Tuesday 10 March 2026
6pm
Milton Court Concert Hall
Franz-Schubert-Institut Lieder Prize
Welcome
Franz-Schubert-Institut Lieder Prize
Generously supported and sponsored by the Franz-Schubert-Institut (Baden, Austria).
adjudicated by:
Verena Larsen
Director, Franz-Schubert-Institut
Armin Zanner, FGS
Vice-Principal & Director of Music, Guildhall School
This Lieder competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate singers and pianists, including Junior Fellows. The prizes are two full scholarships (worth upwards of €2,800 each) to attend the Summer 2026 Mastercourse Poetry & Performance of the German Lied in Baden, Austria.
The Mastercourse includes masterclasses with international soloists and accompanists (for example, in 2025 the master teachers were Elly Ameling, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, Robert Holl, Wolfram Rieger, Michael Schade, Birgit Steinberger and Roger Vignoles), coaching with resident faculty, seminars on the poetry of the German Lied, and concert opportunities. Free accommodation, usually with host families, is also included in the award.
The winners of the 2026 Franz-Schubert-Institut Lieder Prize are Cuan Durkin and Niall Townley.
Programme
The performers named in large print below are competing for today’s prizes:
Cuan Durkin | baritone
with Mark Zang | piano
Franz Schubert
‘Der Musensohn’ D764 (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Robert Schumann
‘Meine Rose’ No 2 from Sechs Gedichte und Requiem Op 90 (Nikolaus Lenau)
Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe
‘Tom der Reimer’ Op 135a (Theodor Fontane)
Sinéad Carroll | soprano
Lui Lu | piano
Franz Schubert
‘Kennst du das Land?’ D321 (Goethe)
Edvard Grieg
‘Zur Rosenzeit’ No 5 from Sechs Lieder Op 48 (Goethe)
Edvard Grieg
‘Ein Traum’ No 6 from Sechs Lieder Op 48 (Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt)
Tabitha Smart | mezzo-soprano
Julia Metzmacher | piano
Hugo Wolf
‘Er ist’s’ No 6 from Mörike-Lieder (Eduard Mörike)
Franz Schubert
‘An Emma’ Op 58 No 2 (3rd edition) (Friedrich von Schiller)
Gustav Mahler
‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ No 4 from Rückert Lieder (Friedrich Rückert)
Bori Gunyits | soprano
Julia Metzmacher | piano
Franz Schubert
‘Nachtstück’ D672 (Johann Mayrhofer)
Johannes Brahms
‘Meine Liebe ist grün’ No 5 from 9 Lieder und Gesänge Op 63 (Felix Schumann)
Hugo Wolf
‘Abschied’ No 53 from Mörike-Lieder (Mörike)
Interval (15 minutes)
Sophie Whelan | soprano
Alex McChrystal | piano
Franz Schubert
‘Ganymed’ D544 (Goethe)
Franz Schubert
‘Die junge Nonne’ D828 (Jacob Nicolaus Craigher de Jachelutta)
Edvard Grieg
‘Ein Traum’ No 6 from Sechs Lieder Op 48 (Bodenstedt)
Roei Shafrir | countertenor
with Janice Tsui | piano
Franz Schubert
‘Die Forelle’ D550 (Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart)
Richard Strauss
‘Die Georgine’ No 4 from 8 Gedichte aus ‘Letzte Blätter’ Op 10 (Hermann von Gilm)
Arnold Schoenberg
‘Der genügsame Liebhaber’ No 3 from Brettl-Lieder (Hugo Salus)
Ambrose Chiu | tenor
Niall Townley | piano
Alban Berg
‘Spielleute’ from Jugendlieder Vol I (Henrik Ibsen)
Richard Strauss
‘Für fünfzehn Pfennige’ No 2 from 4 Lieder Op 36 (anonymous)
Franz Schubert
‘Im Frühling’ D882 (Ernst Schulze)
Katharina Russell | soprano
Niall Townley | piano
Richard Strauss
‘Schlechtes Wetter’ No 5 from 5 kleine Lieder nach Gedichten von Achim von Arnim und Heinrich Heine Op 69 (Heinrich Heine)
Franz Schubert
‘Du bist die Ruh’ D776 (Rückert)
Franz Schubert
‘Gretchen am Spinnrade’ D118 (Goethe)
Forthcoming Events
Robert Levin in Residence: Mozart and Beethoven
15 March 2026
Milton Court Concert Hall
Eclectic Voices and conductor Scott Stroman celebrate their 35th anniversary alongside three of their favourite collaborators: Robert Levin, David Dolan and Dame Emma Kirkby.
16 March 2026
Silk Street Music Hall
The final of this annual competition for sopranos and mezzo-sopranos, held in memory of Susan Longfield, celebrates outstanding vocal artistry and expression.
Songs at Six: The Great American Songbook
18 March 2026
Milton Court Concert Hall
Guildhall’s Songbook Company brings sparkle and swing to the stage with classics from the Great American Songbook, celebrating the timeless songs and stories of the Golden Era.
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Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Founded in 1880 by the City of London Corporation
Chair of the Board of Governors
The Hon. Emily Benn
Principal
Professor Jonathan Vaughan FGS
Vice-Principal & Director of Music
Armin Zanner FGS
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