A selection of songs reflecting the seasons of the year, including works by Wolf, Grieg, Puccini, Berg and Strauss.
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One of the most in-demand artists today, British soprano Louise Alder has firmly established
herself as “an instinctive singing-actress” (The Arts Desk) and “a terrific talent, combining a big,
lustrous voice with flawless intonation and keen intelligence” (The Times). A hugely versatile
artist, she is equally at home in the world’s most important opera, concert, and recital venues,
such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Metropolitan Opera; Wiener Staatsoper;
Glyndebourne Festival; Bayerische Staatsoper; Carnegie Hall; Wigmore Hall, where she held a
widely acclaimed artistic residency in 2024; and the Royal Albert Hall, where she appeared as the
star soprano soloist at the Last Night of the BBC Proms in 2025, becoming the first British
soprano to perform at the event in over a decade.
Alder’s 2026–27 season highlights include her highly anticipated role debut as Violetta in La
traviata at Glyndebourne and her returns to the Wiener Staatsoper as Fiordiligi in Così fan
tutte and the Bayerische Staatsoper in the title role of Semele, as well as Fiordiligi in a new
production of Così fan tutte at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. On the concert platform,
Alder makes a number of anticipated company debuts, including Brahms’ Ein deutsches
Requiem with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra; Haydn’s The Creation with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philippe
Jordan; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Teatro di San Carlo under Daniel Oren;
and Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Ivor Bolton. Further highlights
include Messiah with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk; Fauré’s Requiem with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner; scenes from Strauss’ Daphne with the Rundfunk
Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Vladimir Jurowski; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Jakub Hrůša. In recital, Alder reunites with tenor Mauro
Peter and pianist Joseph Middleton for Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch at Oper Frankfurt and also
gives recitals with Joseph Middleton at Wigmore Hall, the Oxford International Song Festival, and
for the Richmond Concert Society.
Last season, highlights included her highly anticipated appearance as the star soprano soloist at
the Last Night of the BBC Proms. She also made her house and role debut at the Metropolitan
Opera as Zdenka in Arabella and returned to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Susanna
in David McVicar’s production of Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert platform, her many highlights
included Mozart’s Requiem with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra; Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro in concert at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Mahler’s
Symphony No. 2 with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphonieorchester des
Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle; Brahms’ Requiem with the
Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli e Teatri di Bari; Mozart arias with the Royal Northern
Sinfonia; Haydn’s Paukenmesse with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Romilda in Serse with the
Academy of Ancient Music and Laurence Cummings; Baroque arias at the Bayerische Staatsoper
for its Festspiele Barockkonzert; and recitals with Joseph Middleton at Garsington and Leeds
Lieder.
Recent operatic successes include her debut as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at the Wiener
Staatsoper; Micaëla (Carmen) at San Francisco Opera; her first Contessa in a new production
of Le nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne; Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera;
Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Susanna for the Wiener Staatsoper, the
Bayerische Staatsoper, and Opernhaus Zürich; Zerlina (Don Giovanni) for the Royal Ballet and
Opera, Covent Garden, and Teatro Real in Madrid; Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Marzelline
(Fidelio) for the Bayerische Staatsoper; Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) for the Wiener Staatsoper and
the Glyndebourne Festival; Anne Truelove (The Rake’s Progress) for the Glyndebourne Festival;
and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) for Theater an der Wien and Oper Frankfurt.
