Caroline Taylor – soprano
George Ireland – piano

The Programme

Caroline Taylor – soprano

George Ireland – piano

Gretchen am Spinnrade, D 118

from 6 Lieder, Op 15
2. Du nah’st!

from V národním tónu (In Folk Tone), Op 73
2. Žalo dievča, žalo trávu (The Mower)
3. Ach, není, není tu (The Maiden’s Lament)

from Cigánské melodie (Gypsy Songs), Op 55 B 104
4. Když mne stará matka (Songs my mother taught me)

from Mörike-Lieder
41. Rat einer Alten (Old woman’s advice)

Frauenliebe und -leben, Op 42
1. Seit ich ihn gesehen
2. Er, der Herrlichste von allen
3. Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben
4. Du Ring an meinem Finger
5. Helft mir, ihr Schwestern
6. Süsser Freund, du blickest
7. An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust
8. Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan

The Artists

Caroline Taylor graduated from the RNCM with Distinction. She won the Kennedy Strauss Award, the Emmy Destinn Award for Czech Opera and Song and the Off West End Opera Award with Hampstead Garden Opera as the title role in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She is a City Music Foundation Artist and a Making Music Recommended Artist for 2024-2026.

Praised for her “glittering soprano” (The Times), 2023/2024 saw Caroline’s recital debut at the Royal Opera House accompanied by Fran Hills and a solo recital with collaborative pianist Roger Vignoles at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Opera credits include La Musica/L’Orfeo (Longborough Festival Opera), Adina/The Elixir of Love (Duchy Opera) and Kate/The Yeomen of the Guard at the Grange Festival, where Caroline also jumped in to sing the role of Asteria in Händel’s Tamerlano to considerable acclaim. This summer, she takes part in the 15th International Cesti Competition for Baroque Opera in Innsbruck, Austria.
Photo: Victoria Cadisch

Noted for a “superbly voiced instrumental partnership of his singer” (Sussex Express) and “spectacular, sensitive and vivid accompaniment” (The Latest), George Ireland enjoys a thriving career, equally in demand in Recital, Opera and Choral music. From a working-class, non-musical home, he began to play the piano from scratch, self-taught at the age of 14. He is now 29 and recently graduated with distinction from the Royal College of Music where he studied under Simon Lepper and Roger Vignoles, holding the Kendall Taylor award for outstanding British pianists. His studies also included conducting, continuo and vocal coaching.

This season, George made his Italian Debut at the Crete Senesi festival with Guy Cutting, returned to the Brighton Festival with Hugh Cutting and Rebecca Leggett, and joined Judith LeBreuilly in winning first prize at the Northern Aldborough Festival’s New Voices competition.

Duo partners Caroline and George enjoyed collaborating on the Oxford International Song Festival Young Artist Programme, where they created today’s programme.
Photo: Nicholas Guttridge