Guildhall vocal alumnus Nicky Spence champions £50,000 scholarship to support rising talent

Guildhall School is delighted to announce the Nicky Spence Scholarship for Vocal Studies students. The scholarship will be offered to singers who have been educated at a UK state school and would not otherwise have the financial means to accept an offer to study at Guildhall. 

A remarkable £50,000 has been raised for the scholarship, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a number of donors – brought together through the drive, passion and initiative of Guildhall School alumnus Nicky Spence OBE FGS.  

Nicky Spence OBE said: “I am really happy that my involvement in the School will give a talented group of singers from a lower socio-economic background the opportunity to flourish in the environment which Guildhall creates so uniquely. My own upbringing never foretold success and I would really like to help establish more state school representation on our stages.” 

Caroline Hawley, Head of Development at Guildhall School, said: “Having been made a fellow last year, Nicky identified a pressing need to support the next generation of emerging vocal talent, and collaborated with the School to lead this major fundraising effort with his characteristic warmth and energy. The scholarship, which bears Nicky’s name, is a powerful example of what can happen when generosity meets inspired leadership.” 

Nicky Spence studied at Guildhall School between 2001-09 and is an Alumni Ambassador and Fellow of the School. He has established himself as one of the UK’s most acclaimed singers, receiving critical praise and international recognition for his performances as a tenor for The Royal Opera, English National Opera, Glyndebourne, The Metropolitan Opera, New York, Opéra de Paris and Berlin State Opera. He was named BBC Music Magazine's Personality of the Year in 2022, made an OBE in the King's inaugural Birthday Honours in 2023 for services to Music, received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Singer Award in 2024, and was President of the Independent Society of Musicians for 2024/25. This August, Nicky makes his role debut as Boris, in Glyndebourne’s production of Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. 

The first Nicky Spence Scholar is due to commence their studies in September 2025, but the scholarship’s fund is still accepting gifts. Further donations will increase the amount of time the scholarship will be offered beyond its initial ten years, and the number of students it supports. If, like us, you believe cost should never be a barrier to accessing Guildhall’s world-class training please contact Meg Ryan, Deputy Head of Development or visit Introducing the Nicky Spence Scholarship to find out how you can support the next generation of talented singers.