SongEasel, pianist Jocelyn Freeman’s inestimable song recital series in South East London, is having a festival weekend from 21 to 24 May 2026 under the title of Sweet Harmony which celebrates Carl Loewe (born 230 years ago) as well as featuring a new commission from SongEasel’s new composer in residence, Emily Hazrati.
The festival opens with a day devoted to Carl Loewe. There is a masterclass and pre-concert talk from Richard Stokes, with musical examples given by bass-baritone Isaac Tolley, who appeared in the opening concert of SongEasel’s 2025 season. The day concludes with a welcome return from baaritone James Newby, joined by pianist Malcolm Martineau for The Shipping Forecast which features Carl Loewe, who lived much of his life in the coastal city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), alongside songs from Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and songs by Schubert, Duparc, Rachmaninov and Kurt Weill.
Friday is a day of Spanish song, which pays homage to the festival’s host venue, St Matthew’s Church, Elephant & Castle, home to the first bilingual parish in the Church of England. There is a Young Artist masterclass from Roger Vignoles, and an early evening concert featuring former SongEasel Young Artists Cecilia Rodríguez soprano and Esther Vilar-Portillo piano, introducing a fun selection of Spanish songs. Then for the main evening concert, Spanish soprano Lorena Paz Nieto returns to SongEasel with ¡PRESENTES! The Secret Songs of Women Latina Composers including works by Teresa Carreño, Pauline Viardot and Alicia de Larrocha. And the day concludes with a soulful late-evening of popular Latin music for guitar and voice, starring Diana Florez.
Saturday begins with a masterclass from tenor James Gilchrist. The evening culminates in the festival’s inaugural Song Exchange, where the haunting melodies of Persian song meet the Lied tradition, woven together with live cello improvisations. The recital features Kian Ravaei’s Gulistan alongside a new commission from composer in residence Emily Hazrati, paired with works by Schubert, Fauré and Alma and Gustav Mahler. Inspired by the 14th-century poet Hafiz and Goethe’s West-Eastern Divan, this thoughtfully interwoven programme invites reflection, dialogue, and the excitement of experiencing new songs in this intimate setting. Performers include Negin Raggazhi (soprano), Filippo Turkheimer (baritone), Joe Zeitlin (cello) and Jocelyn Freeman.
The final day of the weekend festival celebrates the next generation of performers, as the 2026 cohort of Young Artists presents a lunchtime concert in Catford, followed by the festival’s much-loved informal Lieder Lounge in the Loft at Rocketvan.
Further ahead, soprano Nadine Benjamin will be curating a programme devoted to the Great American Songbook on 4 July.
Further details from the SongEasel .