In concert, highlights include Strauss’ Vier Lieder, Op. 27, with the Finnish Radio Symphony
Orchestra; a concert of Mozart arias at the Royal Danish Theatre; Haydn’s The Creation with the
Gulbenkian Orchestra; Alexander’s Feast at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg; L’Allegro, il Penseroso
ed il Moderato with Arcangelo; a tour of Giulio Cesare with The English Concert at the Barbican
and across North America, culminating at Carnegie Hall; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the
London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, and his Symphony No. 4 with the Bayerisches
Staatsorchester and Vladimir Jurowski; Haydn’s The Creation with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and Edward Gardner; Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with the Accademia Nazionale
di Santa Cecilia and Jakub Hrůša; Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate with the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko; Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Ulster Orchestra and Daniele
Rustioni at the BBC Proms; Mozart concert arias with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment;
arias by Mozart and Rossini with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; the title role in
Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri with the Royal Northern Sinfonia; Canteloube’s Chants
d’Auvergne with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Brahms’ Ein deutsches
Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Philippe Jordan; the title role
in Theodora at the BBC Proms and the Konzerthaus in Vienna with Arcangelo and Jonathan
Cohen; the title role in Semele on tour with the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner;
Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Messiah with
the New York Philharmonic and Harry Bicket; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Tokyo
Philharmonic; and Mozart arias at the Salzburg Mozartwoche with the Mahler Chamber
Orchestra and Daniel Harding.
A hugely acclaimed recitalist, Alder joined tenor Mauro Peter and pianist Joseph Middleton for
Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch, which they presented at Leeds Lieder, Wigmore Hall, and the
Musikverein in Vienna. Further appearances include the Musikverein in Graz; Madrid’s Fundación
Juan March; Fundación Privada Victoria de los Ángeles in Barcelona; Snape Maltings; the Oxford
International Song Festival; and performances in Schwarzenberg, Vienna, Helsinki, and
Stockholm, as well as a recent season-long residency at London’s Wigmore Hall.
Her extensive discography includes Chère Nuit: French Songs, featuring works from Ravel to Yvain
(Chandos); The Russian Connection, featuring songs by Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky,
Grieg, Medtner, and Britten (Chandos); a disc of Strauss Lieder, Through Life and Love (Orchid
Classics), with pianist Joseph Middleton; Theodora (title role, Arcangelo/Alpha Classics); Lucia
(The Rape of Lucretia, Opus Arte/Glyndebourne); and Silandra in Cesti’s L’Orontea (OEHMS
Classics/Oper Frankfurt).
A former member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, Alder studied at the Royal College of
Music’s International Opera School, where she was the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Scholar. She is
the winner of the Young Singer Award at the 2017 International Opera Awards, the Dame Joan
Sutherland Audience Prize at the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and the inaugural
2015 Young British Soloists’ Competition, and is the recipient of Glyndebourne’s 2014 John
Christie Award.
Joseph Middleton
Joseph Middleton is widely regarded as one of the most exceptional and creative pianists of his generation, specialising in song accompaniment and chamber music at the highest international level. Hailed by Gramophone as “the absolute king of programming”, and by the New York Times as “the perfect accompanist” he collaborates with many of the world’s foremost singers, performing at venues and festivals across Europe, North America, and Asia.
A passionate advocate for the power of song, Joseph is the Artistic Director of Leeds Song, praised by The Guardian for its “world-class” programming and by The Times as a “Northern powerhouse of song”. He also curates series for BBC Radio 3, Wigmore Hall, and the University of Cambridge, where he founded and directs their Lieder Scheme. Joseph is Musician in Residence at Pembroke College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a Professor of Ensemble Piano, and was made a Bye-Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge by Lord Chris Smith. Joseph is the first —and to date, only—accompanist to receive the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award, the UK’s most prestigious recognition for a classical musician.
Joseph appears regularly at leading international venues including Wigmore Hall, where he has been a featured artist with series’ on Ravel, Mahler and Strauss; the Royal Opera House, Barbican and Southbank Centre; Alice Tully Hall and Park Avenue Armory in New York; Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein; Hamburg Elbphilharmonie; Berlin BoulezSaal and Philharmonie; Cologne Philharmonie; Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela; Baden -Baden Festspielhaus; Zurich Tonhalle; Paris’s Musée d’Orsay; and Oji Hall Tokyo. Festival highlights include Aix-en-Provence, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Heidelberger Frühling, Munich, San Francisco, Ravinia, Schubertiade Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, Seoul, Toronto and Vancouver.
