The prestigious Northern Aldborough Festival New Voices Singing Competition has unveiled its 2026 semi-finalists.
Now in its fourth year, the nationwide search spanning concert halls and conservatoires has become a showcase of the hottest rising stars, with a £7,000 prize fund.
Open to UK classical vocalists, aged 18-32, the shortlisted singers go head-to-head in live semi-finals, before being whittled down for the grand final, where the winner is crowned.
The live performances take place during the festival on 22 and 23 June 2026, hosted in the historic St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough near York.
The competition has fast become a fixture on the classical music calendar, thanks to its distinguished judges who, in previous years, have included Sir John Tomlinson CBE, Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Jane Glover and Edward Gardner OBE.
2026’s judging panel features the conductor and former musical director of Opera North, Paul Daniel CBE, the acclaimed soprano Carolyn Sampson OBE, and the accompanist Anna Tilbrook. They’re joined by festival director Robert Ogden and festival chair, Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred.
The winner will receive the Seastock Trust Prize of £5k. Second prize is The Yorkshire Music Future Fund Prize of £1500, and third is the £500 Armitage Prize, chosen by the audience. Selected finalists will be offered paid recitals at Harrogate International Festival and Leeds Song Festival.
The New Voices Competition was launched in 2023 by Northern Aldborough Festival in response to funding cuts in the music sector, to provide a platform for emerging talent.
Robert Ogden, Festival director and CEO of Temple Music Foundation, once had a career as an operatic countertenor. Robert said: “We’re thrilled at the remarkable calibre of entries this year. Our competition can really make a tangible difference to young musicians who face enormous challenges entering an increasingly tough industry. The competition has grown year-on-year, and the singers are truly exceptional. We urge audiences to come and watch. It’s a unique chance to witness major musical stars in their ascent in the intimate setting of St Andrew’s Church, with its remarkable acoustics.”
The inaugural winner of the New Voices Competition was the mezzo-soprano Lea Shaw, who was consequently picked as a BBC Music Magazine ‘Rising Star.’ Last year, the festival helped Lea secure professional management with one of the UK’s leading agencies.
2025’s winner, the Scottish soprano Rachel Munro and pianist Jia Ning Ng will also be performing their winning recital during this June’s festival.
The 2026 New Voices Singing Competition semi-finalists are:
Madeline Robinson (soprano) with Benjamin Markovic (piano)
Madeline graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music and recently made her debut at the Royal Ballet and Opera. Benjamin is in his final year of Masters study at the Royal Academy of Music.
Harrison Robb (baritone) with Catriona Mackenzie (piano)
Baritone Harrison Robb is at the Royal Academy Opera School. He began working with Catriona in 2024, receiving Audience Prizes at both The Ashburnham and The Dean and Chadlington Song Awards. Catriona is studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Elisabeth Lee (soprano) with Alfonso Sánchez Pérez (piano)
Soprano Elisabeth Lee studied in Seoul and Berlin and performs across Europe. Spanish pianist and conductor Alfonso studied at Dublin and Linz. Both are Young Artists at the National Opera Studio, London.
Kira Kaplan (soprano) with Catriona Mackenzie (piano)
American soprano Kira is a UK resident, and emerging artist with Scottish Opera. She was a Global Talent Young Artist with the National Opera Studio, and has won the prestigious Career Bridges Grant Competition.
Tom Lilburn (counter-tenor) with Jack Redman (piano)
Countertenor Tom Lilburn is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and The Royal College of Music, and is a Lay Clerk at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. He sang at the funeral of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Pianist Jack Redman has performed at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and prestigious venues across the UK.
Archie Inns (tenor) with Daniel Silcock (piano)
Scottish tenor Archie Inns works across opera, oratorio, song, and consort work, and is a Fellow with The English Concert. An Emerging Artist with Westminster Opera Company and Associate Artist with Oxford Opera, he’s studying at the Royal College of Music.
Scottish pianist Daniel Silcock is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a 2025 Britten-Pears Artist.
Grace Hope-Gill (soprano) with Daniel Silcock (piano)
Welsh soprano Grace Hope-Gill is at the Royal Academy Opera at the Royal Academy of Music as a bicentenary scholar. Recent successes include, winning the John Fussell Award for Young Musicians and Elena Gerhardt prize, and travelling to Munich with the Elton John Global Exchange scholarship.
Pianist Daniel Silcock is on the Song Circle and Academy Voices fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music.
Camilla Seale (mezzo-soprano) with Jonatan Bought (lute)
Lyric mezzo soprano Camilla Seale is also an actor with an extensive background in opera, theatre and baroque repertoire. She studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, and was a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio Global Talent Programme and was a Britten-Pears Artist.
Swedish musician Jonatan Bougt studied at the Royal College of Music. A multi-award winner, performances include the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Each June, Northern Aldborough Festival welcomes world-class acts to the beautiful North Yorkshire village.
Now in its 32nd year, 2026’s festival features clarinettist Emma Johnson, pianist Lucy Parham with the actress Joanna David performing I, Clara, and pianist Sarah Beth Briggs.
It also welcomes the Orchestra of Opera North performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, the Wild Arts opera company with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in a production by Danielle de Niese, and jazz from the legendary bandleader Clark Tracey with his quintet. The festival’s guest speaker is the broadcaster and journalist, Amol Rajan.
Aldborough is a picturesque Roman village, just half an hour from York or Harrogate, and its festival has become a leading fixture on the classical music calendar. Its patron is Dame Judi Dench.
Tickets are now on sale to attend the live semi-finals and final: https://aldboroughfestival.co.uk/