Stephen Varcoe

Stephen Varcoe serves as a Professor and Vocal Repertoire Coach at the Royal College of Music within the Vocal & Opera school's Vocal Studies department. Internationally renowned as a concert and recital singer, he brings extensive professional performance experience to his academic role at this prestigious institution.

Varcoe completed his PhD at the University of York in 2009 with research focused on the Performance of Song, which directly informs his teaching methodology. His academic credentials include an MA degree alongside his doctorate, creating a strong foundation for his scholarly work.

Professor Varcoe's expertise centers on art song repertoire with particular emphasis on English song traditions. He has dedicated significant scholarly attention to composers including Schubert, Fauré, Hahn, Chabrier, Finzi, Parry, Stanford, and Gurney. His work bridges historical performance practice with contemporary vocal pedagogy, offering valuable insights into song interpretation across multiple languages and musical periods.

Though primarily known for his performance career and book publications rather than traditional academic journal articles, Varcoe's scholarly contributions focus on the practical aspects of song performance. His recordings and writings constitute a significant contribution to vocal music scholarship.

Professor Varcoe maintains an active performance schedule while teaching, having made over 150 recordings and performed with major orchestras across the UK, Europe, Japan, and North America. He has worked with renowned conductors including Christie, Herreweghe, Knussen, Leonhardt, Norrington, Rifkin, Kuijken, Marriner and Malgoire.

In addition to his RCM responsibilities, Varcoe regularly gives lectures, masterclasses, and seminars at universities and colleges worldwide. His current scholarly project involves writing a book about the history and practice of song performance, continuing his contributions to vocal music literature.