Priority Booking for this concert will open to Friends of Wigmore Hall from Wednesday 8 January at 10.00am. For a full breakdown of booking dates, please visit our Priority Booking page.

General sale for this concert will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 21 January.

The fifth year of the Wigmore French Song Exchange returns with three recitals: two Wigmore Hall lunchtimes and a performance in Paris. Devised by Dame Felicity Lott and François Le Roux, two great champions of the mélodie, alongside Sebastian Wybrew, the programme offers gifted singers and pianists a year of coaching from their mentors, culminating in showcase performances.

'We wanted to share our love of French song with a new generation of singers. Come and hear beautiful young voices in this rich and varied repertoire, with well-known and lesser-known songs. I hope that – like me – you will make some great discoveries!'.

Bizet & Ravel 1875 – A Cornerstone for French Music

In 1875, Bizet died, a few weeks after his operatic masterpiece Carmen was premièred at the Paris Opéra-Comique, and Ravel was born at the border of Spain in the French Basque country. The Wigmore French Song Exchange celebrates this 150th anniversary with young singers and pianists exploring Bizet’s and Ravel’s musical worlds through their songs.

In the first concert of the series, the singers take on keystone works of the genre, from the ‘classic’ style of Fauré and Gounod to the ‘modern’ style of Debussy and Poulenc. We also commence this year’s celebration of Bizet and Ravel, exploring their musical landscapes, particularly the Spanish influence.