Louise Alder (soprano) Joseph Middleton (piano)
Photograph by Will Alder
A selection of songs reflecting the seasons of the year, including works by Wolf, Grieg, Puccini, Berg and Strauss.
One of the most in-demand artists today, British soprano Louise Alder has firmly established
herself as “an instinctive singing-actress” (The Arts Desk) and “a terrific talent, combining a big,
lustrous voice with flawless intonation and keen intelligence” (The Times). A hugely versatile
artist, she is equally at home in the world’s most important opera, concert, and recital venues,
such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Metropolitan Opera; Wiener Staatsoper;
Glyndebourne Festival; Bayerische Staatsoper; Carnegie Hall; Wigmore Hall, where she held a
widely acclaimed artistic residency in 2024; and the Royal Albert Hall, where she appeared as the
star soprano soloist at the Last Night of the BBC Proms in 2025, becoming the first British
soprano to perform at the event in over a decade.
Alder’s 2026–27 season highlights include her highly anticipated role debut as Violetta in La
traviata at Glyndebourne and her returns to the Wiener Staatsoper as Fiordiligi in Così fan
tutte and the Bayerische Staatsoper in the title role of Semele, as well as Fiordiligi in a new
production of Così fan tutte at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. On the concert platform,
Alder makes a number of anticipated company debuts, including Brahms’ Ein deutsches
Requiem with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra; Haydn’s The Creation with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philippe
Jordan; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Teatro di San Carlo under Daniel Oren;
and Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Ivor Bolton. Further highlights
include Messiah with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk; Fauré’s Requiem with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner; scenes from Strauss’ Daphne with the Rundfunk
Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Vladimir Jurowski; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Jakub Hrůša. In recital, Alder reunites with tenor Mauro
Peter and pianist Joseph Middleton for Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch at Oper Frankfurt and also
gives recitals with Joseph Middleton at Wigmore Hall, the Oxford International Song Festival, and
for the Richmond Concert Society.
Last season, highlights included her highly anticipated appearance as the star soprano soloist at
the Last Night of the BBC Proms. She also made her house and role debut at the Metropolitan
Opera as Zdenka in Arabella and returned to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Susanna
in David McVicar’s production of Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert platform, her many highlights
included Mozart’s Requiem with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra; Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro in concert at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Mahler’s
Symphony No. 2 with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphonieorchester des
Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle; Brahms’ Requiem with the
Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli e Teatri di Bari; Mozart arias with the Royal Northern
Sinfonia; Haydn’s Paukenmesse with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Romilda in Serse with the
Academy of Ancient Music and Laurence Cummings; Baroque arias at the Bayerische Staatsoper
for its Festspiele Barockkonzert; and recitals with Joseph Middleton at Garsington and Leeds
Lieder.
Recent operatic successes include her debut as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at the Wiener
Staatsoper; Micaëla (Carmen) at San Francisco Opera; her first Contessa in a new production
of Le nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne; Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera;
Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Susanna for the Wiener Staatsoper, the
Bayerische Staatsoper, and Opernhaus Zürich; Zerlina (Don Giovanni) for the Royal Ballet and
Opera, Covent Garden, and Teatro Real in Madrid; Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Marzelline
(Fidelio) for the Bayerische Staatsoper; Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) for the Wiener Staatsoper and
the Glyndebourne Festival; Anne Truelove (The Rake’s Progress) for the Glyndebourne Festival;
and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) for Theater an der Wien and Oper Frankfurt.
