Nicky was schooled locally in Dumfries and Galloway before receiving a scholarship to the Guildhall School. During his training, he won a record contract with Decca Records before taking a place at the National Opera Studio and latterly a position at the English National Opera as one of their inaugural Harewood Artists.

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Nicky is prized for his portrayal of Janáček roles and is fulfilling his exciting potential as a Heldentenor having recently made his role debut as Parsifal with the Hallé orchestra under Sir Mark Elder. Nicky has recorded prolifically and is a regular featured recitalist at the Wigmore Hall, London though he can mostly be found on the International stages of Opera de Paris, Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera, New York. In 2020, he won both the BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award and Gramophone’s Solo Vocal Award for his critically acclaimed recording of Janáček’s vocal work The Diary of One who Disappeared with Julius Drake.

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Recent operatic successes include his debut at the Deutche Staatsoper as Albert Gregor in Věc Makropulos, his debut as Siegmund Die Walküre directed by Richard Jones, Laca in Claus Guth’s new production of Jenůfa at the Royal Opera, Erik in Der Fliegender Holländer alongside Sir Bryn Terfel for Grange Park, a tour with Jakub Hrůša in Janáček's The Eternal Gospel (Santa Cecilia, Rome / l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France), his role debut as Loge in a new Wagner Ring for La Monnaie with Romeo Castellucci, Thomas Adès' The Exterminating Angel in Paris and Jenůfa in concert with the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle.

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Nicky is using his space to bring more people to classical music than ever before and recently presented an acclaimed run of TV programmes: Anyone can sing and Sing when you're winning (Sky Arts), and is host of the English National Opera's new podcast, Opera Actually. Considered a force for good in the classical music world, Nicky is President Elect for the Independent Society of Musicians, an official Ambassador for charity Help Musicians UK and patron for the Scottish Opera Young Company. Nicky gives masterclasses Internationally and is a visiting professor at both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London.