£5,000
Kindly donated by the Jean Meikle Music Trust

The Jean Meikle Music Trust was established in 2005 in memory of Jean Meikle (1929–2004), a passionate lover of song and chamber music in all its forms, and a devotee of Wigmore Hall. The aim of the Trust is to encourage young classical musicians and audiences in the performance and appreciation of great music. Jean appreciated one hundred per cent the importance of the musical partnership of singer and pianist, and in 2024 JMMT is proud once again to fund The Jean Meikle Duo Prize at the Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition, awarded to the most outstanding singer/pianist partnership in the Competition. Previous winners are: 2022: Anna Cavaliero (UK) and Sebastian Issler (Switzerland); 2019: Matthew Swensen (USA) and Katelan Terrell (USA); 2017: Gemma Summerfield (UK) and Sebastian Wybrew (UK); 2015: Kate Howden (Australia) and Sachika Taniyama (Japan); 2013: Johnny Herford (UK) and William Vann (UK); 2011: Jonathan McGovern (UK) and Timothy End (UK); 2009: Gerard Collett (UK) and James Baillieu (South Africa;, 2007: Daniel Johannsen (Austria) and Elena Larina (Russia). The Jean Meikle Music Trust also gives annual support to the Oxford International Song Festival and the Leeds Lieder Festival for the educational projects they undertake.

www.juliusdrake.com/jean-meikle-trust

£3,000
Kindly donated by the Anglo-Austrian Music Society

The Anglo-Austrian Music Society was founded in London in the autumn of 1942 by a small group of Austrian refugee musicians and British friends – initially as a means of surviving in exile, but also to promote the appreciation and understanding of Austrian music in Britain. In 1947 the Society brought the Vienna State Opera to Covent Garden, and this visit saw Richard Tauber's last stage appearance as Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni on 27 September 1947. In 1950 the Anglo-Austrian Music Society established the Richard Tauber Fund in memory of the great Austrian tenor and to launch the Richard Tauber Prize for Singers which was awarded 30 times between 1951 and 2010. Preliminary auditions were held in London and in Vienna, and the public final audition was held at Wigmore Hall, which was also the venue for the prize-winning recital. Previous Richard Tauber Prizewinners have included Sir Simon Keenlyside, William Dazeley, Jane Irwin, Jonathan Lemalu, Anna Leese, Christopher Ainslie, Robin Leggate, Alexander Oliver and Richard Angas. In 2013, the Anglo-Austrian Music Society decided to award a Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder as part of the eminent Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. The first winners were Timothy Fallon (USA) and Ammiel Bushakevitz (South Africa/Israel) in 2013, followed by James Newby (UK) in 2015, Clara Osowski (USA) in 2017, Benjamin Russell (Ireland) in 2019 and John Matthew Myers (USA) in 2022. The Anglo-Austrian Music Society closed down in December 2021 and all remaining funds were transferred to The Wigmore Hall Trust for future Richard Tauber Prizes.

www.aams.org.uk

£2,000
Kindly donated by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society

The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society was founded in 1994 to address the many gaps in performances and recordings of his works. Over the years the Society has sponsored exhibitions and symposiums, supported many performances and recordings, and published books about the composer. In 2007 a recording subsidiary, Albion Records, was formed; to date it has issued 46 recordings, nearly all of them including Vaughan Williams premières. The Society's thriving membership now numbers more than 1000 in 25 countries around the world, all of whom receive the Society's Journal three times a year in addition to other benefits. The Society’s Chairman is John Francis, and the President is the renowned conductor Sir Andrew Davis. Our partnership with the Competition has developed from the Society’s work promoting Vaughan Williams in general and English music more broadly. The inaugural prize was won in 2019 by Clara Osowski (USA) and in 2022, by Vinicius Costa (Brazil). During 2022 the music industry celebrated the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth with an extensive programme of concerts, events, recordings and publications.

www.rvwsociety.com

Approx. value £2,000
Kindly awarded by the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme at Britten Pears Arts

