice and performance opportunities
A public Masterclass for student singers and pianists from the national conservatoires to benefit from the experience and advice of an internationally celebrated singer and the Festival’s Guest of Honour