Dr Joyce and Michael Kennedy CBE

Name: Michael Kennedy CBE (1926 – 2014)

Role: Music Critic, Companion and Supporter of the RNCM

Name: Dr Joyce Kennedy (1933 – 2021)

Role: Honorary Member and Supporter of the RNCM

About: Joyce and Michael Kennedy were long-standing and loyal supporters of the RNCM, and our School of Vocal Studies and Opera in particular. Alongside opera, both were lovers of the music of Richard Strauss and felt that his Lieder were just as great as those of Schubert, Schumann in Wolf. In 2011, in recognition of this, they established the Joyce and Michael Kennedy Award for the Singing of Strauss. With past winners including Lee Bisset, Nadine Livingston, John Pierce and Kathryn Rudge, the competition remains one of the College’s most eminent vocal prizes, with a long history of identifying and providing vital early career support for singers.

Did you know? Joyce and Michael loved the RNCM so much that they chose it as their wedding venue in 1999.