RNCM 2018 Honorary Members and Fellows
Our Congregation of Awards took place on Tuesday 11 December, and we were proud to present Honorary Memberships (HonRNCM) and Fellowships (FRNCM) to a number of musicians, educators, industry leaders and advocates.
Sir Richard Leese CBE, Leader of Manchester City Council and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Dr Richard Mantle OBE, General Director of Opera North, and Cathy Graham, Director of Music at the British Council, were all awarded Honorary Memberships. Violinist Lyn Fletcher, Leader of the Hallé, Murray Greig, Principal Trumpet with the Orchestra of Opera North, and Philippe Dinkel, Head of Haute École de Musique de Genève, received Fellowships.
RNCM Board Member David Roper and Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council
A formidable politician, Sir Richard Leese was elected to Manchester City Council in 1984, becoming Leader in 1996 and Deputy Mayor for Business and Economy in 2017. He oversaw the 10-year programme of regeneration of Manchester City Centre following the 1996 IRA bomb and was subsequently awarded a CBE in 2001 and a knighthood in 2006. He was also heavily involved in the successful bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, helping to drive the wide-scale regeneration of east Manchester – the positive impact of which continues today. A major influencer, Sir Richard is Vice Chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Chair of the North West Regional Leaders’ Board, the Core Cities Cabinet and the LGA City Regions Board.
Richard Mantle OBE is General Director of Opera North, after previously working as Deputy Managing Director at English National Opera and Managing Director at Scottish Opera. He is a Fellow of Leeds College of Music and the Royal Society of Arts, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by the University of Leeds. He serves on the Board of the National Opera Studio and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Music Department at York University. Richard was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to music.
Professor Lynne Dawson, Head of RNCM School of Vocal Studies and Opera, and Dr Richard Mantle, General Director of Opera North
Alumna Cathy Graham became Director of Music at the British Council in 2006. Prior to this she spent years working as a professional musician in Stockholm and has worked with a number of UK organisations, including ENO Contemporary Music Studio and Almeida Opera, SPNM (Society for the Promotion of New Music) and the London Sinfonietta. She is Chair of Streetwise Opera, the award-winning charity that uses music to help homeless people move forward with their lives, a Board Member of the International Society for Performing Arts, and a National Music Advisor to the Arts Council of Wales.
Cathy Graham, Director of Music, British Council and Manus Carey, RNCM Director of Performance
Violinist Lyn Fletcher has enjoyed a successful career for over 30 years. She is Leader of the Hallé and has performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the UK. Lyn is also a tutor at the RNCM and coaches young musicians within the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Cath Yates, Deputy Head of RNCM School of Strings, and Lyn Fletcher, Leader of the Hallé
Alumnus Murray Greig is Principal Trumpet with the Orchestra of Opera North and a tutor at the College. He has performed extensively as a chamber musician with the Brass Ensemble of Opera North, the Orfeo Trumpet Consort and the Golden Section (previously the Wallace Collection), as well as recording with the London Trumpet Sound.
Nick Thompson, Head of RNCM School of Wind, Brass and Percussion, and Murray Greig, Principal Trumpet, Orchestra of Opera North
Philip Dinkel is Head of Haute École de Musique de Genève and has been President of the Conference of the Swiss Music Universities, Dean of the Music Department of the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland and a board member of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires.
Professor Martin Harlow, RNCM Vice Principal (Academic) and Philip Dinkel, Head of Haute École de Musique de Genève
For over 40 years, we have awarded Honorary Memberships and Fellowships to world-renowned musicians, conductors, composers, educators, and advocates, including Placido Domingo, Sir John Dankworth, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Janet Baker, Sir Mark Elder, András Schiff, Hans Werner Henze and Sir Bernard Lovell.
12 December 2018
