Young Artist Programme

Applications will open in 2025 for next season’s Young Artist Programme

Entering its fifth year, our Young Artist Programme is committed to nurturing the artistic and professional development of promising, early-career song duos through a range of first-rate coaching opportunities, professional performance platforms, and career workshops.

Recent opportunities for SongEasel Young Artists

Our fifth instalment of the Young Artist Programme in 2024 provided first-rate performance and coaching opportunities to 18 exceptional early-career performers, including:

  • Masterclasses with Roderick Williams OBE and Roy Howat

  • Professional Performance Platforms in our recital series of international standard

  • Community Performance Platforms with preparatory coaching and guided reflection from song specialists, Sholto Kynoch and Jocelyn Freeman

  • Professional Development Talks delivered by leading industry specialists, including opportunities for career coaching, Q&A, and networking

Professional Performance Platform: Fauré Mélodies - Sunday 12 May 2024

Following masterclass coaching from Fauré specialist, Roy Howat, selected participants were invited perform alongside Gwilym Bowen (tenor), Lucy Gibbs (mezzo), Jared Andrew Michaud (bass-baritone), Christina Koti (piano) and Jocelyn Freeman (piano) a complete, historic performance of Fauré’s Mèlodies in celebration of the composer’s centenary weekend.

Community Performance Platforms - [various dates]

Selected participants received coaching from acclaimed song specialists, Sholto Kynoch and Jocelyn Freeman to prepare and present a recital for elderly residents in the Lewisham community, as part of our ongoing collaboration with Ageing Well Lewisham.

Professional Development Talks

A brand-new addition for 2024, our ‘Career Development’ miniseries presented talks from leading industry specialists in various career skills such as taxation, CV preparation, and self-promotion, providing opportunities for Careers Q&A and networking. Our Programme’s mission - to help early career professionals to establish and maintain careers at the elite level of music performance - means we value your professional development just as much as your artistic development.

“It was really liberating to perform at the Ageing Well meeting after years of the music college environment... This is what music is all about.”

— (SongEasel Young Artist, 2021) 

“A fantastic opportunity to join a supportive community of musicians […] to explore new repertoire and make new connections”

— (SongEasel Young Artist, 2022)

“Absolutely go for it, and make the most of it. The skills and lessons you’ll learn from working with top-tier professionals […] are invaluable”

— (SongEasel Young Artist, 2021)

Eligibility criteria for the SongEasel Young Artist Programme

Who is eligible to apply?

Participation in each element is open to duos of all ages, but preference will be given to current students and recent graduates, for whom this opportunity can have the greatest impact.

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission, as we seek to represent the diverse South East London community in which we operate. As such, we encourage Young Artists from all backgrounds to apply. If you have any questions concerns or concerns regarding accessibility, please get in touch.

Young Artists selected for the masterclass may perform in more than one duo.

Previous participants of the Young Artist Programme are welcome to reapply.

What do I need in order to apply?

  1. 1/2 videos of your duo performance, recorded within the last year.

  2. A written reference from somebody who has knowledge of your work

  3. A current repertoire list

  4. For each Masterclass, two repertoire choices

  5. For the Community Performance Platforms: your availability on certain dates; a short video introducing your duo and explaining, in brief, what you hope to gain from the SongEasel YAP; and a provisional 45 minute programme.

Further information regarding who can apply, and how to apply will be released in 2025. Please ensure you have read all the information below before you apply. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the application process, please get in touch (songeasel@gmail.com) and we will be happy to support you.

Our Young Artist Programmes launched in 2021 and has grown year-by-year to offer a wide range of opportunities to more than 50 talented early-career song duos to date

Opportunities for SongEasel Young Artists have included:

  • Masterclasses with Laurent Naouri (2022), Ailish Tynan (2022), Keval Shah (2023), Roy Howat (2024) and Roderick Williams OBE (2024).

  • Performance platforms at Blackheath Halls, mentored by Jocelyn Freeman (2023) and in historic world-exclusive performances.

  • Engagement opportunities with Lewisham’s elderly residents in partnership with Ageing Well Lewisham, curated by Libby Burgess, Sholto Kynoch and Jocelyn Freeman (2023)

  • Several Young Artists gave song recital performances in the Oxford Proms 2022.

2021 Young Artists Programme Launch at the 1901 Arts Club in Waterloo with Dr Emily Kilpatrick

We are grateful to the following Trusts and Foundation for their generous support of our 2024 Young Artist Programme: