About Holly

After 8 years of training in the most prestigious conservatoires in the world Holly Graham has had the ability to work with some of the best operatic coaches, professors, musicians, directors and conductors available. 

Holly Graham is a recent Graduate from the current global number one conservatoire, the Royal College of Music. She is a Master of Performance, specialising in Opera as a Richard Silver Award scholarship holder. She has been a student of the Royal College for six years having also completed her Undergraduate program as a Soirée d’Or Committee scholarship holder. Holly  also attended the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior department as an Elton John Scholar for two years prior to her time at the RCM.

‘The RCM is very Proud to be associated with Holly’s success’ Colin Lawson, Director of the Royal College of Music.

During her time at the RCM she was under the tutelage of Veronica Veysey Campbell for the entire six years. She worked alongside a vast array of top quality language specialists, dance, drama and acting coaches helping her to achieve a varying array of strengths and creative assets. Her vocal coaches include Bryan Evans with whom she worked with closely during her two year Master’s Course. Gary Matthewman, for her final year as an undergraduate and others including; Caroline Dowdle, Andrew Robinson, Tom Blunt, Joyce Fielding, Micheal Lloyd, Tony Kraus, Nick Cleobury, John Constable, Stuart Wilde, Martin Pacy, Philip Headlam and Peter Selwyn. Holly is currently working with Rosa Manion as her vocal teacher and developing her artistic and technical skills. 

Holly Graham having specialised in Opera has performed multiple roles in notable venues, including her most recent performance at the Italian Institute in Belgrave Square. Her previous roles have included:

Zerlina, Mozart, Don Giovanni, Opera Co Pro, Italian Institute
Zerlina, Mozart, Don Giovanni, Royal College of Music Britten Theatre  
Susanna, Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro, Royal College of Music Britten Theatre 
Laetitia, Menotti, The Old maid and the Thief, Royal College of Music Britten Theatre
Marie, Lortzing, Zar und Zimmerman, Royal College of Music Britten Theatre
Atalanta, Handel, Serse, Royal College of Music 
Oberto, Handel, Alcina, Royal College of Music  

Holly throughly enjoys every part of opera and everything it has to offer.  She has worked on solo operatic performances with many conductors including Timothy Burke, Micheal Loyd, Hannah Quinn, Johnathan Peter kenny and Jonathon Cole-Swinard. And directors; Bill Banks-Jones, Jack Furness, Matthew Monaghan, Louise Bakker, Janis Kelly and Sally Burgess. 

‘We were all totally blown away by her powerful, magical, charismatic performance’ Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP

Holly Graham has thoroughly enjoyed developing her languages and her creativity through singing varying German Lied, English, French and Italian song. Her repertoire has included great works such as Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben where she performed as an RCM chamber soloist. Holly also collaborated on multiple performances of Sphor’s Six German songs performing alongside Clarinetist David Campbell. Her recent oratorio work includes an orchestrated performance of Rutter’s Magnificat where she was the soprano soloist which was held in the Christchurch Priory. She was invited back to sing as the soprano soloist for a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria. 

‘It was absolutely captivating. I was amazed by how Holly interpreted the characters and acted the parts as well as by her extraordinary singing. It is incredible to think that she did that in so many different languages.’ Lord Austin of Dudley 

She has taken part in the summer Classical Vocal Course at Musicfest Aberystwyth for three  years. Additionally Holly has also taken part in a vocal course held at Jackdaws music education trust. She thoroughly enjoys the creativity and genius found in so much repertoire, music and poetry. Her performance aspirations for the future would be to interpret characters and sing music written by great composers such as Mozart, Puccini and Handel. 

Holly has contributed to both the RCM’s chorus and chamber choir, with numerous performances in prestigious venues in London and Paris. She performed in Stravinsky’s ‘Les Noces’ conducted by Vasily Petrenko which took place at the Royal Festival Hall with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of its Foyle ‘Future First’ programme. In that same year Holly participated in Faure’s ‘Requiem’ in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, conducted by Jac van Steen. Other notable performances in collaboration with the RCM Symphony Orchestra include Holst’s ‘The Planets Suite’ in the Queen Elizabeth Hall; performances of Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, conducted by Michael Rosewell and Ravel’s ‘Daphnis and Chloe’ with world-renowned conductor Bernard Haitink. She was invited to participate in a large chorus drawn from the London Conservatoires for two performances of Schoenberg’s ‘Gurrelieder’. This was in collaboration with the Philharmonia Orchestra which included venues in London and Paris, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. She performed as part of Prokofiev’s ‘Alexander Nevsky’ and a varied programme celebrating the work of female composers, conducted by Natalie Murray-Beale. 

Holly has always had a passion for Opera, she loves how it is the accumulation of the most talented individuals in the art world, including singers, musicians, conductors, directors, costume designers, set designers, lighting, dancers, actors etc. Having been raised in a family of designers she has always had a fascination with the creative and cultural arts and exploring the endless possibilities they provide. Having nurtured her creativity over the years she strives to push herself and her abilities and continue her career as an operatic artist.