A prestigious contest for Opera singers, The Kathleen Ferrier Awards Competition has been running since 1956. The Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship Fund, which funds the award, was founded in 1953 in memory of the much-loved contralto Kathleen Ferrier who died at the devastatingly young age of 41.

Recent winners of the awards have included Benson Wilson (2019), William Thomas (2018), Julian Van Mellaerts (2017), Alessandro Fisher (2016) and James Newby (2016).

This year, the awards will stream from the bright and beautiful Henry Wood Hall – an elegant regency building used as an orchestral rehearsal space and recording studio in London’s Southwark. First, the semi-final will stream on Wednesday 9, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December, followed by the final which will stream on Sunday 13 December.