The Britten Pears Young Artist Programme (BPYAP) was founded in 1972 by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears to provide high-level performance training for early career professional musicians. Led by the world’s finest performers, teachers and creatives, all projects and opportunities take place on our creative campus at the world-famous Snape Maltings Concert Hall, home of the Aldeburgh Festival and the Red House in Aldeburgh – Britten & Pears’ home and archive. The BPYAP hosts some of the world’s premier performers and teachers who lead intensive projects, which culminate in high profile performances and masterclasses. For example, in the upcoming 2024-25 programme the song course will be led by Véronique Gens and Susan Manoff, two of the finest interpreters of French art song. One singer and one pianist will be awarded participation in the week-long vocal masterclass course in the 2025-26 programme, where they will work in intensive duo coaching, 1:1 teaching and public masterclasses. The Britten Pears Young Artist Programme will cover travel, accommodation costs and provide some meals. Details of courses will be published in early 2025.

https://brittenpearsarts.org

First Prize

Laurence Kilsby tenor UK (2022), Mikhail Timoshenko bass-baritone Russia (2019), Julien van Mellaerts baritone UK/New Zealand (2017), Milan Siljanov bass Switzerland (2015), Timothy Fallon USA (2013), Dominik Köninger Germany (2011), Marcus Farnsworth UK (2009), Martha Guth Canada (2007), Mattijs van de Woerd The Netherlands (2003), Stephan Loges Germany (1999), Marcus DeLoach USA (1997)

Second Prize

Arvid Fagerfjäll baritone Sweden (2022), Harriet Burns soprano UK (2019), John Brancy baritone USA (2017), Samuel Hasselhorn baritone Germany (2015), Gavan Ring Ireland (2013), Stuart Jackson UK (2011), Benedict Nelson UK (2009), Robin Tritschler Ireland (2007), Colin Balzer Canada (2003), Measha Brueggergosman Canada (2001), Håkan Vramsmo Sweden (1999), Sebastian Noack Germany (1997)

Third Prize

John Matthew Myers tenor USA (2022), Beth Taylor mezzo soprano UK (2019), Josh Quinn baritone USA (2017), James Newby baritone UK (2015), Helen Sherman Australia (2013), Dorottya Láng Hungary (2011), Erin Morley USA (2009), Ben Johnson UK (2007), Sophie Karthäuser Belgium (2003), Tyler Duncan Canada (2001), Andrea Meláth Hungary (1999), Herman Wallén Finland (1997)

Fourth Prize for Singers

Kieran Carrel tenor UK/Germany (2019), Sidney Outlaw USA (2009), Martha Guth Canada (2003), Erik Nelson Werner USA (2001), James Rutherford UK (1999)

Finalist’s Prize

Susan Zarrabi mezzo-soprano Germany (2022), Clara Osowski mezzo-soprano USA (2017), Aoife Miskelly soprano Northern Ireland and Spencer Lang tenor USA (joint winners 2015), Daniel Norman UK (2001)

Pianists’ Prize

Hikaru Kanki Japan (2022), Michael Pandya UK (2019), Ian Tindale UK (2017), Nino Chokhonelidze Georgia (2015), Ammiel Bushakevitz South Africa/Israel (2013), Timothy End UK and Jonathan Ware USA (joint winners 2011), James Baillieu South Africa (2009), Joseph Middleton UK (2007), Erika Switzer Canada (2003), Christopher Gould UK (2001), Clinton Cormany USA (1999), Roger Braun The Netherlands (1997)

Jean Meikle Prize for a Duo

Anna Cavaliero soprano UK and Sebastian Issler Switzerland (2022), Matthew Swensen tenor USA and Katelan Terrell USA (2019), Gemma Summerfield soprano UK and Sebastian Wybrew UK (2017), Kate Howden mezzo-soprano Australia and Sachika Taniyama Japan (2015), Johnny Herford UK and William Vann UK (2013), Jonathan McGovern UK and Timothy End UK (2011), Gerard Collett UK and James Baillieu South Africa (2009), Daniel Johannsen Austria and Elena Larina Russia (2007)

Richard Tauber Prize for the Best Interpretation of Schubert Lieder

John Matthew Myers tenor USA (2022), Benjamin Russell baritone Ireland (2019), Clara Osowski mezzo-soprano USA (2017), James Newby baritone UK (2015), Timothy Fallon USA and Ammiel Bushakevitz South Africa/Israel (2013)

Ralph Vaughan Williams Society Prize for the best interpretation of songs in English by a British composer

Vinicius Costa bass-baritone Brazil (2022), Clara Osowski USA (2019)

Britten Pears Young Artist Programme Prize

Benedikt Holter piano Austria, Jeeyoung Lim bass-baritone South Korea (2022), Hamish Brown piano UK, Guy Elliott tenor UK (2022)