Introducing eight new Samling Artists at a masterclass with Véronique Gens at Marchmont House

Samling Artist Programme masterclass at Marchmont House in 2024

On Saturday 2 August 2025, Samling Institute for Young Artists will be introducing eight new Samling Artists who have been taking part in a masterclass with French soprano Véronique Gens, pianist Susan Manoff, actor James Garnon and Samling Artist staff pianist Ian Tindale, culminating in a performance at Marchmont House in the Borders.

The eight Samling Artists are:

• Soprano Sarah Chae from South Korea who was a National Opera Studio 2022/23 Young Artist
• Anglo-Venezuelan soprano Sofia Kirwan Baez who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Royal College of Music
• Soprano Georgie Malcolm who has just graduated from the Opera Course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Portuguese mezzo-soprano Claudia Ribas who won first prize at the ‘s-Hertogenbosch (IVC) International Vocal Competition in 2024
• Baritone Patrick Dow who made his debut at English National Opera last year 
• Bass-baritone Michael Ronan whose first experience of opera was through Samling while still at school. He went on to study at Royal College of Music and was a Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne
• Pianist Alfred Fardell who is studying with Samling Artist James Baillieu and Anna Tilbrook at Royal Academy of Music
• Pianist Daniel Silcock who is on a Song Circle and Academy Voices fellowship at Royal Academy of Music and is a 2025 Britten Pears Young Artist.

Full details of the performance from the Marchmont House website.

Samling Academy Opera's performances of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at The Fire Station, Sunderland

Singers from the North East are joined by Dunedin Consort on period instruments and their director John Butt for Samling Academy Opera's performances of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at The Fire Station, Sunderland on 17 and 19 July 2025.

The opera will be directed by Miranda Wright who was on the Samling Artist Programme in 1999 and teaches at the Royal College of Music, Newcastle University and Durham University.

Dido is sung by Tia Radix-Callixte from Gateshead who takes part in Roderick Williams' public masterclass at Smith Square Hall on 4 June at the fundraiser for Pegasus Opera's Mentoring Programme. Aeneas is Max Robbins with Arielle Loewinger, Laura Postlethwaite, and Davina Halford-Macleod. Over half the cast joined Samling Academy from state schools in North East England.

Founded in 1996, the Samling Institute helps young people who live or study in the North-East to find and develop their talent for classical singing through Samling Academy. Singers aged 14–21 explore all aspects of classical singing and develop wider performance skills, led by expert vocal coaches, song pianists, actors and movement specialists. Samling Academy Opera draws on the expertise of the professional Samling Artist Programme, with Samling Artists acting as directors, musical directors and accompanists. A Samling Artist singer is often included in the cast, to mentor and inspire the younger singers. 

Full details from the Samling website.

From the Tweed to the Tees: Samling Institute extends its work in state secondary schools with a network of Samling Singing Schools

Joan Rodgers CBE at Samling Academy coaching 15 year-old soprano Ava, who successfully auditioned for the programme after a Samling Futures visit to her school (Photo: Mark Pinder)

Since 1996, the Samling Institute has been transforming the lives of early-career singers and pianists through coaching programmes, performance opportunities and ongoing support. Based in the North East of England, Samling also helps young people who live or study in the region to find and develop their talent for classical singing through Samling Academy where singers aged 14–21 can explore all aspects of classical singing and develop wider performance skills, led by expert vocal coaches, song pianists, actors and movement specialists.

Samling is now widening its support for young people with the launch of Samling Singing Schools. This new project marks a significant expansion to its work in state secondary schools as it creates a network of Samling Singing Schools stretching from the Tweed to the Tees. 

Each Samling Singing School will receive a period of intensive tuition over six weeks, followed by regular support visits. The institute's leaders will work with choirs and small groups to help singers at all levels to develop a secure and healthy vocal technique. They will also provide specialist coaching and share best practice in singing teaching with school music staff, to ensure the legacy of the project.

Egglescliffe School in Stockton-on-Tees will be the first Samling Singing School, with visits starting in February and they will be adding two more schools each year as the project rolls out across the region. 

Matthew Haworth, Subject Leader for Music and Associate Assistant Headteacher at Egglescliffe said:

Over the years I’ve seen students absolutely transformed by their experiences at Samling Academy. We’re thrilled that Samling Institute’s expertise and their passion for excellence will now be available throughout our school and to our feeder primary and partner schools. I am absolutely convinced that this is going to be a very successful partnership.

Further details from the Samling Institute website.

Come into the Garden - Samling Artist Showcase 2019 at Wigmore Hall

Samling Artist Showcase - Come into the Garden; Claire Lees, Anna Stéphany, Nicky Spence, Dominic Sedgwick, Joseph Middleton, Somi Kim, Simon Russell Beale; Wigmore Hall
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 8 November 2019 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
Songs from Beethoven to Britten in this imaginative Garden-themed survey from artists associated with the Samling Institute

On Friday 8 November 2019 at the Wigmore Hall, the Samling Institute for Young Artists held its annual artist showcase, an event where current and former Samling Artists come together in recital as a celebration of Samling's work. This year's line-up had been subject to some re-arrangement due to illness and unforseen circumstance. First, soprano Simona Mihai had to drop out, to be replaced by soprano Claire Lees, and then tenor Filipe Manu had to drop out owing to illness, to be replaced at short notice by tenor Nicky Spence. Entailing some alterations to the programme.

So the Samling Showcase on Friday, featured soprano Claire Lees [Samling  2017, recently seen as Oscar in Opera Holland Park's 2019 Young Artist performance of Verdi's Un ballo in Maschera, see my review], mezzo-soprano Anna Stéphany [Samling 2005, last seen in Mendelssohn's Eljiah with the OAE, see my review], tenor Nicky Spence [Samling 2006, currently singing Manolios in Martinu's The Greek Passion with Opera North, see my review] and baritone Dominic Sedgwick [Samling 2017, currently a Jette Parker Young Artist at Covent Garden], accompanied by pianist Joseph Middleton [Samling 2008, artistic director of Leeds Lieder] and Somi Kim [Samling 2015 & 2017], with readings from Sir Simon Russell Beale. The programme, Come into the Garden featured music by Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, Georges Bizet, Richard Strauss, Ludwig van Beethoven, William Walton, Charles Villiers Stanford, Arthur Somervell, Gabriel Faure, John Ireland, Jean Sibelius, Liza Lehmann, Manning Sherwin, David Baker, and Wynn Stanley.

Sir Simon Russell Beale, Somi Kim, Joseph Middleton, Anna Stephany, Claire Lees, Dominic Sedgwick, Nicky Spence - Samling Artist Showcase 2019, Wigmore Hall (Photo Roger Way)