Find your Voice
Photo credit: HUGO GLENDINNING
The Graham Vick Foundation is at its heart Graham’s vision.
His mission, his life’s work, his ethic, creativity, his international standing, awards and honours, fellowships, professorships, and the democratisation of the operatic art form, in which he found his greatest voice. Not only in opera houses around the globe, but in the creation of his company in Birmingham, ‘The Birmingham Opera Company’.
The true essence of who and what he believed in and who the Operatic Art Form who it could serve....
The People …. all of them.
Emerging Directors Programme
Nurturing the next generation of creative leaders
Graham Vick believed passionately in the power of the arts to transform lives, challenge convention and create opportunities for others. Throughout his extraordinary career, he championed emerging talent, encouraged individuality and opened doors for the next generation of artists.
The Graham Vick Foundation's Emerging Directors Scheme carries that legacy forward.
Focused initially on opera and musical theatre, the Scheme aims to support exceptional emerging directors at pivotal stages of their careers, providing access to the professional experience, mentorship, guidance and opportunities needed to develop their creative voices and realise their potential.
We recognise that talent alone is not always enough. Access to professional networks, practical experience and career-defining opportunities can be difficult, particularly for those facing barriers to entering or progressing within the performing arts. Our ambition is to help remove those barriers, champion artistic excellence and create meaningful pathways for the creative leaders of tomorrow.
The Emerging Directors Scheme is being developed in two phases;
Phase One – Emerging Director Placement
Already underway, the first phase focuses on providing emerging directors with access to professional placements and practical experiences, including opportunities in Turin and other partnerships being developed.
These experiences aim to help participants build their skills, confidence and professional networks while gaining valuable insight into the creative and collaborative process of directing.
Phase Two – Directors Lab
Building on these foundations, our ambition is to establish a more structured programme of professional development, coaching, mentorship and practical opportunities through a Directors Lab.At the heart of the Scheme is a commitment to artistic excellence, creativity, individuality and potential.
We believe that opportunity should be shaped by talent and ambition, not limited by circumstance. While we particularly want to support those who may face greater barriers to progressing within the industry, our focus is on identifying and nurturing exceptional creative potential. As the Foundation grows, we hope to build on the Emerging Directors Scheme and extend opportunities to other emerging creative leaders, including choreographers, producers and those shaping the future of the performing arts.
Help us shape the future
The Foundation is working towards raising £50,000 to support the development and delivery of these initiatives, creating a sustainable programme that can nurture emerging talent and help participants take meaningful steps forward in their careers.
Graham Vick dedicated much of his life to nurturing others and challenging what was possible in the arts. Through the Emerging Directors Scheme, we are committed to continuing that spirit of generosity, innovation and opportunity.
Help us carry his legacy forward and empower the next generation to find their voice.
More about these initiatives will be revealed.
Find your Voice.
Grant Conditions
CREATIVITY
EDUCATION
PAY IT BACK
Grants provided to those who can demonstrate how to 'Use Your Voice' for the future generations of the arts
Grants are designed to promote excellence in education and support those who wish to pursue education and training
Grant recipients must be willing to create a circular economy of pay back in kind through ongoing participation in GVF for future generations
Grant Recipients
Our first Graham Vick Foundation grant recipient! As a very early first initiative before the establishment of the Directors Programme, The Graham Vick Foundation is proud to have supported choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Ben Hartley as our very first grant recipient. British-born and New York-based, Ben has more than 25 years’ experience as a performer, choreographer and creative artist.
In summer 2026, he was invited by the Royal Academy of Music to return to London to choreograph its production of Chess, working with third-year graduate students. It was an exciting opportunity for Ben to showcase his work in London and continue building his profile across the highly competitive West End and Broadway landscape. But accepting an opportunity like this also comes with very practical challenges.
Whilst this is not part of the Emerging Directors Scheme, The Graham Vick Foundation funded Ben’s London accommodation, removing barriers and making it possible for him to take on the production in recognition of his exceptional talent. Chess took to the stage at the Royal Academy of Music on 2 & 3 July 2026 — and the resulting production received fantastic critical acclaim.
Ben’s choreography was praised by West End Best Friend for its imaginative staging and precise, well-rehearsed movement, contributing to a production the reviewer described as “almost faultless.” The production received 5 stars!
Perhaps the greatest endorsement came from Chess lyricist Sir Tim Rice, who saw the production and said: “This production is better than ours 40 years ago.”
For the Graham Vick Foundation, Ben’s story represents exactly what our grants are designed to do. Talent and ambition are only part of what it takes to pursue a career in the arts. Sometimes a practical barrier — whether travel, accommodation or another essential cost — can be the difference between being able to say yes to an opportunity and having to let it pass. Our grants exist to help remove those barriers.
By supporting Ben, we were able to help turn an invitation into an opportunity, an opportunity into an acclaimed production, and give an artist the chance to have his work seen and recognised. This is what creating opportunity looks like.
We are incredibly proud that Ben Hartley was the first Graham Vick Foundation grant recipient — and we hope he will be the first of many.
Hear about Ben's experience first hand as well as see some of the incredible pictures from the production below.
Photographer - Craig Fuller
Photographer - Craig Fuller
Photographer - Craig Fuller
Photographer - Craig Fuller
Main Photo credit: HUGO GLENDINNING
Supporting Photos:
