The Leonard Ingrams Foundation is delighted to announce that the winners of the 2012 Awards are soprano Naomi O’Connell and conductor John Andrews.

John Andrews who was the Assistant Conductor on Don Giovanni said: “This exciting award will enable me to take part in a major conducting Masterclass, observe top conductors in one of the main European opera houses, improve my German and Italian, and to continue keyboard and singing lessons, all of which as a coach and conductor I feel will be intensively beneficial to me, and more importantly to those I work with.”

Naomi O’Connell who had such a success singing the title role in La Périchole after having graduated from The Juilliard School said: “I am both honoured and delighted to have received this award which will enable me not only to fund my singing lessons and the development of a new website this year but to take part in an extensive European audition tour next autumn.”

This marks the sixth Leonard Ingrams Foundation Awards which were launched in May 2006 to honour the memory of Garsington Opera’s founder, ensure the continuity of his vision and to support young artists involved in the creative process of bringing opera to the stage.