Elizabeth Llewellyn (soprano) & Simon Lepper (piano)

Since making her operatic debut as Mimi La bohéme at English National Opera, Elizabeth has established herself internationally as an artist of distinction. She has been praised for her “rich, opulent voice” (The Times) as well as for her “beautiful depth of expression and emotional intelligence” (Telegraph). Elizabeth was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022, marking her extraordinary contributions and services to music across the UK.

Elizabeth’s 22-23 season is punctuated by three recitals with pianist Simon Lepper which she has curated especially for London’s Wigmore Hall, celebrating the significant song-output of British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Spring 2023 will see Elizabeth make her US recital debut with performances at Vocal Arts DC in the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. and Capital Region Classical in Schenectady, New York. Last year, Elizabeth released her debut solo album ‘Heart & Hereafter’ – a collection of twenty-five songs by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, fifteen of which were world-premieres – which reached the Top 5 in the iTunes classical album charts, was named “Album of the Week” in the Sunday Times, and won “World Premiere Recording of the Year” in the Presto Music Awards 2021.

Further highlights this season include her role and house debut in the title-role in Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera North, Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and her debut concert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Elizabeth’s recent operatic appearances have included landmark role and company debuts as Jenůfa at Welsh National Opera, Desdemona Otello for Grange Park Opera, directed by David Alden, and Alice Ford in a new co-production of Falstaff by Sir David McVicar for Scottish Opera, which was also performed at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Simon read music at King’s College, Cambridge before studying piano accompaniment with Michael Dussek at the Royal Academy of Music and later with Ruben Lifschitz at the Fondation Royaumont.  He is a currently professor of collaborative piano and a vocal repertoire coach at the Royal College of Music, London where he also in charge of the collaborative piano course. Since 2003 he has been an official accompanist for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Performance highlights have included an invitation from the Wigmore Hall, London to present a three concert project on the songs of Joseph Marx; recital tours with Stéphane Degout which have included the Ravinia and Edinburgh Festivals and the opera houses of Bordeaux, Dijon, La Monnaie, Lausanne and Lyon; recitals at Carnegie Hall, New York with Karen Cargill and Sally Matthews and at the Frick Collection with Christopher Purves; performances of the Schubert song cycles with Gerald Finley as well as Mark Padmore including at the Schubertiade, Hohenhems, recitals  with Christiane Karg at Frankfrut Opera and the Rheingau Fesitval  and recitals with Angelika Kirchschlager in Verbier and at the Wigmore Hall.

He has presented an all-Schubert programme with Ilker Arcayürek in Barcelona, Zürich, New York (Park Armory), San Francisco and at the Wigmore Hall where further appearances have included recitals with Dame Felicity Palmer, Karen Cargill, Sally Matthews and Mark Padmore. With Benjamin Appl he toured to India including recitals in Mumbai and Chennai and gave the opening performance for the highest concert hall in the wolrd in Shenzhen with Aida Garifulina. Future highlights include a European tour with Stéphane Degout,, recitals at the Wigmore Hall and with singers including Ilker Arcayurek, Karen Cargill, Simon Bode, Elizabeth Llewllyn and Gweneth Ann Rand.