Since 2002, Ludlow English Song Weekend has brought the very best singers to Shropshire in the spring, including Roderick Williams, Carolyn Sampson, Robert Murray, Nicky Spence and many more.
Each year brings a fresh encounter with songs by Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Parry or Britten, while making some unexpected connections, and showcasing under-appreciated composers too. Commissions and world premieres, from both established and emerging composers, have taken the art form forward. And talented young singers have been guided in masterclasses by Susan Bullock, Ann Murray and others.
While works for voice and piano naturally predominate, the festival has hosted ensembles including the Gildas Quartet, Bath Camerata and Carice Singers, and forged collaborations with musicians including guitarist Shaun Shibe, oboist Nicholas Daniel, and violinist Michael Foyle.
In 2025…
Visionary Australian mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean was joined in St. Laurence’s church by her father, the internationally acclaimed composer and violist Brett Dean, for a programme of music about living life to the fullest; and rising star, British baritone Andrew Hamilton returned to the UK for the Weekend, after honing his craft in Munich.
In 2024…
Roderick Williams returned to Ludlow with a programme including Grant Machlachlan’s The Silence of the Day, a song cycle for baritone and double bass; and baritone James Newby joined us for the first time.
“Ringed by blue remembered hills, Ludlow is the perfect setting for a festival of English Song… But you’d be wrong if you thought it was all Finzi, Bucks Fizz and honey still for tea.”
The Times