Vick was born on 30 December 1953 in Birkenhead, the youngest son of Arnold and Muriel (née Hynes) Vick. He studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. At age 24, he directed a production of Gustav Holst's Savitri for the Scottish Opera, and became the company's director of productions in 1984. From 1994 to 2000, Vick was director of productions at Glyndebourne Opera.