Alexandra Achillea Pouta wins Guildhall School’s Music Gold Medal

Guildhall School of Music and Drama has announced the winner of this year’s Gold Medal, the School’s top music prize. Following a competition final held at the Barbican on 10 May, Greek mezzo soprano Alexandra Achillea Pouta has been revealed as this year’s winner.

Pouta competed against three other finalists – sopranos Miku Yasukawa and Lorna McLean and baritone Michael Lafferty-Smith – to impress a panel of judges including Guildhall School vice-principal & director of music Armin Zanner, soprano Roberta Alexander, baritone Sir Simon Keenlyside, English National Opera head of casting Michelle Williams, and Askonas Holt director Sue Spence.

Pouta said: ‘I am really humbled to be receiving this honour, and to have the opportunity to share the stage with my very dear friends and fellow finalists, Miku, Michael and Lorna. It was a wonderful evening that I’ll never forget. I am thankful to my pianist William Bracken, whose brilliance is truly inspiring, and the musicians in the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra who provided such excellent playing and musicianship.’

Finalists were accompanied by pianists William Bracken, Florent Mourier and Aleksandra Myslek for the first half of the competition, before joining forces with Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Farnes for the second half.

Created by Sir H. Dixon Kimber in 1915, the Gold Medal award is open to singers and instrumentalists in alternate years. Pouta joins a prestigious list of previous winners including Jacqueline du Pré, Tasmin Little and Sir Bryn Terfel. Last year’s winner, pianist Stephanie Tang, is currently performing across the UK, as well as collaborating with the Paddington Trio.

Currently participating in the Guildhall School Opera Course, Pouta has performed as part of the school’s performances and has given world premieres of multimedia projects with the Idrîsî Ensemble as well as being selected for this year’s Glyndebourne Chorus. She performed a programme of works in five languages by composers including Messiaen, Varèse, Ravel, Bellini and Szymanowski.