Full fee scholarship for a Scottish Mezzo Soprano to attend Oxenfoord
2025 was the inaugural year for this award and this year’s recipient was Katy Hardie.
Katy is a mezzo soprano currently studying a Bachelor of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Some of her she has performed at the Ryedale Festival, York as part of the NYCOS Chamber Chorus with Eric Whitcare, and also with the NYCOS Chamber Chorus for the opening of The Edinburgh International Festival 2025.
Upcoming engagements include the role of Parpignol in Fife Opera’s production of La Boheme, more concerts with the NYCOS Chamber Chorus, and a performance of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria in Arran.
About the award
Emma Kerr was an exceptionally talented Scottish operatic mezzo-soprano from Edinburgh. She studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, after which her career flourished. She was a Scottish Opera Emerging Artist (2015–2017), a Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne, and a Samling Artist in 2016. Among her many accolades, she received the Audience Prize in the Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award in 2017.
Emma performed with leading opera companies, including English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Garsington Opera, and Scottish Opera. She was also a frequent soloist on prestigious stages across the UK and Europe.
The Emma Kerr Classical Singing Award
Proceeds from two concerts held in London and Edinburgh, as well as many donations, have raised money to support the inaugural Emma Kerr Classical Singing Award, which helps aspiring young Scottish mezzo-sopranos. This annual award enables a talented young Scottish mezzo to attend our School this year and for the foreseeable future.
We look forward to welcoming applications from students who will have the opportunity to work with world-class industry professionals, just as Emma did, helping them shape their own musical journeys.