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Nicky Spence

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Scottish operatic tenor

Nicholas Eliot Spence OBE (born 1983) is a Scottish operatic tenor who performs in opera, oratorio and recital in both the UK and internationally.

Life and career

Spence was born and raised in Dumfries. He was educated at Wallace Hall in Thornhill where he had his first lessons with Margaret Davies aged 15 and attended Scottish Youth Theatre and the National Youth Music Theatre. He was accepted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 2005. After his first year, he won the Kathleen Ferrier Society Young Singers Bursary.

In 2004, during his final year at Guildhall, Spence received a five-record contract with Universal Classics on the Decca label who promoted him as "The Scottish Tenor". His debut album My First Love, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 2007. That same year he was nominated for the "Young British Classical Performer of the Year" Classical Brit Award. During this time, he sang regularly on television and toured with Katherine Jenkins and Shirley Bassey.

However, when it came time to record his second album, Spence turned his back on the recording contract to pursue a legitimate opera career. He returned to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study full-time in their Opera Studies course, studying there from 2007 to 2009 under John Llewelyn Evans. He then won a place at the National Opera Studio in 2009 where he won the Bruce Millar Gulliver Opera Prize. The following year he joined the English National Opera as one of their inaugural Harewood Artists.

As a Harewood Artist at ENO, Spence created the role of Brian in the world premiere of Nico Muhly's opera Two Boys in 2011. Other roles at ENO have included The Novice in Billy Budd directed by David Alden, David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg directed by Richard Jones, Steva in Jenůfa directed by David Alden, Alwa in Lulu directed by William Kentridge, and Francesco in Benvenuto Cellini directed by Terry Gilliam. He was nominated for the International Opera Awards as Young Singer of the Year in 2015 and was also one of ten artists included in the Times Breakthrough Award at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Spence's appearances in international opera houses include Brian in Two Boys (Metropolitan Opera, 2013); Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (New Zealand Opera, 2013); Steva in Jenufa (La Monnaie, 2014); Isacco in La gazza ladra (Oper Frankfurt, 2014); Tichon in Katya Kabanova (Seattle Opera, 2017); Captain Pirzel in Die Soldaten (Teatro Real, 2018); and The Big Prisoner in From the House of the Dead (Opéra de Lyon, 2019)

Spence was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to music.

Spence will step into the role of President of ISM in April 2024, following Pauline Black. In 2024 he will sing the title role in Peter Grimes for Welsh National Opera and Boris in Katya Kabanova at Glyndebourne.

Personal life

Spence is a patron of Blackheath Halls and their community opera company and of An Tobar and Mull Theatre, a multi art form creative hub on the Hebridean island of Mull. He is also active in the charity Help Musicians UK and president of Dumfries Musical Theatre Company. Spence's partner is pianist Dylan Perez and the two got married on 1st January 2022.

Discography

Spence's recordings include:

  • Ralph Vaughan Williams: Complete Folk Songs, Vols. 1-4 – Mary Bevan (soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Roderick Williams (baritone), William Vann (piano), Thomas Gould (violin), Jack Liebeck (violin). Released 2020-2022. Label: Albion Records
  • Frances-Hoad: Magic Lantern Tales – Nicky Spence (tenor), Sophie Daneman (soprano), Natalie Raybould (soprano), Verity Wingate (soprano), Anna Huntley (mezzo-soprano), Anna Huntley (mezzo-soprano), Sinead O'Kelly (mezzo-soprano), Philip Smith (baritone), Mark Stone (baritone), Collin Shay (countertenor), Edward Nieland (treble), Sholto Kynoch (piano). Released 2018. Label: Champs Hill Records
  • Buxton Orr: Songs – Nicky Spence (tenor), Iain Burnside (piano), Edinburgh Quartet (ensemble). Released 2017. Label: Delphian
  • Pavel Haas: Fata Morgana – Anita Watson (soprano), Anna Starushkevych (mezzo-soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), James Platt (bass), Lada Valešová (piano), Navarra Quartet (ensemble). Released 2017. Label: Resonus
  • Paradis Sur Terre: A French Songbook (songs by Caplet, Boulanger, Debussy, and Chaminade) – Nicky Spence (tenor), Malcolm Martineau (piano). Released 2016. Label: Chandos
  • Purer than Pearl (songs and duets by Ralph Vaughan Williams) – Mary Bevan (soprano), Jennifer Johnston (mezzo-soprano), Nicky Spence (tenor), Johnny Herford (baritone), William Vann (piano), Thomas Gould (violin). Released 2016. Label: Albion Records
  • Mark-Anthony Turnage: A Constant Obsession – Nicky Spence (tenor), Chamber Domaine (ensemble), Thomas Kemp (conductor). Released 2012. Label: Resonus
  • George Alexander Macfarren: Robin Hood – Nicky Spence (tenor), Kay Jordan (soprano), George Hulbert (baritone), Louis Hurst (bass), John Molloy (bass), Victorian Opera Orchestra (ensemble), Ronald Corp (conductor). Released 2011. Label: Naxos

