Welcome to Event
The New Winter Songbook Album Launch Concert
| Date: | Saturday 24 January 2026 |
| Venue: |
St Paul's Hall
Queensgate Huddersfield HD1 3DH |
| Start Time: | 15:00 |
| End Time: | 17:00 |
The New Winter Songbook is a newly released, critically acclaimed album for voice and piano featuring 21 brand-new winter-themed songs, recorded by soprano Rebecca Lea and pianist Caroline Jaya-Ratnam. One of the songs on the album, Snow Day, was composed by Michael Betteridge, who collaborated with young musicians in Kirklees to develop musical and lyrical ideas for the piece.
To celebrate the album’s release, Michael, Rebecca, and Caroline will return to Kirklees for an album release concert featuring local student and community singers following an ensemble singing workshop earlier in the day.
Tickets are £7 (£1 for under 16s)
End Time TBC
Michael Betteridge is a British-Canadian composer known for bold, story-driven work in opera, orchestral, and choral music. Recent commissions include The Last Bit of the Moon (OperaUpClose) and The Vanishing Forest (English Touring Opera). His work has been performed by the likes of BBC Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, with broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4. A champion of co-creation and participation, his work has twice been nominated in the Impact category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. Founder of LGBTQ+ low voice open access choir The Sunday Boys, he became an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music in 2023.
Soprano Rebecca Lea enjoys a busy and varied career, performing across the UK and abroad. Recent highlights include a solo appearance at the BBC Proms in a new commission by Cheryl Frances Hoad with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a further Proms appearance with Sir Simon Rattle and the BBC Singers, a disc of music by Benevoli with solo-voice ensemble, I Fagiolini, solos with the BBC Concert Orchestra on a disc of music by Peter Warlock, step-out solos with the Sixteen at the Wigmore Hall, an appearance as ‘The Jewel Thief’ in a new music film by I Fagiolini and solos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a special Doctor Who Anniversary concert in Cardiff.
Prize-winning pianist Caroline Jaya-Ratnam is very much in demand as an accompanist and has made television appearances alongside singers Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon and Danielle de Niese. BBC Radio 3 performances include numerous ‘In Tune’ broadcasts, most recently with Nadine Benjamin in Feb 2023. She has given duo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall and has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in Proms within the London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev) and BBC Symphony Orchestra (Bychkov/Oramo). Caroline has also worked as a repetiteur at Glyndebourne and at the English National Opera.
