Alumnus Will Harmer awarded Accompanist’s Prize at Kathleen Ferrier Awards

Image credit: Emma Brown photography

Alumnus Will Harmer (Worcester College, 2018) has won the Help Musicians Accompanist’s Prize at the 2026 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, one of the UK’s most prestigious competitions for emerging singers and collaborative pianists. The final took place at Wigmore Hall on 24 April and Will was playing alongside baritone Hector Bloggs, who took first prize.

The Kathleen Ferrier Awards are widely recognised for identifying and supporting exceptional young talent at the start of their professional careers. Alongside the principal prizes for singers, the Help Musicians Accompanist’s Prize recognises excellence in collaborative piano performance.

As a collaborative pianist, Will has performed recitals at Cheltenham Festival, Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Oxford International Song Festival and International Lied Festival Zeist. Will is a City Music Foundation Artist 2026-27 and was previously an Oxford Song Young Artist and Graduate Musician-in-Residence at St Hilda’s College.