Laurence Kilsby wins Wigmore Hall International Song Competition

Florence Lockheart
Thursday, September 8, 2022

The British tenor will receive a cash prize of £10,000

First Prize winner Laurence Kilsby with Wigmore Hall director and chair of the competition jury John Gilhooly ©Benjamin Eaolovega
First Prize winner Laurence Kilsby with Wigmore Hall director and chair of the competition jury John Gilhooly ©Benjamin Eaolovega

British tenor Laurence Kilsby was last night confirmed as winner of the first prize at Wigmore Hall’s International Song Competition. As winner of the competition, which was held across four days and featuring a total of 24 singers from around the world, Kilsby will receive a cash prize of £10,000.

The competition’s £5,000 second prize was awarded to Swedish baritone Arvid Fagerfjäll, with the third prize of £2,500 going to the tenor John Matthew Myers from the US. The four-day competition was sponsored for the first time by William and Judith Bollinger.

Wigmore Hall director John Gilhooly, said: ‘The Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition is all about recognising and encouraging the next generation of great performers and there is no doubt that this thrilling week highlighted many wonderful musical personalities. The quality of the performances has been outstanding, and it is certain that the future of the great art of song is assured.’

Gilhool also chaired the competition jury, which also included sopranos Dame Felicity Lott, Roberta Alexander and Claron McFadden, mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink, baritone Olaf Bär. The jury also included classical music critic, Hugh Canning artistic director of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World David Jackson, leading accompanist Graham Johnson OBE, and vice president for Tanglewood Music Center and Learning Asadour Santourian.

Additional prizes given out following the competition final included:

  • The Richard Tauber Prize (£3,000) for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder which was awarded to tenor John Matthew Myers.
  • The Vaughan Williams Song Prize (£2,000) for the best interpretation of songs in English by a British composer, which was given to bass-baritone Vinicius Costa.
  • The Britten Pears Young Artist Programme Prize (£2,000) which was awarded to both bass-baritone Jeeyoung Lim and pianist Benedikt Holter.
  • The Pianists Prize (£5,000) was awarded to Hikaru Kanki
  • The Jean Meikle Prize for a Duo (£5,000) was awarded to soprano Anna Cavaliero and pianist Sebastian Issler

The jury felt that, as the standard was so high on the night, all the finalists deserved to be recognised. Therefore, a Special Prize of £1,000 was also created for the German mezzo-soprano Susan Zarrabi. You can find out about all of this year's competitiors here.

Established in 1997, the International Song Competition is a biennial competition designed to provide a platform for recognising young talent. The week-long event this year included masterclasses, coaching and feedback from performers and experts in order to further support the career development of the competitors. The competition was also live streamed. Recordings are still available at the Wigmore Hall website.

You can find out more about this year’s competition here.