Leeds Song

21/05/2026

We are delighted to welcome Leeds Song Patron Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton for this very special evening, dedicated to Kathleen Evans.

Celebrating Kathleen’s years of dedication to Leeds Song, the programme brings together music that inspires, consoles and uplifts — including a specially commissioned new song cycle by David Matthews.

This video is an excerpt from Urlicht by Gustav Mahler, one of the works to be performed during the recital.

📅 Fri 19 June | 7-9pm
📍 Leeds Conservatoire

Book now: https://www.leedssong.com/whats-on/dame-sarah-connolly-and-joseph-middleton-kathleens-songbook/

🎤 Join us at 6pm for a free pre-concert talk with musicologist Dr George Kennaway.

20/05/2026

18/05/2026

We are deeply saddened by the death of Dame Felicity Lott, Patron of Leeds Song since 2015, and one of the most influential and admired singers in the world of song.

A wonderful artist, recitalist and inspiring masterclass leader, she gave so much to our audiences, young singers and organisation over many years. We remember her with great gratitude and affection, and send our condolences to her family and friends.

08/05/2026

Soprano .i.ams and lutenist joined Leeds Song in an intimate recital designed to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland, performed in the remarkable setting of the Royal Armouries Museum.

Follow the link in our bio to catch up on ‘Flow My Tears’ via our YouTube channel.

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24/04/2026

Wishing our friends all the best for their 2026 Festival which opens tomorrow, running until 2 May.

The &Piano Music Festival celebrates some of the finest vocal & instrumental talent to have been nurtured in & around the North of England, in the beautiful village of Slaithwaite, Huddersfield. This year the festival presents exciting combinations of instrumental & vocal music, and features two brilliant song cycles by popular composer , including ‘Magic Lantern Tales’, which was commissioned by Leeds Song in 2016.

Other highlights include Ravel’s exquisite song cycle Sheherazade performed by acclaimed singer Katherine Broderick.

18/04/2026

Cellist, musicologist and visiting Research Fellow at Huddersfield and Leeds Universities, Dr George Kennaway gives one of his popular pre-concert talks in advance of the Festival’s closing recital. As a longstanding Leeds Song Trustee, George is well-placed to introduce this final recital of the week, dedicated to Leeds Song Chair, Kathleen Evans BEM.

18/04/2026

“Daß ich trag’ Todeswunden, das ist der Menschen Tun” (Justinus Kerner)

Inspired by a line from Robert Schumann’s Kerner Lieder, this programme is a meditation on human suffering, with a particular focus on the innocent child victims of conflict. From the bombing of the Basque village of Guernica, to racist attacks in African American churches, to the horrors of N**i occupation in France, this concert speaks of fascism, racism, and injustice, at the same time following the search for freedom, and putting forward a faith in the endurance of the human spirit.

Rising British-Russian baritone Theodore Platt, celebrated for his ‘warm and powerful English baritone’ is one of opera’s most promising young voices. He is a recent laureate of the Concours international de Montréal and recipient of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. And to join him, we welcome back to Leeds alumnus of the Leeds Song Young Artist programme, and now Lecturer of Lieder at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, pianist Keval Shah. Shah’s career is marked by his innovative approach to classical music and his ability to bridge cultural and social divides through his performances.

17/04/2026

Katharina Konradi returns to Leeds following her knockout performance last year. Joined by pianist Joseph Middleton, she presents a programme of French, Russian, and German songs she has truly made her own. Together, they weave a rich tapestry of Romantic repertoire, exploring themes of love, longing, nature, and reflection, with moments of drama, intimacy, reverence, and lyrical beauty.

A regular on the operatic stage at the Bayerische, Wiener and Hamburg Staatsoper as well as major concert halls throughout Europe, Konradi is praised for her “crystal clear soprano” and “dazzling vocal technique” and along with Middleton is sure to provide an evening of typically emotive and nuanced song interpretation.

17/04/2026

Late-night song at its finest! 🌙 A lovely evening in the Howard Assembly Room Bar, as our Leeds Song Young Artists presented an informal late-night session of song, from Poisoning Pigeons in the Park to Auf der Brück.

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17/04/2026

We are always pleased when the legacy of our Young Artists programme can be demonstrated in our concert and Festival programming. This evening, we welcome back one of our Young Artist alumni and rising-star American pianist, Mark Rogers to give an engaging and insightful pre-concert talk. Winner of the Prix de Mélodie at the Concours Nadia et Lilli Boulanger, and the audience and First prize at the Helmut Deutsch Lieder Competition, Mark is becoming well-established as a performer specializing in vocal and chamber music, and is also an acclaimed writer in his field, winning first prize from the Royal Philharmonic Society for his article on Samuel Barber in their Young Classical Writers competition.