The provincial festivals in many cities across Britain offered unique opportunities for singers to establish careers outside of the operatic circuit. Despite the festivals’ significant impact on the development and success of many singers’ careers during this time, the festival engagement of female soloists, has, until this point, been largely unexplored. 

 By consulting original and unique archival material relating to female singer soloists’ festival performances, this thesis appraises their festival engagement and examines how foreign and native female singers developed and negotiated successful careers within the festival circuit amidst various challenges and divided opinions. 

This project uses a case study approach of female singers who were active in the provincial festival from 1846–1900. It examines shifts and patterns in their engagement, management, repertoire, promotion and reception across this time and sheds light on how contemporaneous themes of xenophobia and xenophilia affected their festival careers, profiles and opportunities. Furthermore, it assesses the power of the singers’ societal networks both inside and outside of the festival institution and how these contributed to their successful festival careers.