Sir Thomas Allen is an established star at the great opera houses of the world. This year will mark the fortieth  anniversary of his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he has sung no fewer than fifty roles.

Sir Thomas will be joined in a programme of operatic favorites by previous recipients of the Samling Scholarship, which is awarded by the Samling Foundation and provides young singers with a unique opportunity to learn from and perform alongside great artists. Each year Samling selects eighteen young singers to take part in week-long programmes of study, where they are coached intensively in opera and lieder singing by some of the world's finest artists. These young people are usually in the final stages of their studies or just emerging into the professional world and are selected through an audition process. The aim of the Samling Foundation is to contribute towards the development of highly talented young professional singers, and to increase awareness, participation and enjoyment of opera and classical music amongst young people who might otherwise not be exposed to it. Sir Thomas Allen is their patron and we are delighted that he wishes to use this opportunity to showcase some of the talent that has emerged from this enterprising and very important programme.

Heddle Nash was Britain's finest and most cherished between-the-wars tenors, who to many minds remains the finest tenor Britain has ever produced. From 1930 to 1950 (performing with only a break over the war years) he was a huge favourite at The Three Choirs, where he was soon spotted by Sir Edward Elgar, who personally invited him to sing the part of Gerontius at its premiere in Croydon in November 1931, with Sir Edward conducting. Eventually, in 1945, he would make the great Sargent/Nash recording.

A biography of Heddle - Heddle Nash, Singing Against The Tide by Eleanor Allen - has recently been published and includes a section devoted to Heddle at The Three Choirs, as well as many fascinating anecdotes and facts about the life of a British tenor struggling to make a living through two world wars, the Depression and Austerity Britain. This will be available for sale at the Festival Shop.