With just a few days to go until the closing date (26 June 2021) full details of the requirements for the 2021 Kathleen Ferrier Awards are now available on the website at https://ferrierawards.org.uk/2021-competition/, along with the application forms.
If you have any queries please contact info@ferrierawards.org.uk or telephone 07751 069551.
The live preliminary auditions for the 2021 Kathleen Ferrier Awards are due to start in two months’ time but following the increase in cases of Covid-19 and new lockdown, the Trustees of the Kathleen Ferrier Awards have decided to postpone the 2021 Competition.
The closing date for applications will now be Saturday 26 June 2021. Preliminary auditions will be held from Sunday 12th September until Saturday 18 September, the Semi-Final will be on Friday 12 November and the Final on Sunday 14 November, all at Henry Wood Hall, London. As in 2020, the Semi-Final and Final will be recorded for subsequent transmission on-line.
The Rules and Regulations regarding age, residency, education and repertoire requirements will not change from those already advertised. Revised application forms will be posted on the website as soon as possible.
If you have any questions please email info@ferrierawards.org.uk or telephone 07751 069551.
Some ten months after applications were received, the 65th Kathleen Ferrier Awards Competition has concluded and the winners were announced at the end of the Competition’s Final, streamed earlier from Southwark’s Henry Wood Hall.
This year Jessica Cale won the first prize of £12,500. Jessica, from Pembrokeshire, studied at the Royal College of Music, having already worked extensively with The Sixteen and the Monteverdi Choir. She has appeared with the Gabrieli Consort, at Ryedale Festival Opera and was a finalist in the 2020 London Handel Festival Singing Competition
Ella Taylor won the second prize of £6,000. Ella was born in Sheffield, where their father was Director of Music at the cathedral. Ella was a chorister from the age ten and went on to the Royal Academy where they graduated with distinction. They were then a Young Artist in the 2019/20 season at the National Opera Studio. Ella has a passion for contemporary music and works by women and gender non-conforming artists.
The Ferrier Loveday Song Prize of £5,000 was awarded to Milly Forrest, from West London. Milly studied for her Masters degree at the Royal College of Music having graduated from the Royal Academy where she was also a Junior. She won the Emmy Destinn Czech competition in 2019, was a finalist in the 2020 ROSL competition and will make her solo debut at Wigmore Hall in February 2021.
Finally, the Accompanist’s Prize – funded by Help Musicians – went to Hamish Brown who will receive £5,000. No stranger to winning prizes, London based Hamish Brown won the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme Prize Winner in the 2019 Wigmore International Song Competition and the Pianist’s Prize at the Mozart Singing Competition. He is a former Oxford Lieder Young Artist.
The awards were judged by eminent mezzo-soprano Rosalind Plowright, Welsh tenor Ryland Davies, Grammy award-winning pianist and accompanist Christopher Glynn and jury chair Valerie Beale who has chaired the Ferrier since 2013.
Jury Chair, Valerie Beale, said: ‘Winning the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier is a great start to Jessica’s career. In this year when so many musicians have been silenced we felt it important to give young singers a chance to show what they can do and we are happy that Jessica and the other singers in the finals took that chance. Jessica takes her place amongst the other Ferrier winners whose careers have been boosted by winning the competition’.
Viewers can still watch the free-to-view awards – which were presented by BBC Radio 3 Presenter Martin Handley – on the competition’s website, and can do so until 31 January 2021.
Have you watched the Semi-Finals for this year’s Kathleen Ferrier Awards?
See https://ferrierawards.org.uk/2020competition/ to catch up with the three Semi-Final programmes shown so far and available online until January 31st 2021.
At the end of Semi-Final Part 3 we announced the performers that are through to the Final, which will be shown from 6pm on Sunday 13th December at the above link. The winners of the four prizes on offer will be announced at approximately 8.30pm. All programmes are free-to-view though we hope some of those who do watch might make a donation here.
This year’s finalists are, in performance order:
Jessica Cale Soprano
George Ireland * Piano
Judith Le Breuilly Mezzo-Soprano
Joseph Ramadan Piano
Liam Bonthrone Tenor
Dylan Perez Piano
Julieth Lozano Rolong Soprano
Lucy Colquhoun Piano
Ella Taylor Soprano
Leo Nicholson Piano
Ted Black Tenor
Ana Manastireanu * Piano
Milly Forrest Soprano
Hamish Brown * Piano
The following performers also took part in the semi-final of the Competition and remain eligible for the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize and the Help Musicians’ Accompanist’s Prize:
Ana Beard Fernández Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Hilary Cronin Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Camilla Harris Soprano
Natalie Burch * Piano
Helena Moore Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Stephanie Wake-Edwards Mezzo-Soprano
Patrick Milne * Piano
* denotes pianist competing for the Help Musician’s Accompanist’s Prize.
Following the successful completion of the preliminary auditions and semi-final of the 2020 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, the following performers have been chosen to take part in the final. All these performances will be available to view on-line, details of which will be made available in due course, and the winners announced at the end of the broadcast.
Ted Black Tenor
Ana Manastireanu * Piano
Liam Bonthrone Tenor
Dylan Perez Piano
Jessica Cale Soprano
George Ireland * Piano
Milly Forrest Soprano
Hamish Brown * Piano
Judith Le Breuilly Mezzo-Soprano
Joseph Ramadan Piano
Julieth Lozano Soprano
Lucy Colquhoun Piano
Ella Taylor Soprano
Leo Nicholson Piano
The following performers also took part in the semi-final of the Competition and remain eligible for the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize and the Help Musicians’ Accompanist’s Prize.
Ana Beard Fernández Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Hilary Cronin Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Camilla Harris Soprano
Natalie Burch * Piano
Helena Moore Soprano
Matthew Jorysz * Piano
Stephanie Wake-Edwards Mezzo-Soprano
Patrick Milne * Piano
* denotes pianist competing for the Help Musician’s Accompanist’s Prize.