Tom Lilburn is an English countertenor based in Windsor, and is an Opera Prelude Young Artist for 2025. Last summer he sang Arsete in a reconstructed version of Handel’s Titus L’empereur with Opera Settecento and recorded Moon in Michael Betteridge’s The Last Bit of the Moon with OperaUpClose. In 2022 he covered Ottone and Narciso in Handel’s Agrippina for English Touring Opera and last year covered Ottone and Amore in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with ETO. At the Royal College Tom sang Unulfo in Handel’s Rodelinda and in summer 2022 he sang Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight.

He is also a Lay Clerk at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and in April 2021 he was one of four singers at the funeral of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

Tom is an experienced oratorio soloist and recent performances have included Bach’s St. John Passion, Mass in B Minor and St. Matthew Passion, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Cessate, Omai Cessate, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Theodora and Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Concert highlights include Baroque arias in Milan with Florilegium, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms in the Platinum Jubilee Concert at St George’s Chapel, Windsor in June 2022 and solos in Handel’s Messiah in the Royal Albert Hall with The Really Big Chorus last November.

Tom studied Natural Sciences at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar, and he graduated with a 2:1 in 2016. Born in Solihull, he sang in the choir of St. Alphege Parish Church from the age of seven and was a finalist in the 2007 BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year.

Tom’s studies at the Royal College were generously supported by The Charlotte Fraser Foundation, The Royal Albert Institute, The Choir Association of St. John’s College, Cambridge, The Aylesford Family Charitable Trust and Marc Feigen. Tom is also supported by The Josephine Baker Trust, and is represented by Ann Ferrier.