He was given the award, which is Glyndebourne Opera House’s most prestigious prize, during a speech made by Glyndebourne chairman Gus Christie on the last night of the festival. Michael Ronan follows in the footsteps of fellow Royal Academy Opera Company alumni Patrick Keefe who won the award last year.
During his studies at the Academy, Michael won the Bicentenary Prize in 2022. His other recent accolades include the Joan Chissell Schumann Lieder Prize, the Thomas Armstrong English Song Prize and the Blyth-Buesst Opera Prize. This season he joined Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Young Artist Programme and will be singing the role of Masetto in Glyndebourne’s tour of Don Giovanni this autumn.
The John Christie Award is given by Glyndebourne in partnership with the Musicians’ Company, which has supported the award since it was created in 1965. The award includes a £15,000 scholarship and is designed to support the career of an outstanding young talent in the Glyndebourne Festival company.
In addition to the John Christie Award, Ronan will also receive a five-year tenure as a Musicians’ Company Young Artist. Young Artists typically give performances across the country as well as working with the Company’s Young Artists Outreach Programme, taking music into inner London primary schools.
Head of Opera at the Royal Academy of Music Brenda Hurley said: 'Michael is a most deserving winner of this prestigious award. He is a highly-gifted and humble artist who is blessed with a beautiful instrument and an impeccable technique. He also possesses a rare combination of musical intelligence, imagination and sensitivity, all of which enable him to communicate the essence of the music, text and drama when he sings. I have no doubt that he has what it takes to forge a very successful career in opera at the highest level. All of us in RAO are thrilled for him and we wish him every success in his future!'
Image: Michael Ronan performing in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Academy