In concert, highlights include Strauss’ Vier Lieder, Op. 27, with the Finnish Radio Symphony
Orchestra; a concert of Mozart arias at the Royal Danish Theatre; Haydn’s The Creation with the
Gulbenkian Orchestra; Alexander’s Feast at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg; L’Allegro, il Penseroso
ed il Moderato with Arcangelo; a tour of Giulio Cesare with The English Concert at the Barbican
and across North America, culminating at Carnegie Hall; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the
London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, and his Symphony No. 4 with the Bayerisches
Staatsorchester and Vladimir Jurowski; Haydn’s The Creation with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and Edward Gardner; Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with the Accademia Nazionale
di Santa Cecilia and Jakub Hrůša; Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate with the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko; Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Ulster Orchestra and Daniele
Rustioni at the BBC Proms; Mozart concert arias with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment;
arias by Mozart and Rossini with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; the title role in
Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri with the Royal Northern Sinfonia; Canteloube’s Chants
d’Auvergne with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Brahms’ Ein deutsches
Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Philippe Jordan; the title role
in Theodora at the BBC Proms and the Konzerthaus in Vienna with Arcangelo and Jonathan
Cohen; the title role in Semele on tour with the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner;
Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Messiah with
the New York Philharmonic and Harry Bicket; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Tokyo
Philharmonic; and Mozart arias at the Salzburg Mozartwoche with the Mahler Chamber
Orchestra and Daniel Harding.
A hugely acclaimed recitalist, Alder joined tenor Mauro Peter and pianist Joseph Middleton for
Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch, which they presented at Leeds Lieder, Wigmore Hall, and the
Musikverein in Vienna. Further appearances include the Musikverein in Graz; Madrid’s Fundación
Juan March; Fundación Privada Victoria de los Ángeles in Barcelona; Snape Maltings; the Oxford
International Song Festival; and performances in Schwarzenberg, Vienna, Helsinki, and
Stockholm, as well as a recent season-long residency at London’s Wigmore Hall.
Her extensive discography includes Chère Nuit: French Songs, featuring works from Ravel to Yvain
(Chandos); The Russian Connection, featuring songs by Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky,
Grieg, Medtner, and Britten (Chandos); a disc of Strauss Lieder, Through Life and Love (Orchid
Classics), with pianist Joseph Middleton; Theodora (title role, Arcangelo/Alpha Classics); Lucia
(The Rape of Lucretia, Opus Arte/Glyndebourne); and Silandra in Cesti’s L’Orontea (OEHMS
Classics/Oper Frankfurt).
A former member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, Alder studied at the Royal College of
Music’s International Opera School, where she was the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Scholar. She is
the winner of the Young Singer Award at the 2017 International Opera Awards, the Dame Joan
Sutherland Audience Prize at the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and the inaugural
2015 Young British Soloists’ Competition, and is the recipient of Glyndebourne’s 2014 John
Christie Award.
Joseph Middleton
Joseph Middleton is widely regarded as one of the most exceptional and creative pianists of his generation, specialising in song accompaniment and chamber music at the highest international level. Hailed by Gramophone as “the absolute king of programming”, and by the New York Times as “the perfect accompanist” he collaborates with many of the world’s foremost singers, performing at venues and festivals across Europe, North America, and Asia.
A passionate advocate for the power of song, Joseph is the Artistic Director of Leeds Song, praised by The Guardian for its “world-class” programming and by The Times as a “Northern powerhouse of song”. He also curates series for BBC Radio 3, Wigmore Hall, and the University of Cambridge, where he founded and directs their Lieder Scheme. Joseph is Musician in Residence at Pembroke College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a Professor of Ensemble Piano, and was made a Bye-Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge by Lord Chris Smith. Joseph is the first —and to date, only—accompanist to receive the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award, the UK’s most prestigious recognition for a classical musician.
Joseph appears regularly at leading international venues including Wigmore Hall, where he has been a featured artist with series’ on Ravel, Mahler and Strauss; the Royal Opera House, Barbican and Southbank Centre; Alice Tully Hall and Park Avenue Armory in New York; Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein; Hamburg Elbphilharmonie; Berlin BoulezSaal and Philharmonie; Cologne Philharmonie; Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela; Baden -Baden Festspielhaus; Zurich Tonhalle; Paris’s Musée d’Orsay; and Oji Hall Tokyo. Festival highlights include Aix-en-Provence, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Heidelberger Frühling, Munich, San Francisco, Ravinia, Schubertiade Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, Seoul, Toronto and Vancouver.