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From a baritone mentored by Barenboim to a soprano who caused a sensation when she stepped in for Angela Gheorghiu, the new year brings five rising stars handpicked from the world’s leading opera stages to Rosenblatt Recitals at St John’s, Smith Square, London’s only recital season devoted to opera and song. In a season highlight, Juan Diego Flórez - who made his London recital debut with Rosenblatt Recitals in 2001 - makes a welcome return. Flórez will perform some of his favourite operatic arias with orchestra in a one-off event at the Royal Albert Hall (8 May).

Polish baritone Artur Rucinski, who was chosen by Daniel Barenboim to star in Eugene Onegin and the forthcoming Le Nozze di Figaro in Berlin, makes a rare UK appearance in the first Rosenblatt Recital of the year at St John’s, Smith Square (18 January). His programme includes Baird’s Four Love Sonnets to texts by Shakespeare, as well as arias from Eugene Onegin, Don Carlo and I puritani. He is accompanied by pianist James Vaughan.

Juan Diego Flórez performs at the Royal Albert Hall

Russian tenor Alexey Kudrya (8 February) comes to Rosenblatt Recitals after a busy year which saw him make his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House and Vienna State Opera in the role of Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Schumann, Mozart and Rachmaninov all feature in his programme, as does Leoncavallo‘s popular Mattinata, performed with pianist Simon Lepper.

The series continues with acclaimed Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti (7 March), known for his passionate lyricism and dramatic fervour on the world’s leading opera stages. He has chosen a programme of Italian works by Cilea, Tosti, Puccini, Respighi, Pizzetti and Pietri, before finishing with Strauss songs. His pianist is Iain Burnside.

Five outstanding singers make their Rosenblatt Recitals debut

Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka (18 April) makes a welcome return to the UK to give her first London recital, following her acclaimed Covent Garden debut when she stepped in for Angela Gheorghiu as Violetta in La Traviata in 2010. Her programme focuses on French repertoire by Fauré, Gounod and Berlioz before finishing with Rachmaninov songs. She is accompanied by Giulio Zappa.

Fast-rising Spanish lyric soprano Sylvia Schwartz (20 June) closes the season. In 2010/11 Schwartz joined the Vienna State Opera company as principal soprano, where she recently played Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Her diverse Rosenblatt Recitals programme includes arias from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Bellini’s La Sonnambula alongside lesser known works by Spanish composers Pablo Luna and Jesus Guridi. Simon Lepper is at the piano.