International Visitor Programme in Lied returns to Sibelius Academy with acclaimed line-up of artists
The programme continues into the 2025–2026 academic year, once again welcoming a stellar line-up of internationally acclaimed Lied professionals to Helsinki.
Now in its third year, the programme is designed to foster the development of emerging Lied duos by connecting them with world-leading artists and thinkers across the field.
World-class mentors and deep artistic Focus
This year’s mentors include Pauliina Tukiainen, Aphrodite Patoulidou, Sean Shibe, Topi Lehtipuu, Natasha Loges, Christian Westergaard and Iurii Samoilov.
In the upcoming year, six student duos will participate in the programme. They will work closely with visiting artists during intensive day-long sessions, exploring a rich array of repertoire and engaging in workshops on French Mélodie, German Lied, Danish Song, creative programming, and pitching to festival directors. The year-long course concludes with a celebratory recital.
An enriching process for the students
One of the core aims of the International Visitor Programme is to support young artists in developing their own authentic artistic identities. Alongside interpretive work, the course offers training in repertoire research, creative curation, and long-term artistic planning. Much of the learning is designed to complement the regular Lied work at the Sibelius Academy, while introducing new perspectives and professional-level expectations.
The initiative, launched during the 2024–2025 academic year, has already had a transformative impact. One of last year’s participating duos described it for example as “a necessary experience for any artist who wants to dive into the Lied world, expand their musicianship and shape their artistry.” For many, the opportunity to engage directly with specialists – not only singers and pianists, but also musicologists, curators, and festival directors – offered crucial insights into the broader ecosystem of Lied performance and programming.
“Through collaboration with some of the Lied world’s leading voices, this programme continues to build a strong foundation for the next generation of Lied performers — equipping them with not only technical and interpretive excellence, but also the vision, curiosity, and confidence to shape the future of the genre”, rejoices the initiator of the programme, Sibelius Academy lecturer in Lied Keval Shah.