Nadine Benjamin
Nadine Rohanda Smith Wray Willow Benjamin MBE is a British lyric soprano singer.[1][2]
Nadine Benjamin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nadine Rohanda Smith Brixton, London, England |
| Other names | Nadine Rohanda Smith Wray Willow Benjamin Nadine Mortimer-Smith |
| Education | St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
She was born Nadine Rohanda Smith[3] in Brixton, south London, of Jamaican-Indian heritage.[1] Leaving St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls when she was 16, she joined the Youth Training Scheme, which led to her working with a corporate finance company in the City for seven years.[4] Realising that she wanted to be a singer, she attended Tech Music School in west London, before deciding to focus on opera.[4]
Benjamin was the recipient of a Voice of Black Opera Award for the most promising voice, and subsequently set up a mentoring agency called Everybody Can![5]
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to opera.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Jury, Louise (30 October 2014), "Singer who quit City stars in slave trade opera", London Evening Standard.
- ^ Byrne, John (12 April 2016), , The Stage. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Nadine Rohanda Smith Genes Reunited birth detail. Retrieved 15 March 2022
- ^ a b Browne, Malika (23 February 2018), "Nadine Benjamin: ‘I’m hungry to be a great singer’", The Times.
- ^ Roberts, Maddy Shaw (28 June 2018), "‘I quit banking to become an opera singer’ – rising star Nadine Benjamin", Classic FM.
- ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B15.
External links edit
- Official website
- "Black History Month: Nadine Benjamin, Soprano", Incorporated Society of Musicians.
- "A snapshot of British Soprano Nadine Benjamin's journey to opera - nadinebenjamin.com", YouTube video, 25 January 2016.
- Glover, Julian (24 September 2018), "Soprano Nadine Benjamin: 'I used to be naive about unconscious bias, but I can't any more'", Evening Standard.