City music alumna awarded honorary degree at the School of Communication & Creativity’s graduation ceremony at the Barbican.
By Eve Lacroix (Senior Communications Officer), Published
The distinguished mezzo-soprano singer Susan Bickley was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by City, University of London at a graduation ceremony on Monday 22 January 2024.
Susan first began singing alongside her younger brother Graham in church choirs, trained by their organist father.
She studied at City, earning a Bachelor’s in Music in 1980, before joining the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her talent was noticed, earning her the Guildhall Gold Medal for singers. On leaving GSMD she joined the Swingle Singers.
Susan made her Royal Opera debut in London in 1991, singing the role of Fyodor in Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunow and went on to perform in ten further productions with the company. She also performed in more than 25 productions with the English National Opera, in roles such as Cassandra in The Trojans and and Fricka in Die Walkure.
She has performed with opera houses such as the Paris Opera, the San Francisco Opera and the Staatsoper Berlin, and in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Wigmore Hall. She has performed at festivals such as the BBC Proms, Glyndebourne Festival and Salzburg Festival.
Her repertoire encompasses Baroque, nineteenth and twentieth century dramatic roles, with a particular interest in contemporary music. She is noted for the expressive nature of her performances and her considerable range.
In May 2011 she received the prestigious Singer Award at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, the highest recognition for live classical music in the UK.
Accepting her honorary degree at a ceremony with graduates from the School of Communication & Creativity held at the Barbican Centre, she said: