After studying philosophy and history in Oxford and Cambridge and earning his doctorate, Bostridge began his career as a singer in 1995. His London début recitals of lieder by Schubert and Schumann revealed his musical intelligence and artistic maturity; his vocal technique and understanding of the text immediately stole hearts across Europe, in New York, and at major festivals.

Bostridge already boasts a large discography (in EMI and Virgin Classics) that ranges from Bach and Handel to Janácek and Henze. A special place is reserved for the romantic German lied and the twentieth-century English repertoire. Favourites include Vaughan Williams and particularly Benjamin Britten; a fine recording of his Turn of the Screw, conducted by Daniel Harding, recently appeared. Bostridge's projects this autumn include Mozart's Idomeneo, directed by Sir Charles Mackerras, and the release of his recording of Britten's Canticles and folk songs.