2024 New Voices Semi-Finalists Announced

The Northern Aldborough Festival New Voices Singing Competition has unveiled its 2024 semi-finalists, showcasing exceptional UK classical vocalists, aged 18-32. With a nationwide search spanning concert halls and conservatories, this competition has become a beacon for emerging talent.

The semi-finalists will go head-to-head in a thrilling live performance at the 2024 Northern Aldborough Festival. The historic St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough will resonate with the soaring voices of these exceptional artists. The Semi-Finals take place on Monday, June 17 at 12:00pm and the Grand Final is on Tuesday, June 18 at 7:00pm.

First prize is The Seastock Trust Prize: a prestigious accolade accompanied by a £5,000 cash award and a recital at Northern Aldborough Festival 2025. The second prize of £1500 has been generously sponsored by The Yorkshire Music Future Fund. The Audience Prize, a heartfelt nod to the audience favourite, will be a £500 award.

The panel of discerning judges boasts luminaries from the classical music world including Edward Gardner OBE - renowned conductor and sought-after maestro on the global stage and Sir John Tomlinson CBE - the celebrated English bass and President of the Royal Northern College of Music.

Eight remarkable talents are poised to captivate audiences:

Annabel Kennedy

Annabel Kennedy (Mezzo-Soprano). Hailing from Devon, Annabel honed her craft at the Royal College of Music and has recently won the Singers' 1st Prize in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition. A Jerwood Young Artist, she has appeared at Glyndebourne and made her first principal role debut as Flora in Verdi's La Traviata for Nevill Holt Opera. She is accompanied by pianist Daniel Peter Silcock, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, who has performed at Wigmore Hall and at international music festivals.

Ava Dodd

Ava Dodd, an Irish soprano, studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London. She was the winner of the Yves Paternot prize at the Verbier Festival 2023, won the Boston district round of The Met Opera Competition 2022 and recently sang Anne Trulove in The Rake's Progress at Verbier Festival.

Caroline Taylor

Caroline Taylor (Soprano) made her recital debut at the Royal Opera House in 2023. She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Distinction, winning the Joyce and Michael Kennedy Strauss Award and the 2021 Emmy Destinn Award for Czech Opera and Song, and was recently a Young Artist with duo partner George Ireland at Oxford Song Festival. Pianist George has a thriving career as a recital partner with renowned singers. He is a self-taught pianist from a working-class, non-musical background and recently graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music.

Clara Orif

Clara Orif, Soprano (of French and British nationality) and Jack Redman (piano) have collaborated for over three years since meeting at the Royal Academy of Music. They have performed widely in the UK and France and were Oxford Song Young Artists. Clara took 1st Prize in the Richard Lewis Competition and has sung as soloist with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Florian Störtz

Florian Störtz (Bass-baritone) and Aleksandra Myslek (piano) form a captivating piano-voice duo. Notable collaborations include participation in the Britten/Pears Young Artist Programme and Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall in 2023. Florian won the 2023 London Handel Singing Competition, the 2023 Helmut Deutsch Song Competition and is a Rising Star with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Aleksandra recently gave her Wigmore Hall debut and is a recipient of the Edith Poulsen Accompanist Prize.

Lauren Lodge-Campbell Photo: Julien-Gazeau

Lauren Lodge-Campbell is a British/Australian soprano and a former member of Le Jardin de Voix with Les Arts Florissants. Her performances as soloist have been with renowned ensembles including The English Concert, Les Arts Florissants, and more. Her accompanist Collin Shay is a French-American countertenor, harpsichordist and pianist, and recently played continuo in Handel's La Lucrezia in the London Handel Festival. He is currently studying as a postgraduate at the Guildhall School of Music.

Rebecca Leggett

Rebecca Leggett and George Ireland both met at the Royal College of Music and have worked together for various recitals and competitions since. In 2022 they won the London Song Festival 'British Art-Song Award' and reached the final of the Kathleen Ferrier Award 2023. Rebecca studied at the Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Samuel Stopford

British tenor Samuel Stopford is in his first year of Royal Academy Opera as a Bicentenary Scholar. He is an Opera Prelude Young Artist, winner of the Second Prize and the Song Prize in the Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award and is supported by the Josephine Baker and Countess of Munster Trusts. He recently made his Wigmore Hall debut and will join the Studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper for their 2024/2025 season. He will be accompanied on piano by Daniel Peter Silcock.