Trainees 2009/10

Sopranos
Elizabeth Llewelyn
Sadhbh Dennedy
Anna Devin
Madeleine Pierard
Meeta Raval

Mezzo-sopranos
Sara Gonzalez-Saavedra
Raquel Luis

Tenors
John Pierce

Baritones
Gerard Collett
Joa Rasmus Helgesson

Bass
John Molloy

Repetiteurs
Marie-Elise Boyer
Cameron Burns
Jean-Paul Pruna

Nicky Spence tenor

A natural performer, Nicky took up a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as their youngest singer to complete his studies with distinction, and where he has just completed their award winning Opera Course. A tenor in demand from a young age, Nicky's voice and personality attracted the young Scotsman a long-term recording contract with Universal Classics and increasing recognition on stage, radio and television as a presenter and performer alike having contributed to tours and Platinum Selling disks the world over.

Gaining experience in recital, broadcasting, oratorio and opera, Nicky has performed on platforms all over the world from the Wigmore Hall to the Royal Albert Hall. As a soloist in diverse repertoire ranging from Handel and Mozart to Britten and Jonathan Dove, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, the RPO, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the RSNO, and the Southbank Sinfonia, and with artists, which include Bryn Terfel, Graham Johnson, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen, and even Dame Shirley Bassey. A proud Britten-Pears Young Artist Solti and Samling Scholar, his awards include the Kathleen Ferrier Young Singer’s Bursary Award, the Concordia Barthel Prize, the Young Classical Performer of the Year nomination at the Classical Brit Awards, and a place in the final of the Gold Medal at the Guildhall School.

Keen to work at the very highest level, Nicky continues his studies with vocal professor John Evans alongside his place at the National Opera Studio, where he is generously supported by Scottish Opera, the Friends of Covent Garden, the John Wates Charitable Trust, the Musicians Benevolent Fund, and The Countess of Munster Trust. Future plans include a collaboration with Malcolm Martineau for a BBC Radio 3 Britten Recording (Onyx) and Song-Cycle series (Aldeburgh and Kings Place), Jacquino Fidelio (Opera Holland Park), Lampwick The Adventures of Pinnochio, Quint The Turn of the Screw (Opera North) and a CD of Alun Hoddinott Songs to be internationally released later in the year.

www.nickyspence.com