Events | Calendar
Patricia Routledge
Senior Prize Finals 2026
Hinde Street Methodist Church, W1U 2QJ
6 July 2026 | Times TBA
18 Sep 2026 | WordSong Prizewinners Concert
Fri. 18 September 2026
at 7:30 pm
Venue:
St. Giles Cripplegate
Fore St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DA
TICKET DETAILS & BOOKING HERE!
Read more, including the planned programme…
Dorothy Richardson Intermediate Prize Finals 2026
The Recital Room, Tonbridge School, High St, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1JP
1 Nov 2026 | Times TBA
Blog | Articles | Event Reports | Testimonials
18 Sep 2026 | WordSong Prizewinners Concert | St Giles Cripplegate, London EC2T 8DA
Join us for an evening celebrating some of the most exciting emerging performers and composers in English speech and song. The winners of WordSong’s national competitions come together for a special showcase concert at St Giles’ Cripplegate on Friday 18 September at...
2026 WordSong Patricia Routledge English Song Prize | Finals Report
A hot and sultry Monday afternoon (6 July 2026) is perhaps not the best time to be in Central London unless, of course, one is there for something very special. And very special it proved to be in the unmissable Finals of the WordSong Patricia Routledge English Song...
2025 Dorothy Richardson Intermediate Prize Winners and Accompanists
23 November 2025 | Recital Room, Tonbridge School. Contributions from James Gilchrist and Brian Parsons A wonderful concert was held in Tonbridge School on Sunday 23 November 2025. This was the final of the Dorothy Richardson English Song Prize 2025. Five talented...
2026 WordSong CAA Actors’ Prize | Finals Programme 10 April 2026
Notes for Tutors and Students | CAA Actors’ Prize 2026 |. .. including Self Tapes and more…
A huge thank you to everyone who took part ...and I mean everyone. Two tutors attended the Finals Day, and their presence was much appreciated, by their students and by me. It was excellent finding out what they think of the competition, and to hear their questions...
New gal on the block… Wendy Gadian at the CAA WordSong Actors’ Prize Finals 2026
On Friday afternoon (10 April 2026), I joined the WordSong team at the Concert Artistes’ Association in London to support the final of the CAA Actors’ Prize. As luck would have it, I was also able to observe some of the preliminary round during the previous day, so I...
CAA Prize for Actors | Notes on Unaccompanied Song Prize, & specifications for entry
Requirements for the Unaccompanied Song. The song should be from one of these categories: please note: pop songs, or musical theatre songs are not acceptable. A song from a Shakespeare play (examples: 'The Willow Song' from Othello, 'What shall he have who killed the...
CAA Actors Prize Follow-up Report | Allowing for the Unseen
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the forthcoming CAA Actors’ Competition for the website. It is all now done and dusted (apart from my feedback for the Finalists), so here is an account of what happened on the two glorious days. In the first paragraph of that piece, I...
2026 Concert Artistes’ Association Prize for Actors | Winners & Reports
Actors' Prize Finals: 10 April 2026 (with Semi Finals 9 April 2026) | Venue: CAA, Bedford Street, London This year, for the first time, all entrants were invited to submit a "Self Tape" video, and the Semi-Finalists were welcomed in person on 9 April in London....
2026 Catherine Lambert “Junior” Prize | Winners & Report
The Catherine Lambert English Song Prize took place this year at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, London on 8 March 2026. In the final we had four very imaginatively conceived programmes, and some excellent performances in both speech and singing. First Prize...
2026 Sarah Leonard Songwriting Prize | Winners & Report
The results for the songwriting prize are as follows: 1st prize to Dimitris Androniadis for 'Travel' 2nd prize to Max Knight for 'Velvet Shoes' 3rd prize jointly to Thomas Eeckhout for 'Eldorado' and...
Betty Roe MBE | (30 July 1930 – 19 May 2026) | composer, singer, vocal coach and conductor
Betty Roe MBE (1930-2026), who has died at the age of 95, was a celebrated English composer, teacher, organist, singer and conductor. She took piano lessons from the age of six and started writing music and arranging for local choirs in her teens. She studied piano,...
Dame Felicity Lott (8 May 1947 – 15 May 2026) | In Memoriam
The musical world is mourning the loss of one of our finest singers, and the media have responded with universally admiring notices and obituaries. Felicity’s achievements are there for all to see: her stellar career; her work with charities; her honorary degrees and...
Hector Bloggs | 1st Prize Winner 2021 (WordSong Intermediate Competition) is 2026 Prizewinner of the Kathleen Ferrier Competition.
For the second year running one of the winners of our song competitions has won the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier award. Last year (2025) it was mezzo-soprano Lily Mo Browne, and this year it is baritone Hector Bloggs, who won our 'Courtney Kenny' (now the 'Dorothy...
Prizes – What are we looking for?
The impact of your performance on the day is affected by all sorts of things, but remember that WordSong celebrates the English language and is therefore interested in how you communicate the texts. The programme We are looking for a themed programme of words and...
Reflections on ‘The Concert Artistes’ Association Speech Prize for Actors’ 2025
Objectives and aims This year I was in charge of the judging procedure for The Concert Artistes' Association Speech Prize for Actors. Being in such a position forces one to think hard about the stated aim of the competition, which is “to encourage the communication of...
Jamie Sandersfield | Winner of Inaugural AESS Speech Prize | July 2017
"The whole experience was a joy really. What made the thing interesting is that I had no idea what I was competing against, so all I could do was go in and hope for the best. After the first round I received some really helpful feedback from the panel that I tried to...
#1 Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal – Tennyson | Wordsmith Guide to English Song | by Nicola Harrison
Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font: The firefly wakens: waken thou with me. [Now droops the milk-white peacock like a ghost, And like a ghost she glimmers on to me. Now...
Putting together a Recital for a WordSong/AESS Competition | Alexei Winter
I had in fact, not been singing for long when my teacher suggested I enter for the Patricia Routledge prize. [1st Prize winner 2014]. I was studying privately alongside my doctoral work. I was unsure as to which path to take - singing or research - and my experience...
1982 Senior AESS English Song Prize Winner | Susan Bullock – Magazine Cover 2005
© Opera Magazine | January 2005 Website: https://www.opera.co.uk/
PDF | Catherine Lambert English Song Prize 2025 | Programme
Click on PDF to navigate to 2nd Page...
PDF | The “Themed’ Recital | Useful for all competitions
Click on PDF to navigate to 2nd Page |...
PDF | Sarah Leonard English Songwriting Prize 2026 | Texts – Poems – “The Journey”
Click on PDF to navigate to subsequent pages |...
Dorothy Richardson Prize | 2024 | Finals 24 Nov 2024
Summary of 2024 Competition The 2024 Competition final was held on Sunday, November 24th from 2.00pm in the Recital Hall of Tonbridge School, Kent. The preliminary round took place on Sunday, November 17th at Taggs Yard, Barnes during the day. 1st Prize: Archie Inns...
Dorothy Richardson Prize Finals 2025
Summary of 2025 Competition Contributions from James Gilchrist & Brian Parsons The 2025 Dorothy Richardson Prize final was held on Sunday, 23 November from 2.00pm in the Recital Hall of Tonbridge School, Kent. 1st Prize: Molly Baker2nd Prize: Cuán Durkin3rd Prize:...
PDF | Catherine Lambert English Song Prize 2024 | Programme
Click on PDF to navigate to 2nd Page | Return to Catherine...
PDF | Catherine Lambert English Song Prize 2023 | Programme
Click on PDF to navigate to 2nd Page | Return to Catherine Lambert English Song...