Alice Coote, Roderick Williams, Iestyn Davies, Soraya Mafì Headline Leeds Lieder 2021

By David Salazar

The Leeds Lieder in the United Kingdom has announced its slate for the 2021 festival, which is set to take place between June 17-20.

The festival will be performed for a socially distanced audience and streamed live via the organization’s digital platform. Performances will be available for a month.

“In a year when art and music have been needed more than ever, having the opportunity to program song at Leeds Town Hall, with the support of Arts Council England, has been enormously rewarding,” said Festival Director Joseph Middleton.  “Despite the Pandemic we have live-streamed sixteen recitals in the past six months and, when allowed, a handful of these have been in front of socially distanced audiences. Our 2021 Festival is as colorful and diverse as anything we have curated – every corner of the rich tapestry of art song is explored and championed. After the hiatus of the past year we are committed to supporting as many artists as we can. We continue to educate and grow audiences, commission new works and program songs in a diverse way. This year’s program showcases some of the astonishing work the organization undertakes, and provides a platform for international stars to rub shoulders with the next generation of emerging musicians.”

The showcase kicks off with “The View from the Villa” starring Susan Bickley, Matthew Brook, Iain Burnside, and actor Victoria Newlyn.

Performance Date: June 17, 2021

Alice Coote and pianist Christian Blackshaw will headline the 10th Festival Opening Gala Recital. They will perform music by Schumann, Strauss, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky.

Performance Date: June 17, 2021

Natalya Romaniw and Iain Burnside will perform music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Strauss, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff.

Performance Date: June 18, 2021

Mark Padmore, Iestyn Davies, and Peter Brathwaite will lead a performance of Britten’s “The Five Canticles” alongside pianist Joseph Middleton, harpist Olivia Jageurs, and horn player Ben Goldschieder.

Performance Date: June 18, 2021

The Hermes Experiment will present a concert featuring music by Errollyn Wallen, Raymond Yiu, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Emily Hall, Clara Schumann, Lili Boulanger, and Hannah Peel.

Performance Date: June 18, 2021

The Leeds Lieder Young Artists will present Coffee Concert at Victoria Hall Risers.

Performance Date: June 19, 2021

Ema Nikolovska and pianist Joseph Middleton will present a recital with music by Soper, Powell, Swanson, Smith, Wallen, Judith Weir, Danika Lòren, Clara Schumann, Zografski, and Schubert.

Performance Date: June 19, 2021

Soraya Mafì, Ema Nikolovska, William Thomas, and pianist Graham Johnson will perform “If Fiordiligi and Dorabella had been Lieder Singers.” The showcase will feature music by Mozart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and Brahms.

Performance Date: June 19, 2021

James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook will perform a recital featuring music by Purcell, Schubert, Barber, and Dove.

Performance Date: June 20, 2021

Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams, and pianist Joseph Middleton will close out the festival with a recital featuring music by Hannah Kendall, a Leeds Lieder commission.

Performance Date: June 20, 2021

There will also be several masterclasses and pre-concert lectures throughout the four days.

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