Dominic McHugh was born and educated in Lancashire. He has had a passionate interest in both opera and the Broadway musical from an early age, as well as being an active pianist (taking his Advanced Diploma in Performance at 18).

In 2005, he graduated in historical musicology from King's College, London University, where he achieved first class honours and was awarded the Purcell Prize for the student with the highest marks in the final year.

During his time at King's he was able to pursue his specialist interests in Opera and Broadway, writing his final year undergraduate dissertation on Verdi's Stiffelio. As part of his degree, he also studied piano with Colin Stone at the Royal Academy of Music for three years.

He recently completed a one-year Master's programme (MMus) at King's, focussing on Verdi's attempt to resolve classical forms with the demands of the drama in Don Carlos. He's now in the midst of a PhD on the Broadway musical My Fair Lady, looking at how source studies can affect accounts of the musical's genesis, as well as the historiography and analysis of the work.

He currently lives in Covent Garden, in the heart of London's theatreland.

Highlights of the year so far? The stunning new production of Figaro at Covent Garden and the London Mozart Players' Mozart 250 events. And Simon Rattle's recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto is not to be missed.