Devised and led by James Baillieu, inviting Lise Davidsen, Nicky Spence, Julia Faulkner and Caroline Dowdle as tutors, our Festival Academy will give young singers and collaborative pianists full immersion in the Aldeburgh Festival, including performance opportunities and intensive study on their favourite song repertoire.  

We invite you to witness this collaborative work as we help to develop the next generation of artists.  Our ever-popular Masterclass series returns for Festival Academy, and for the first time you can attend open coaching sessions between tutors and young artists, providing a glimpse of the work that goes on behind the scenes.

“I am deeply honoured and delighted to be appointed, alongside Ryan Wigglesworth, as inaugural Associate Directors of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme for 2026 – 2028.

The Britten Pears Programme played a formative role in my own development as a young artist, and it is a profound privilege to return in this new capacity to contribute to its future.

This appointment represents a deeply meaningful opportunity to help nurture the next generation of musicians within the creative and inspiring context that Britten and Pears established. I am excited to bring my experience, connections, and ideas to the role, and to be part of an ambitious new chapter in the life of this distinguished programme.”

James Baillieu

Hear from James Baillieu on this year’s Festival Academy: