Hillary Nicholson received a Bachelor of Music degree with Honors from Eastern Illinois University, where she majored in Vocal Performance and Music History. At Eastern, she was honored with the Errett and Mazie Warner Presidential Award in Music, Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Music Student, Music History and Choral Conducting Awards. She earned her Master of Music Degree and Artist’s Diploma in Opera from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she was recipient of the prestigious Corbett Opera Prize and studied voice and opera with Lucile Evans and ItaloTajo.

She has been an Adjunct Instructor of Voice at Providence College from 1990-1998 and from 2003-present.

An active performer, Miss Nicholson has sung over 50 principal roles in opera and operetta, including four World Premieres. She has sung with the Metropolitan, Cleveland, Kentucky, Tampa Bay, Dayton, Berkshire, Kansas City Lyric,Chattanooga, Sacramento, Mississippi, Cleveland Lyric, Memphis, and Ocean State Lyric Opera Companies, along with the Opera Festival of New Jersey and Skylight Opera Theatre. She has also appeared as soloist with the St. Louis, Detroit, Rochester, Tucson, Chattanooga and Lake Placid Symphonies and with the Newport, Bravo-Vail Valley, Finger Lakes and Britt Festivals. Locally, she has performed opera and oratorio with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Rhode Island Civic Chorale, Trinity Repertory Company, Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, Swanhurst Chorus of Newport, and the New Music Ensemble of Providence.