DUMFRIESSHIRE opera singer Nicky Spence has been awarded an OBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours list for services to music .
The Thornhill tenor and former Wallace Hall Academy pupil started his career with the Dalgarno Singers as a teenager. Now he has become a much-loved classical singing sensation with a career that has taken him around the world.
Nicky will attend an investiture ceremony to receive his Officer of the Order of the British Empire award in due course.
He took to social media to thank his fans for their support following the announcement, saying: “Thank you for all your warm messages this weekend! It’s been such a lovely surprise for me and my family
“To be recognised in this way for doing a job I adore is the cherry on an already pretty juicy cake. Opera is such a team sport and while I’m lucky to collaborate with remarkable artists everyday, I’d love to dedicate this to the village of people who have stewarded my adventure thus far.
“I’m encouraged to use this honour to further improve routes into the profession for singers from every background and hopefully inspire the next generation of undiscovered voices.”
