Sir Graham Vick (30 December 1953 – 17 July 2021) was an English

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

director known for his experimental and revisionist stagings of traditional and modern operas. He worked in many of the world's leading opera houses and was artistic director of the Birmingham Opera Company.

Life and career

Vick was born on 30 December 1953 in

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

, the youngest son of Arnold and Muriel (née Hynes) Vick. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. At age 24, he directed a production of Gustav Holst's '' Savitri'' for the Scottish Opera and became the company's director of productions in 1984. From 1994 to 2000, Vick was director of productions at Glyndebourne Opera. In 1987, he founded the Birmingham Opera Company and remained its artistic director. Vick's productions with Birmingham Opera included the first UK production of '' Othello'' to feature a black tenor in the title role in 2009, and the 2012 world premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen's notoriously difficult . Vick died from complications arising from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 17 July 2021, aged 67.

Honours and awards

In 2005, the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

acquired a portrait of Vick by the photographer Lorentz Gullachsen. Vick was awarded as Knight of the French , as Honorary Professor of Music at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, and as International Chair of Opera at the Royal Northern College of Music. He was also awarded Honorary Membership of the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

in 2016. Vick was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours and knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to music and the regions.

Recordings

Many of Vick's productions can be seen on DVD including ''

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'' (Glyndebourne, 2004) Warner Music Vision B000189L10, and '' Falstaff'' (Covent Garden, 2001) Opus Arte B00005NUP8.

References

Sources

* Millington, Barry, "Vick, Graham" in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) * Jasper Rees, 'La traviata: A Nuremberg-style display of synchronised chair-swivelling', ''

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'', 25 October 200

* Edward Rothstein, 'In New Hall, Echoes of Glyndebourne Old', ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 4 June 199

* Martin Bernheimer, 'Living Dangerously' (Profile of Graham Vick), '' Opera News'', June 200

* Hamilton, Mary. (1990).
A-Z of Opera
'. New York, Oxford, Sydney: Facts On File. p. 212. . * Sadie, Stanley and John Tyrrell. (2001).
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
'. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Vol. 26, p. 530. . * Warrack, John, and Ewan West. (1996 3rd ed.).
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera
'. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 538. .

External links

Birmingham Opera Company biography
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vick, Graham 1953 births 2021 deaths British opera directors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Birkenhead School Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music Knights Bachelor Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England People from Birkenhead