From Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin to Britten’s Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, Leeds Song invites audiences to experience the power of live song performance featuring internationally celebrated voices.  

“As The Guardian noted, our “world-class programming” continues to strike a chord with both new and loyal listeners, and we’re proud to see such enthusiasm for song.” says Joseph Middleton, Director of Leeds Song, “This season is a celebration of song at its most profound and personal.” 

An International Lineup of Exceptional Artists

This year’s artists include baritone Huw Montague Rendall, fresh from winning the 2024 Oper! Award for Best Newcomer, and James Newby, praised by The Times as “a master of Lieder.” They are joined by an extraordinary cast of global stars including Swedish soprano Miah Persson, Irish favourite Ailish Tynan, Korean sensation Hera Hyesang Park, and BBC New Generation Artist Hugh Cutting.

 

Season Highlights

Die schöne Müllerin – Huw Montague Rendall & Joseph Middleton
Sun 28 Sep, 3.00pm, Leeds Conservatoire 

Winner of the 2024 Oper! Award for Best Newcomer, Huw Montague Rendall brings Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin to Leeds. With a career spanning the world’s great opera houses, Huw Montague Rendall makes his highly anticipated Leeds Song return with Joseph Middleton at the piano. Together they will bring new insight and nuance to this beloved journey of love, loss, and longing. 

Miah Persson & Joseph Middleton
Thu 23 Oct, 7.45pm, Howard Assembly Room 

The internationally celebrated Swedish soprano performs Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs, alongside Strauss with a personal selection of Scandinavian song close to the artists’ heart. Expect elegance, clarity, and storytelling of the highest order. 

Ailish Tynan & Joseph Middleton
Fri 14 Nov, 7.30pm, Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall 

Irish soprano, Ailish Tynan, returns to Leeds in a programme that highlights her delightful gift for storytelling through song. This recital celebrates the anniversaries of Ravel, Caplet and Satie. 

Masterclass: Dame Felicity Lott
Sat 15 Nov, 2.00pm, Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall 

One of the UK’s most beloved sopranos, Dame Felicity Lott, shares her artistry and insights with students from the Royal Northern College of Music and Leeds Song Young Artists. This is a rare opportunity for audiences to witness a master at work in a relaxed, behind-the-scenes setting. 

Royal Academy of Music Song Circle
Wed 26 Nov, 1.05pm, Leeds Conservatoire 

The Academy Song Circle returns to Leeds with a lunchtime recital showcasing some of the UK’s most promising young singers and pianists. Known for their appearances at Wigmore Hall and other national venues, the Song Circle offers a fresh look at the future of the art form. 

Celebrating Schubert: James Newby & Joseph Middleton
Sat 31 Jan 2026, 7.30pm, The Venue, Leeds Conservatoire 

On the first page of his Songs & Proverbs of William Blake, Benjamin Britten wrote ‘For Dieter: the past and the future’. ‘Dieter’ is the baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who premiered this work some sixty years ago with the composer himself at the piano. In their Leeds Song recital Newby and Middleton perform the same songs that Fischer-Dieskau and Benjamin Britten performed together on 8 June 1972 during the illustrious festival at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Aldeburgh. 

Hera Hyesang Park & Joseph Middleton
Sun 15 Feb 2026, 7.45pm, Howard Assembly Room 

Fresh from her opening night as Susanna in Opera North’s production of The Marriage of Figaro, rising star Hera Hyesang Park makes her Leeds Song debut. Park partners with Joseph Middleton in a recital that promises to be both brilliant and emotionally resonant. 

Hugh Cutting & Joseph Middleton (Peter Hirschmann Memorial Concert)
Mon 2 Mar 2026, 1.00pm, Wesley Centre, Harrogate 

Enjoy the wonderful sound of BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Hugh Cutting’s countertenor voice as he partners with Wesley favourite, Joseph Middleton in a fascinating programme of music from across the centuries that celebrates the timeless beauty of song. 

 

A Global Platform for the Art of Song

Leeds Song is more than a concert series; it is shaping the future of classical song. It brings extraordinary voices to intimate spaces in the city, offering audiences the unique opportunity to experience the very best of song up close. 

This season, experience the intimacy, power, and poetry of live song in some of Yorkshire’s most atmospheric venues. Tickets and details of programmes and repertoire are now available at leedssong.com.