At the end of its celebratory 75th birthday year, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama announced Dame Shirley Bassey CH DBE FRWCMD as its new President.

For the next three years she will hold the title. The President of the College is an honorary role which supports the College’s position as the national conservatoire of Wales and inspires the next generation of artists to find their path into the professional industries. Bassey succeeds HM King Charles who will continuing as a Patron.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been invited to become the next President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Over the 22 years that I have been involved with this very exciting place of training, I have seen first-hand how much it has to offer and how exceptional the students who choose to study in my home city of Cardiff are,” said Bassey in a press release.

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama works in close connection to opera companies including Scottish Opera, Opera North, and the Royal Opera House, giving students a variety of industry linked experiences such as mentoring, coaching and observational experience. Every two years the school hosts the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World’s Song Prize, and launched the Sir Bryn Terfel Song Prize this season.