Hilary Cronin (soprano) and Richard Saxel (piano)

Copland Nature, the gentlest Mother (from 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson)
Debussy Beau Soir
Barber The Desire for Hermitage (from Hermit Songs)
Mahler Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (from Rückert-Lieder)
Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Op. Post (piano solo)
Strauss Four Last Songs

Hilary Cronin soprano
Richard Saxel piano

Since winning both the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2021 London Handel International Singing Competition, Hilary Cronin has firmly established herself at the forefront of the new generation of British sopranos.

Praised by Opera Now for her “golden tone,” by Classical Voice North America and singled out by The Times as “sensational,” she has appeared with leading ensembles including Academy of Ancient Music, English Baroque Soloists, Florilegium, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, London Handel Orchestra, La Nuova Musica and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, as well as with BBC Philharmonic, Britten Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, and the London Mozart Players.

Her 2026 engagements include Mendelssohn Lobgesang with the Constellation Choir & Orchestra, Brahms Requiem with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and for Newbury Festival, Bach St Matthew Passion with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bach Easter Oratorio and BWV 21 at Tilford Bach Festival with the London Handel Players, Handel Chandos Anthems with Arcangelo, and Handel Messiah with Handel & Haydn Society, The Sixteen, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and Polyphony.

This summer, Hilary will sing the role of Melissa in Handel’s Amadigi with The Enflish Concert for Buxton International Festival.

This autumn, Hilary will create the role of The Angel Gabriel in Errollyn Wallen’s A Christmas Miracle with Mahogany Opera and Britten Pears Arts.

After thirty years as a concert pianist and accompanist, Richard Saxel enjoys a reputation as one of the most engaging musicians of his generation. He was educated at Churcher’s College, the University of York, and the Royal Academy of Music, and has performed worldwide at major festivals including those in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Lucerne, Gozo, La Roque-D’Anthéron, Buenos Aires, Cheltenham and Dartington, as well as at many of the UK’s leading venues. He won the National Federation of Music Societies Making Music Award, and has recorded as a soloist for Quartz records, and as a chamber musician for Oboe Classics and the ABRSM. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, who recognised his significant contribution to the music profession, was a member of Piano Circus for many years, and is also a Steinway Artist. Richard remains strongly committed to music education; he adjudicates regularly for festivals and competitions, and is Director of Music at Cranleigh School in Surrey, where he has taught for twenty five years.