Cardiff University spokesperson

“It is with regret that the International Academy of Voice at Cardiff University will be closed at the end of the calendar year.”

“Since its creation in 2007 the academy has operated at a significant loss.”

“The academy is based at a university halls of residence site in Penylan.”

“Dame Kiri gave a masterclass in 2008.”

“The academy was set up to offer one-to-one tuition to students over eight months, with experience of performing at least one opera.”

“In order to meet this deficit in the past, the university has heavily subsidised the academy.”

“Unfortunately, in the current economic climate and particularly because of the funding challenges facing higher education, the university is unable to continue to provide the high level of financial …”

“The university said it had tried to find ways to secure the academy's future, but could not source sufficient external funds to meet the running costs.”