Review: Leeds Song Festival 2026: Ailish Tynan and Joseph Middleton

THE closing recital of Leeds Song Festival 2026 was meant to be given by Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton, in recognition of the sterling work of Kathleen Evans BEM.

This year, Kathleen retires from her position as Chairman of Leeds Song. She has overseen nearly two decades of development, from the festival’s modest beginnings as a long-weekend event, originally staged every two years. Unfortunately, Dame Sarah was forced by illness to withdraw at very short notice. Luckily, acclaimed Irish soprano Ailish Tynan was available and delighted to take her place alongside Joseph, but with a changed programme.

The recital’s opening segment, showcasing the winners of last year’s Northern Aldborough Festival’s New Voices Singing Competition remained unchanged. Promising young artists Rachel Munro (soprano) and Jia Ning Ng (piano) gave enjoyable performances of Britten’s Let the florid music praise, Three Early Songs by George Crumb, and Ernesto Lecuona’s Romanza de Maria La O with its breathtakingly sustained, climactic high E6 note.

Alish Tynan and Joseph Middleton have performed together on numerous occasions and were able to produce a delightfully varied programme polished, as if by magic, to a sheen of virtuosity.

Their first half was devoted to songs by Schubert, including the lovely An die Musik (To Music) and Grieg, ending with his familiar Ein Traum (A Dream). Grieg’s songs clearly belong in the 1st division, on the evidence of Tynan and Middleton’s interpretations.

Henri Duparc composed just seventeen melodies of which the song L’invitation au voyage (Invitation to a Voyage) is arguably the most famous. We are perhaps more accustomed to hearing Ravel’s song cycle Shéhérazade with soprano and full orchestra. On this occasion however, Tynan and Middleton’s gorgeous palette of vocal and instrumental colours wondrously evoked the exoticism of the east. The pair then turned to Frank Bridge and his charming song, Love went a-riding. This was followed by Herbert Hughes’ Marry me now! Tynan’s effervescent personality and sense of fun showed through nowhere more so than in Hughes’ Tigaree Torum Orum.

Morgen! (Tomorrow!) a deeply moving song by Richard Strauss was introduced by Joseph Middleton and performed as an encore ‘Just for Kathleen.’ ‘Tomorrow the sun will shine and unite us again’. A memorable finale to Leeds Song Festival 2026.