References

  1. ^ Brown, Annie (16 November 2012). "Nicky Spence turned back on £1m record deal to climb to top of opera profession on his own". Daily Record. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  2. ^ Board of Governors, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (14 May 2012). "Principal's General Report: , p. 32. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  3. Kathleen Ferrier Society. "Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers: Past Winners". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  4. Brown, Geoff (13 January 2007). "Nicky Spence", The Times. Retrieved 1 February 2019 (subscription required).
  5. BBC News (3 May 2007). "Pop duo fight for Classical Brits". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. Davies, Hugh (7 June 2006). "There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Pavarotti". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  7. s.n. (6 March 2014). "Bruce Millar/Gulliver Prize doubled". The Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  8. Christiansen, Rupert (16 April 2012). "ENO plans to grow its own".The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  9. Woolfe, Zachary (30 June 2011). "Review: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Youngster With Issues". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  10. English National Opera. "Nicky Spence". Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  11. ^ Liptrott, Sharon (9 May 2015). "Dumfries tenor Nicky Spence shortlisted for prestigious South Bank Sky Arts Award". Daily Record. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  12. International Opera Awards (2015). Nominees. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  13. Metropolitan Opera Archives. Two Boys. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  14. Radio New Zealand (18 August 2013). "Arts on Sunday". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  15. Loomis, George (30 January 2014). "A Lavish and Folkloric Production of Janacek's Jenufa". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  16. Forsling, Göran (November 2015). "Review: La gazza ladra, Live recording, Oehms Classics OC961". Musicweb International. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  17. May, Thomas (26 February 2017). "A searing ‘Katya Kabanova’ on the Seattle Opera stage". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  18. Irurzun, José M. (29 May 2018). "Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten Triumphs in Its Spanish Premiere". Seen and Heard International. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  19. Valette-Pilenko, Gallia (23 January 2019). "Une Maison des morts engagée et crue à l'Opéra de Lyon". Tout Lyon Affiches. Retrieved 3 February 2019 (in French).
  20. "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B15.
  21. https://www.ism.org/news/new-ism-president-and-president-elect-for-the-upcoming-years/#:~:text=Nicky%20will%20follow%20Pauline%20Black,challenges%20facing%20the%20music%20sector. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. "Engagements".
  23. Blackheath Halls. "Nicky Spence to join Edward Gardner as Patron of the Blackheath Halls Community Opera". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  24. "Who We Are". An Tobar and Mull Theatre. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  25. Help Musicians UK (23 October 2012. "'Opera Offstage' calendar launched". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  26. "Surbiton Salons - as You Like It".
  27. @nickythespence (3 July 2020). "Six months today... I get to Marry this man! @perezalicious x" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. Quinn, John (October 2020). "Review: Complete Folk Songs, Vol. 1, Albion Records ALBCD042". Quinn, John (March 2021). "Review: Complete Folk Songs, Vol. 2, Albion Records ALBCD043". Quinn, John (August 2021). "Review: Complete Folk Songs, Vol. 3, Albion Records ALBCD044". Woolf, Jonathan (February 2022). "Review: Complete Folk Songs, Vol. 4, Albion Records ALBCD045".all: Musicweb International, Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  29. Duchen, Jessica (24 January 2019). "Frances-Hoad: Magic Lantern Tales". BBC Music Magazine, pp. 88–89. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  30. Bruce, Keith (17 February 2017). "Album review: Nicky Spence, Buxton Orr – Songs (Delphian)". The Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  31. Power, Steph (25 October 2018). "Fata Morgana: Songs by Pavel Haas performed by the Navarra Quartet". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  32. Quinn, John (May 2017). "Review: Paradis sur Terre: A French Songbook, Chandos CHAN 10893", Musicweb International. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  33. Wiley, Richard (December 2016). "CD Reviews: Purer than Pearl". The Elgar Society Journal, Vol.19 No.6, pp. 65–66. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  34. Whitehouse, Richard (12 May 2013). "Post-millennium Turnage in chamber and vocal mode". Gramophone. Retrieved 2 February 2019.

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