Biography

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, mezzo-soprano Lynda-Jane has been studying opera at Glasgow’s RSAMD for the past five years under Kathleen McKellar-Ferguson.

Before coming to Scotland Lynda-Jane sang with the Ulster Youth Choir at Proms in the Park and took part in their Ireland and France Tours. She has sung in a number of RSAMD’s opera productions and also in the opening concert of the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival as one of the ‘Ladies of Mahagonny’ from Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

In 2006, she represented the RSAMD at the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Awards. She has sung in masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau and Patricia McMahon and was a finalist in the Frank Spedding Lieder prize and the 2009 RSAMD Governor’s Prize for Voice.

Lynda-Jane is a founder member of Dieci – an a cappella group she established with some friends at the RSAMD in 2006. Dieci were recently grand finalists in the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition. The group are on the point of releasing their second CD and tour regularly throughout the UK.

Lynda-Jane is considered to exude star quality and, according to her mentors, her voice has developed wonderfully and her ability to tackle major vocal challenges is inspirational.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will enable Lynda-Jane to pursue a Master of Music (Performance) degree at RSAMD.

After a successful first year, Lynda-Jane’s award was extended for a second and final year towards a Master of Music in Voice Performance.