Homecoming for RCM Alumna Ema Nikolovska
Homecoming for RCM Alumna Ema Nikolovska
Published on March 12, 2024
The mezzo-soprano and alumna of all three schools at The Royal Conservatory - Oscar Peterson School of Music, The Taylor Academy and The Glenn Gould School - will make her vocal debut in Koerner Hall on March 24, 2024
The first time Ema Nikolovska performed on the stage of The Royal Conservatory's Koerner Hall was at the age of 11 as a student of The Taylor Academy. The last time she performed in the Hall was as a violin student in The Glenn Gould School’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra.
This time will be different.
Over the past few years, the Macedonian-Canadian vocalist has been conquering the global stage. She is the current Artist in Residence for Wigmore Hall where she will be performing in June 2024 with acclaimed pianist Sir András Schiff. In 2022, she was recipient of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and was a BBC New Generation Artist (2019-2022). Ms. Nikolovska won first prize at the 2019 International Vocal Competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize (Kathleen Ferrier Awards), and has performed with acclaimed international orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Berlin and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And on March 24, 2024, she makes her vocal debut on the Koerner Hall stage performing with Canadian pianist and laureate of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, Charles Richard-Hamelin.
“Singing this recital is a way for me to thank all the people who raised me here. Anyone at the RCM, not just the professors. Everyone who was in that building, who was kind to me, showed me love, made me feel welcome, and made me feel excited about music. Everyone in that building changed my life.”
Ema Nikolovska (on her March 24, 2024 recital at The Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall)
A career in opera and voice was not always the plan for Ema Nikolovska. Having started violin lessons at the Royal Conservatory School (now known as the Oscar Peterson School of Music) when she was just four years of age, her journey with the violin continued with her enrolment in The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists and straight through to her graduation from The Glenn Gould School with a Performance Diploma in violin, in 2015.
Throughout her early musical journey, Ms. Nikolovska was also exploring finding her voice – quite literally. From first joining the Toronto Children’s Chorus at the age of 10, to a chance meeting with Taylor Academy vocal faculty member Helga Tucker who would become pivotal in her future development, a true passion was starting to reveal itself and become undeniable. This passion would take Ms. Nikolovska across the ocean to earn her degree in voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has since become a seasoned performer - alumna of the International Opera Studio at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, 2023-24 season performances with the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre, Canadian Opera Company, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, along with a debut recital tour in the U.S. and Canada including Carnegie Hall and Koerner Hall!
The Royal Conservatory of Music is thrilled to welcome home Ema Nikolovska. It will be a memorable night for all!
BUY TICKETS for Ema Nikolovska's concert
If you know someone who would like to follow in Ema Nikolovska’s footsteps, applications are now being accepted to join The Taylor Academy for the 2024-25 academic year.
The deadline to apply is April 1, 2024.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TAYLOR ACADEMY