Mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill has been appointed to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Head of Vocal Performance on an interim basis starting September.

Cargill will succeed Professor Stephen Robertson, who announced his retirement in April and will join the academic team at Scotland’s national conservatoire at a time the institution is ranked No. 3 in the world for performing arts education in the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2021 and No 1 in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2022.

In a statement, Cargill noted, “It is such an honor to be given the opportunity to help guide the next generation of young singers through their path of discovery at the RCS. Coming to study at the Conservatoire (then the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) at 17 was life-changing for me, a world of possibility opened and my creative process began. One of the joys for me will be sharing the excitement of these young singers embarking on their own path to professional life.”

Cargill is a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Royal Opera House and has worked with prominent conductors including Sir Donald Runnicles, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bernard Haitink, and Sir Simon Rattle. She is an alumna of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate awarded by the institution for her outstanding contribution to the arts in 2018.