Audrey Hyland

BA, HonARAM

Educated at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Audrey completed further study at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, and at the Britten Pears School in Aldeburgh, where she was a staff pianist and coach.

Subsequently, in 1999, Audrey joined the coaching staff at the Royal Academy of Music where she enjoyed almost two decades of teaching. She was awarded an honourary ARAM in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the opera department, and was appointed Head of RAM's prestigious Song Circle in 2011.

As a guest coach, she worked for the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, Royal Opera, Samling Foundation and the Solti course in Italy. She is regularly invited to give masterclasses internationally.

A passionate advocate for music education in schools, Audrey is Vice President for Jackdaws Education Trust, and has been Music Director for their award winning OperaPLUS project, delivering opera workshops and performances to children for over a decade.

She founded the recital group Songsmiths, known for their reputation for innovative programming, and recently received great critical acclaim for their Wigmore debut. She has partnered many wonderful singers in recital, such as Elisabeth Watts, Nicky Spence, Jonathan Lemalu and Mary Bevan, and is about to release a disc with the countertenor Hugh Cutting.

Most recently she was Musical Director for the critically acclaimed Curlew River by Britten, directed by Deborah Warner, starring Ian Bostridge for the 2024 Aldeburgh Festival and BBC 4.

Audrey was delighted to return to Royal College of Music where she started her coaching career, to take up the post of Deputy Head of Vocal and Opera at Royal College of Music in 2017, where she collaborates with an exceptional team of colleagues and outstanding students in an artistically world leading environment.

Faculties / departments: Vocal Studies, RCM International Opera School