Nadine Benjamin, 47, who specializes in Verdi, Strauss and contemporary American song, was an artist at English National Opera Harewood from 2018 to 2020.

She made her Royal Opera House debut in October 2020 as a soprano soloist in New Dark Age.

Nadine is also a mentor and founded her opera and mentoring program “Everybody Can! In 2015 to provide a platform to encourage and support others.

She said: “I feel absolutely honored to have been chosen for this, it is such a special thing.

“It’s really nice to be recognized for my contributions, I feel blessed.”

Nadine has appeared at the BBC Proms in 2019 and the Women’s Festival in Greece and has given private recitals at Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome.

She played with the Chineke! Orchestra and gives free annual lunchtime recitals at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.

Nadine was highly commended at the Avia Women of the Future Awards 2016 and was nominated for the Sky Arts Awards for the Times Arts Award 2019, as well as the 2015 Fulham Opera Robert Presley Verdi Prize winner.

She premiered the lead role of Imoinda in the UK premiere of The Crossing, an opera by Cuban-American composer Odaline de la Martinez, at the London Festival of American Music.

In collaboration with pianist Nicole Panizza, she recorded “Emergence”, a selection of songs based on the poems of Emily Dickinson, which was released in 2019 and nominated in the vocal category at the International that year.

She said of her accomplishments: “I am very proud to be in an art form of excellence and to have this persistence and persistence, this driving force that you need behind it.

“And to be supported by my wonderful mentors.

“Because I had them, it meant I had something to give back to the world afterward.

“I am a firm believer in mentoring and for me it has been incredibly amazing giving back to other performers and artists.”

“I firmly believe that if you have a dream anything is possible.”