Mansfield opera star to receive honorary degree

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has announced that Carly Paoli, the Mansfield born British/Italian soprano will be the recipient of  an honorary degree (Doctor of Music) which will be presented to her during a graduation ceremony on the 23rd July 2024 at 11.45 am. 

Carly, a Classical Brit nominee and BBC Music Ambassador, trained at the renowned Tring Park on a scholarship before gaining her BA at The Royal Northern College of Music.   She  is one of several recipients who will be honoured by NTU during the coming weeks. 

Discussing the award Carly said “I am so thrilled to be honoured by Nottingham Trent University along with the many other well-deserved recipients. From childhood I dreamt of becoming a singer, so it means everything today to be truly doing what I love. I am ever grateful to Nottingham and my hometown of Mansfield for creating the opportunities to discover, pursue and develop my dream. So, to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Music from a University in my home county feels incredibly special and such an honour, and I very much look forward to participating in the University activities as much as possible in the future.” 

Carly has performed in many iconic venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, The Roman Forum, The Royal Albert Hall, The London Palladium and with many great artists across the music spectrum such as Andrea Bocelli, Elaine Paige and Michael Bolton.

She has also performed for royalty, most notably the now King and Queen at Windsor Castle and St James’ Palace and TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales as part of the televised ‘Royal Variety Performance.’

Carly was described by His Holiness Pope Francis as having, ‘the voice of an angel,’ when her version of ‘Ave Maria’ was adopted as the song for his Jubilee Year of Mercy and she is the recipient of many awards for her contribution to music and culture in Italy.

To date Carly has released five critically acclaimed albums, the latest ‘Carly Paoli; The Movie Collection featuring songs associated with well-loved films.