Guildhall School alumni and honorary fellows recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2022

Alumnus Damian Lewis (Acting 1993) was awarded a CBE for services to charity and drama for his Feed NHS campaign during the pandemic, which raised £1 million to provide food for National Health Service workers.

Damian has also recently taken part in Ride4Hugo, a series of events in memory of his wife Helen McCrory and nephew Hugo Yaxley. In 2021, Ride4Hugo raised over £97,000 and in 2022 they are taking part in three big challenges to continue to raise money for Sir HvH Arts Foundation, Place2Be, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Damian is an actor, presenter and producer, known for portraying Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also starred in the Showtime series Homeland, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. His performance as Henry VIII of England in Wolf Hall earned him his third Primetime Emmy nomination and fourth Golden Globe nomination. He starred in the Showtime series Billions in the first five series and appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as actor Steve McQueen. Damian received an OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

Wynne Evans (Opera 1995) received a BEM for services to music, to broadcasting and to charity. Wynne is an ambassador for Music in Hospitals & Care and Care Cymru. During the pandemic, he joined Rob Brydon to raise more than £20,000 for Tenovus Cancer Care, with an online evening of entertainment.

As well as his role as Gio Compairo in the Go Compare advertising campaign, Wynne has sung as a principal with all the major opera houses and orchestras, including Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, and English National Opera. He enjoys a close association with Welsh National Opera where he has worked as a principal for the last 15 years singing over 50 major roles. Wynne runs a trust in memory of his late mother Elizabeth Evans MBE which sponsors young Welsh people who wish to study for a career in the performing arts. 

Guildhall School honorary fellow and renowned pianist and composer Stephen Hough has been awarded a Knighthood for services to music. Stephen has appeared regularly with some of the world’s leading orchestras as a soloist, including 29 appearances at the BBC Proms. He is the first British-born classical pianist to be made a Sir since Clifford Curzon in 1977. He received a CBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to music.

Honorary fellow Darren Henley, the chief executive of Arts Council England, was appointed a CBE for his services to the arts. Darren was previously managing director of Classic FM and author of two independent government reviews into music education and cultural education in England. He received an OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music.