Programme Dates: Saturday 11 to Saturday 18 April 2026
Application deadline: Friday 14 November 2025

Building on the success of our Young Artists Programme in recent years, we are now inviting ten duo partners aged 30 years or under (on 11 April 2026), or artists who have graduated from a conservatoire or university within the past 2 academic years, to become Leeds Song Young Artists and fully immerse themselves in the many recitals, masterclasses, talks and events taking place during the Festival.

Young Artists will receive free tickets to all Festival events during the week featuring artists such as Dame Sarah Connolly, Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside, Louise Alder, Huw Montague Rendall, Marianne Crebassa, Katharina Konradi, Nardus Williams, Elizabeth Kenny, Helen Charlston, Sholto Kynoch, Axelle Fanyo, Fleur Barron, Julius Drake, Patricia Nolz, Theodore Platt, Keval Shah and Festival Director Joseph Middleton.

There will be opportunities to work closely in masterclasses with renowned song artists including Bernarda Fink, Sir Thomas Allen, Mark Padmore CBE, Roger Vignoles, Anna Tilbrook and actor Scott Brooksbank, all of whom will share their experiences of working on the international stage and explore the special ensemble relationship of voice and piano.

Leeds Song Young Artists will benefit from individual coaching from the above experts and will also take part in a live-streamed recitals, with further opportunities to participate in: a study event with leading song pedagogue and linguist, Richard Stokes; the Composers & Poets Forum, performing brand new songs which will be the culmination of the creative song-writing project, ‘A Leeds Songbook’; a professional development Q&A session featuring a panel of music industry professionals; and to join the newly-formed Bring & Sing! Chorus in a performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass directed by Gareth Malone.

We are committed to nurturing young talent and our knowledgeable, generous and discerning audiences value the opportunity to follow the careers of our Young Artists. Leeds Song Young Artists may also be invited to take part in future Leeds Song concert seasons, alongside an already established tradition of Ferrier and Wigmore International Song Competition prizewinners and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. Recent Leeds Song Young Artist alumni, Charles Cunliffe and Jong Sun Woo feature in this year’s mainstage Festival line-up.

Application Information:

• Please complete the online application form below by Friday 14 November 2025. We regret that late applications cannot be considered.
• Duos are asked to submit a recent video recording of three contrasting songs of their choice (one in German, one in English and one in another language) for consideration by the selection committee.
• We regret that we are only able to accept video recordings electronically via a link such as YouTube or Google Drive, and cannot access videos via a file sharing link requiring a download (such as WeTransfer).
• Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 5 December 2025.
• Successful applicants must be fully available for the entire Festival period (Saturday 11 April to Saturday 18 April 2026). Attendance at all Festival events is obligatory and Young Artists must be able to arrive in Leeds by midday on Saturday 11 April and attend the Programme until the end of the Festival on the evening of Saturday 18 April 2026.
• Accommodation during the Festival will be provided from Saturday 11 April to Sunday 19 April (8 nights), but Young Artists will be responsible for organising and paying for their own travel to and from Leeds.
• A fee of £400 per participant is payable in full by Friday 9 January 2026.
• Leeds Song regrets that it cannot permit any N/As other than in exceptional circumstances and then only by prior agreement in writing.
• Applicants must be aged 30 years or under (on 11 April 2026), or must have graduated from a conservative or university within the past 2 academic years.

 

Application form