Monday 16 March 2026
6pm
Silk Street Music Hall
Susan Longfield Award
adjudicated by Jonathon Cole-Swinard and Alison Wells
Programme
Kayla Raschke| soprano
Mark Zang | piano
Hugo Wolf
‘Kennst du das Land’
from Goethe-Lieder
Giovanni Pergolesi
‘Vidit suum dulcem natum’
from Stabat Mater
Francis Poulenc
‘Les chemins de l’amour’
Fanny Mendelssohn
‘Dein ist mein Herz, mein Schmerz dein eigen’
No 6 from 6 Lieder Op 7
Sigmund Romberg
‘One Kiss’
from The New Moon
Marianne Ruel | mezzo-soprano
Arianna Congedi | piano
George Frideric Handel
‘Sta nell’Ircana pietrosa tana’ from Alcina HWV34
Felix Mendelssohn
‘O Rest in the Lord’ from Elijah Op 70
Jules Massenet
‘Enfin, je suis ici’ from Cendrillon
Leonard Bernstein
La bonne cuisine: Four Recipes for Voice and Piano
I. Plum Pudding
II. Queues de Boeuf
III. Tavouk Gueunksis
IV. Civet à Toute Vitesse
Katharina Russell | soprano
Niall Townley | piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
‘Ruhe sanft mein holdes Leben’
from Zaide K344
Francis Poulenc
Deux poèmes de Louis Aragon FP 122
I. C
II. Fêtes galantes
Michael Tippett
‘How can I cherish my man in such days’
from A Child of Our Time
Richard Strauss
‘Schlechtes Wetter’
No 5 from 5 Kleine Lieder Op 69
Sergei Rachmaninov
‘Zdes’ khorosho’
No 7 from 12 Romances Op 21
Lana Ben Halim | soprano
Catherine Duncan | piano
George Frideric Handel
‘Let the Bright Seraphim’
from Samson HWV57
Meirion Williams
‘Pan Ddaw’r nos’
Mohamed Abdel Wahab
‘Kan Agmal Youm’
Gaetano Donizetti
‘O luce di quest’anima’
from Linda di Chamounix
Susan Longfield Award
The prize announcement will take place after a short deliberation.
Many thanks to soprano, Rebecca Nash and pianist, Jonathan Lakeland for adjudicating the preliminary round.
We would like to recognise Brigadier Desmond Longfield and his family for their continued support of this prize.
This year we would like to dedicate the Susan Longfield Award in honour of Desmond’s late wife, Jenny.
Susan Longfield, in whose memory the award was established, received her training at Guildhall School in the 1950s. She was awarded the School’s Silver Medal and left to begin a distinguished career in recital and broadcasting both for radio and television. Early in her career she became a member of the Linden Singers, so popular on television in the Max Jaffa programmes. Susan especially loved singing oratorio but was also an outstanding soprano ensemble singer; her own particular group was the Purcell Consort of Voices. Tragically, after a long illness, Susan died aged 35 in 1970 and her family and friends established the Susan Longfield Award in her memory.
Past winners since 1990 are listed below:
1990 Ruby Philogene
1991 Caroline Harrison
1992 Alison Buchanan
1993 Louise Mott
1994 Sarah-Jane Dale
1995 Amanda Boyd
1996 Miranda Keys
1997 Liubov Chuchrova
1998 Kimberley McCord
1999 Alenka Ponjavic
2000 Jenny Carlstedt
2001 Kate Royal
2002 Claire Platt
2003 Katie Van Kooten
2004 Anna Stéphany
2005 Leah Gordon
2006 Rebecca van den Berg
2007 Tania Mandzy
2008 Emily Rowley Jones
2009 Amy J Payne
2010 Anna Starushkevych
2011 Alice Privett
2012 Nazan Fikret
2013 Bethan Langford
2014 Jenavieve Moore
2015 Lucy Waring
2016 Lauren Lodge-Campbell
2017 Claire Barnett-Jones
2018 Ema Nikolovska
2019 Elsa Roux Chamoux
2021 Katie Macdonald
2022 Karima El Demerdasch
2023 Manon Ogwen Parry
2024 Mariana Fernandes
2025 Zoë Jackson
The Guildhall School has been grateful to receive donations sent for the Susan Longfield Memorial Fund and the Fund is still open. Further donations will be gratefully received and should be made payable to the Guildhall School Trust, Registered Charity No. 1082472.
Forthcoming Events
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.
Spring Opera Scenes
19, 20, 23 & 24 March 2026
Milton Court Studio Theatre
Outstanding first-year singers from Guildhall School’s Opera department perform a captivating selection of classical and contemporary operatic excerpts with piano accompaniment.
Vocal Scenes
25 March 2026
Milton Court Concert Hall
Vocal and Historical Performance students collaborate on a vibrant presentation of operatic scenes, uniting historically informed practice with contemporary stage direction.
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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
Contact Us
Silk Street,
Barbican,
London,
EC2Y 8DT
+44 (0)207 628 2571
Guildhall School is provided by the City of London as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation.
For assistance with digital programmes, please contact digitalprogrammes@gsmd.ac.uk
