In 1976 Graham Johnson formed The Songmakers' Almanac to explore neglected areas of piano-accompanied vocal music and to provide an alternative to conventional recitals. Themed programmes are devised to feature an interplay of song and spoken word. The founder singers were Dame Felicity Lott, Ann Murray DBE, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Richard Jackson—artists with whom he has established long and fruitful collaborations both on the concert platform and the recording studio. Recent recitals, such as the International Songmakers at the Wigmore Hall, have featured foreign artists. Some two hundred and fifty Songmakers' programmes were presented over the years.