The Richard Tucker Music Foundation has named Nicholas Brownlee as the recipient of the 2025 Richard Tucker Award.

This prestigious award includes a $50,000 cash prize and ongoing support from the Tucker family and foundation. It is also seen as a pivotal moment, poised to propel Brownlee’s career to new heights.

Brownlee previously received a 2017 Richard Tucker Career Grant and a 2016 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the foundation.

In his remarks, Brownlee expressed deep gratitude: “The Tucker Foundation, and Richard Tucker in particular, played a transformative role in making opera a truly American art form. As an American, I’m immensely proud of how he elevated vocal training in the U.S. to world-class standards. From the Sara Tucker Study Grant to the Career Grant, and now the Richard Tucker Award, each step has been instrumental in advancing my career. Words can’t fully capture what it means to join the ranks of past winners who have uplifted American opera. This recognition is profoundly humbling—it’s the ultimate affirmation for an artist. You pour your heart into every performance, wondering if you’re making a difference. An award like this tells you you’re on the right track, that your work resonates with audiences. It’s an honor to carry the Tucker legacy forward.”

He added, “I owe so much to the educators and supporters who believed in me before I believed in myself. My wife, Jennifer, has been my greatest champion. I’m endlessly thankful.”

Brownlee has graced stages at renowned venues such as the Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Frankfurt, Opéra national de Paris, Oper Leipzig, Metropolitan Opera, and Bayreuther Festspiele. His performances span works by Puccini, Wagner, Verdi, and others.

He is also a distinguished competition winner, having claimed first prize at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, the Zarzuela prize at Operalia, and the grand prize at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Previous recipients of the Richard Tucker Award include Clay Hilley, Angel Blue, Jamie Barton, Stephanie Blythe, Lawrence Brownlee, Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Christine Goerke, Isabel Leonard, Lisette Oropesa, Matthew Polenzani, Nadine Sierra, and Deborah Voigt.