The 2025/26 Monteverdi Apprentices Programme culminated in a sparkling showcase of the season’s work.
The Monteverdi Apprentices Programme bridges the gap between formal education and a professional freelance music career, providing a comprehensive platform for emerging artists to thrive under the guidance of some of the most respected musicians in the field.
The 2025/26 Monteverdi Apprentices Programme has now come to a close, following the cohort’s Final Recital on the 9th of July in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields. The concert, which featured a wonderful array of madrigals, part-songs and solo items from across many styles and centuries, was led by Apprentices Ambassadors Dame Sarah Connolly and Mark Padmore, alongside MCO Choir Director Jonathan Sells. The recital received a tremendous reception, and provided a fitting celebration for a remarkable year of hard work, growth and achievement for all nine Apprentices.
The 2025/26 programme attracted a record number of applications, resulting in one of the strongest groups in its history. Over the course of the year, the singers have honed their skills by taking part in several MCO projects, supported by experienced mentors from within the Monteverdi Choir, alongside a programme of specially curated masterclasses led by experts from across the industry.
The cohort began working together in September 2025 during a weekend residency at Grittleton House in Wiltshire, where they were joined by some of the programme’s mentors, as well as Mark Padmore, who led a workshop on Bach. Following this, they made their first appearance with the Monteverdi Choir in Sing to the Lord a New Song at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, under the direction of Jonathan Sells.
Over the course of the season, the Apprentices performed in major MCO projects including Mozart's Requiem with Pablo Heras-Casado, Rossini with Jakob Lehmann, Handel's Messiah with Christophe Rousset, Bach's St John Passion with Peter Whelan, and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Jonathan Sells and director Andrew Staples. These performances allowed them to tour across Europe with appearances in Rimini, Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Budapest and Bergen, giving the singers invaluable experience on some of the continent's leading stages.
Alongside these performances, the group participated in an extensive programme of workshops and masterclasses with Richard Stokes (Professor of Lieder at the Royal Academy of Music), Jakob Lehmann, Dame Sarah Connolly, Mark Padmore and Sophie Daneman, covering a range of repertoire including German lieder, Italian opera and French baroque song.
MCO is incredibly grateful for the way these nine singers have committed themselves to the programme, and we are immensely proud of everything they have achieved throughout the year. We thank them for their hard work and dedication, and we look forward to following their careers as they continue to establish themselves as the next generation of outstanding vocal artists.
Selection for the 2026/27 Monteverdi Apprentices Programme is now underway, and we look forward to introducing the new participants in the coming months. To learn more about the programme, visit the Education section of the Monteverdi website.
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Sarah Connolly and Mark Padmore Ambassadors for The Monteverdi Apprentices
