Join one of the world’s pre-eminent Lieder experts, Leeds Lieder Patron Richard Stokes, as he introduces tonight’s recital and discusses Schumann’s Dichterliebe.

Described as ‘the current front-runner in the new generation of Lieder singers’ (Gramophone Magazine), Leeds Lieder favourite Benjamin Appl was a BBC New Generation Artist and an ECHO Rising Star artist for the 2015/16 season, appearing in recital at major European venues.

Lancaster-born Amanda Roocroft has secured an international reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting singers performing regularly at Covent Garden, the Met, Glyndebourne, the Bayersiche Staatsoper, and at ENO where she was won the Lawrence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

Continuing our recent tradition of showcasing a Kathleen Ferrier Award winner, it is with special pleasure that we provide a platform to winner of the First Prize 2018 British bass William Thomas. In addition to his triumph at the Ferrier Awards, at which his pianist Michael Pandya scooped the coveted Accompanist’s Prize, William went on to win the 2018 John Christie Award for his debut at Glyndebourne, placing his star firmly in the firmament.

Calling all singers! Would you like to experience the thrill of being trained by one of the UK’s leading choral trainers? Now’s your chance! Anna Lapwood has appeared at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and works regularly alongside Gareth Malone and the BBC. She is a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and today will lead rehearsals for a performance of Vivaldi’s joyful work, his Gloria.

Following an afternoon of rehearsals under the inspirational leadership of Anna Lapwood, the newly formed Leeds Lieder Bring and Sing Chorus performs Vivaldi’s Gloria. Richard Gowers, formerly senior organ scholar at Kings College Cambridge accompanies.

Join one of the world’s pre-eminent Lieder experts, and Leeds Lieder favourite, Richard Stokes for a pre-concert talk.

We are thrilled to welcome as our Guest of Honour one of the most important artists currently appearing before the public. Acclaimed as one of the foremost interpreters of Richard Strauss and Mozart, Austrian mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager is heard on the world’s great stages and has the rare distinction of having given recitals on the main stages of La Scala Milan and the Vienna Staatsoper.

Join us in the bar for a relaxed evening of poetry and local ales, and perform your own poems at this Open-Mic session.

The finest young duos, coached over the weekend by Angelika Kirchschlager, Amanda Roocroft, Malcolm Martineau and Ann Murray DBE, showcase the songs they have been exploring. An opportunity to enjoy the next generation of Lieder singers and pianists.

A vital and creatively rich component of Leeds Lieder’s work, the Composer and Poets Forum is a day-long culmination of work initiated in November when student composers from the national conservatoires and selected northern universities met poets local to Leeds in a creative venture to encourage the composition of new art songs. Today they return to perform and discuss these new works.

This season, as well as her New Generation Artist commitments, Fatma will perform Die Schöpfung at Tonhalle Düsseldorf and in Budapest; Strauss Lieder with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Birmingham; and will give recitals in Perth, Leeds, Dresden, Bonn, Mallorca, and at Wigmore Hall.

A vital and creatively rich component of Leeds Lieder’s work, the Composer and Poets Forum is a day-long culmination of work initiated in November when student composers from the national conservatoires and selected northern universities met poets local to Leeds in a creative venture to encourage the composition of new art songs. Today they return to perform and discuss these new works. We welcome other aspiring composers and poets to take part in the discussions from the floor.

Described in the New York Observer as ‘one of the world’s finest accompanists’, Malcolm Martineau will share the hallmarks of his playing, his ‘outstanding musical intelligence and virtuosity’ (The Telegraph) with a new generation of singers and pianists, specifically invited to be Leeds Lieder Young Artists.

Our Composers and Poets programme has been a cornerstone of the Leeds Lieder Festival from the very beginning, and has featured luminaries such as South-Yorkshire born poet Ian McMillan.

Robert Schumann, one of our featured composers this year, wrote “Sometimes it seems as though I am embarking on completely new paths in music” and this showcase promises to be an unpredictable and fascinating concert, which may well point out new directions for art song.

Composer and clarinettist Mark Simpson (b.1988, Liverpool) became the first ever winner of both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer of the Year competitions in 2006. In 2015 he was appointed Composer in Association of the BBC Philharmonic for a period of four years. Join us to discover more about his new song cycle in this short documentary video.

Two Leeds Lieder favourites join forces and bring their customary cheer to Yorkshire. Hailed by the Daily Telegraph as “a voice of real distinction,” Nicky Spence is fast emerging as “one of our brightest young tenors”. An artist of great integrity, Nicky Spence’s unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty in his musicianship are steadfastly earning him a place at the top of the profession.

Join us in the bar for an informal evening of local ales and song and poetry presented by our Leeds Lieder Young Artists.