Biography

Originally from the Levenmouth area of Fife, Niall attended the Kirkland High School in Methil before going on to complete a Bachelor of Music Degree at the University of Aberdeen.

Niall’s love for singing was encouraged from an early age, but his passion for classical singing was discovered during his undergraduate degree. Upon graduating from the University of Aberdeen Niall was awarded the Carlaw Music award for all round musicianship. He then went on to gain a place to study at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of  Glenville Hargreaves and Jonathan Papp.

Performances to date include Bach’s St Johannes Passion in Germany, Brahms Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Mess Solennelle and the title role in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Niall made his Wigmore Hall debut in the Autumn of 2017 in a recital with Julian Prégardien and Christoph Schnakertz.

Niall has been a member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Music Song Circle and a featured soloist in the 2018 Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series.

How the Award Helped

Biography

Born in Glasgow to a musical family (his father an opera singer and his mother a singing teacher), Graham grew up in Paisley and began singing at the age of five in the Paisley Abbey Choir.  During his 16 years as a chorister he became Head Boy (age 9) and Choral Scholar (age 15).

As a treble, Graham sang with the Scottish Opera and the RSAMD (now the RCS). He also learned piano and continued his studies at the Junior RSAMD before gaining a place at the Douglas Academy Music School.  During this time he developed his performance skills by singing with a number of choirs, including the National Youth Chamber Choir of Scotland, the RSNO Chorus and the RSAMD Chamber Choir.

Graham went on to tutor at the Renfrewshire Schools Senior Choir and then to study at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has developed a strong reputation as a performer, both solo and ensemble, and has sung at events as diverse as the proms at the Royal Albert Hall and a Radio 2 live session for Boy George and Clean Bandit (with the BBC Philharmonic).

Graham’s ambition is to pursue a career as a classical soloist.

How the Award Helped

Graham received a Dewar Award to fund a Postgraduate Diploma in Solo Performance at the RNCM, and a further award for a masters degree, providing the perfect next step towards achieving his ambitions.

Since the Award

Graham attained his undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music. In his second year he was chosen as one of the apostles for performances and a recording of Elgar’s The Apostles. Performances included concerts at the Bridgewater Hall and a prom at the Royal Albert Hall. The CD gained the Gramophone Recording of the Year, amongst other awards, and No. 4 in the classical charts.

Highlights as a soloist include performing Schubert’s Mass in G, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s no. 9th symphony, Brahms’ German Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. Graham regularly sings with the BBC Daily Service Singers on Radio 4 and is a Lay Clerk at Manchester Cathedral.

On the opera stage, Graham was a young artist with Buxton Opera Festival for two years. Roles for the RNCM include Bogdanovich in The Merry Widow and Abraham Kaplan in Street Scene. He went on to be accepted on the chorus list with Scottish Opera.

In his final year of Masters at the RNCM Graham studied with Nick Powell. A composer in his spare time, he has written personal material as well as collaborating professionally. He acted as a composer and music director for the BBC & HBO series ‘His Dark Materials’.  He also writes for Oxford University Press and MacMillan Publishers.