Lily Mo Browne - Winner of the Somerset Song Prize 2024

 Lily Mo Browne Concert – September 13th, 2025 7pm

Mezzo soprano Lily Mo Browne won both the first prize and, with the pianist Abhisri Chaudhuri, the audience prize at the 2024 Somerset Song Prize. Unfortunately Abhisri is unable to make this concert; but we are delighted that Lily Mo is returning to the West Country with pianist Jo Ramadan.  We are especially delighted as, since winning the Somerset Song Prize last year, Lily Mo Brown has also very recently (25th April 2025) won First Prize in the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier singing competition. 

Lily Mo Browne is a 24-year-old mezzo-soprano from East London currently in her final year of study on the Vocal and Opera Masters Programme at the Royal College of Music. She studies under Ben Johnson and Caroline Dowdle, is generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust, and is both a Robert Lancaster and Helen Majorie Tonks Scholar. 

She has taken part in masterclasses with Roderick Williams OBE and Dame Sarah Connolly. With a passion for song and spoken text, Lily has performed in numerous song concerts, including the RCM’s SongPlus concerts with Audrey Hyland, selections of Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer and other songs at the Luton Music Club with Simon Lepper, and most recently Benjamin Britten’s Cabaret Songs with Ella O’Neill. In July 2024 Lily was a Southrepps Music Festival Young Artist in 2022 and a 2023 Emerging Artist at Nevill Holt Opera in Leicester. 

Jo Ramadan began his music studies as a chorister at Chapel Royal St James Palace. After graduating from Durham University where he fell in love with song and opera, Jo studied at the Royal College of Music  with John Blakely and Roger Vignoles. 

He has been pianist for many masterclasses alongside Sir Thomas Allen, James Bowman, Michael Chance, Sarah Connolly, David Daniels, Anne Evans, Gerald Finley, Angela Gheorghiu, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Angelika Kirchschlager, Petra Lang, Jonathan Lemalu, Malcolm Martineau, Ann Murray, Danielle de Niese, Simon Keenlyside,  Lisette Oropesa, Amanda Roocroft, Brindley Sheratt, Robert Tear, Sir John Tomlinson, Sarah Walker, Roderick Williams and Lawrence Zazzo. Song partners have included Mary Bevan, Amanda Roocroft, Nick Pritchard, David Butt Phillip, Martha Jones, Kitty Whately. Jo has worked with conductors Gerry Cornelius, Andrew Davis, Bernard Haitink, Ian Page, Antonio Pappano, Michael Rosewell, Jac Van Steen.   

He is an associate artist and Assistant Conductor and pianist for The Mozartists (formerly Classical Opera) with whom he has forged a strong relationship.  Jo is also a Britten-Pears Young Artist and a Samling Scholar. Recent engagements include Assistant Conductor at Drottningholm Festival for Handel’s Ariodante and at Grange Festival for Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wigmore Hall recital with Emma Roberts and Organist and Pianist for Curlew River at Aldeburgh Festival for Britten Pears and BBC, nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award.   

Their programme at Wellhayes will include: 

Stanford La Belle Dame Sans Merci 
Stanford A Soft Day 
Haydn Arianna a Naxos 
Oliver Bowes Quickly, Quickly 
Brahms Zigeunerlieder 
Cole Porter The Tale of the Oyster 

Tickets at Concerts – Wellhayes or call 01398 361612 

Cost: Adult £20 Students £5

Time: 7.30pm
Date: Saturday 13th September
Venue: Wellhayes Vineyard, Clayhanger, Devon EX16 7NY

Directions: 2/3rds mile north of the village of Clayhanger where the postcode, EX16 7NY, is centred. 

What3Words: ///befitting.winemaker.rationed
Refreshments: A fully licensed bar is available from 6.30pm
Parking: Parking is available in the all-weather car-park below the vineyard, accessed through the main courtyard.
Accessibility: This venue is accessible and has accessible toilet facilities. There is step free access to the concert facility.
Dogs: Assistance dogs only.

Facebook: @Wellhayesvineyard
Twitter: @wellhayesWine.co.uk
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Website: wellhayesvineyard.co.uk
Website page for concerts: www.wellhayes.uk/concerts