Royal College of Music Prospectus 2014/15

Royal College of MusiC, london

2014 | 2015pRospeCtus

an enviRonMent RiCh in

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extRaoRdinaRily talentedpeople

an oppoRtunity to

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“Choosing wheRe tostudy is one of the MostChallenging deCisions a MusiCian eveR Makes.You need teachers of international renown, individuals who are experienced in working with the most gifted musicians of your generation and accustomed to unlocking potential you may never have dreamed of. As a soloist or an ensemble player, you want the opportunity to perform to the highest standards. As a composer, you need to hear your music performed by accomplished musicians. You require an environment that is nurturing, challenging and rich in artistic stimulus, with practical resources that reflect and serve your own ambition.

You need to live in a city with a cultural life that is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. You deserve to study at an institution which takes your musical future seriously from the day you arrive, and works with you to ensure that you enjoy lifelong success and fulfilment from your music.

We hope that the pages that follow give you an idea of what it’s like to be a student at the Royal College of Music in London. Remember, you can email your questions to the addresses displayed in each section, and do check www.rcm.ac.uk regularly for the latest information...

...good luCk with youR deCision.”

Professor Colin Lawson DirectorMA (Oxon), MA, PhD, DMus, FRCM, FRNCM, FLCM

www.rcm.ac.uk 3 introduction

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academic programmes 66

68 Undergraduate Programmes - Undergraduate Programmes - Experience Programmes in London71 Postgraduate Programmes - Masters Programmes in Performance

and Composition - MSc in Performance Science - Post-Masters Programmes - Academic Staff

Research 78

78 Research at the RCM - Creating New Music - Enhancing Performance - Understanding Music’s Contexts - Engaging with Audiences

how to apply 84

86 Open Days and Tours87 Minimum Entry Requirements - Undergraduate Programmes - Postgraduate Programmes - English Language Requirements88 Applying to the RCM - CUKAS Applications - Non-CUKAS Applications - Application and Audition Fees89 Special Requirements90 Auditions - Audition Format - When and Where - Auditions by DVD for International Applicants91 What Happens Next? - Consultation Lesson92 Money Matters - Tuition Fees - Scholarships - Other Sources of Financial Assistance94 Application Checklist

Contents life at the RCM 6

8 Why Study at the RCM?10 Location12 Student Services - Money Matters - Students with Disabilities - Counselling Service - Accommodation - Healthcare - Chaplaincy - Alexander Technique14 Funding Your Studies15 Students’ Association16 Performance Spaces17 Facilities and Resources - Teaching and Practice Facilities - RCM Studios - ICT Facilities and Services - Library - RCM Museum - Centre for Performance History20 Performance Opportunities24 International Students25 Exchanges

life Beyond the RCM 26

28 Professional Development - The Woodhouse Professional

Development Centre - RCM Sparks30 Graduate Careers

faculties 32

34 Brass38 Composition42 Historical Performance46 Keyboard50 Percussion52 Strings56 Vocal Studies 60 RCM International Opera School62 Woodwind

www.rcm.ac.uk 5 Contents

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8 Why Study at the RCM?10 Location12 Student Services - Money Matters - Students with Disabilities - Counselling Service - Accommodation - Healthcare - Chaplaincy - Alexander Technique14 Funding Your Studies15 Students’ Association16 Performance Spaces17 Facilities and Resources - Teaching and Practice Facilities - RCM Studios - ICT Facilities and Services - Library - RCM Museum - Centre for Performance History20 Performance Opportunities24 International Students25 Exchanges

life at the RCM

life at the RCM www.rcm.ac.uk/ l i fe 7

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why study at the RCM?

1. ouR pRofessoRs aRe the Best in the woRld

The heart of your RCM experience is one-to-one lessons and group masterclasses with dedicated, passionate, experienced professors. Some of them are big names with big performing careers, while others have dedicated their lives to teaching. What do they all have in common? They all have the power to inspire, to unlock talent, and to transform lives.

2. a gRand heRitage and a BRight futuRe

By coming to the RCM, you become part of a continually unfolding story of success. For more than 125 years our students have gone on to international stardom, so at the RCM you can enjoy the buzz of treading in the footsteps of the world’s leading composers, conductors, singers and instrumentalists. But we don’t rest on our laurels. With our cutting-edge facilities, technology and research, we’re in the business of helping you create music’s future.

3. unpaRalleled peRfoRManCe oppoRtunities

You will be given performance opportunities unparalleled in any other conservatoire. RCM soloists perform in the best venues, and with world-leading conductors and directors. Press reviews recognise that the quality of our orchestra and opera performances is second to none. Our composers have regular chances to have their works brought to life by brilliant performers. We offer countless opportunities to take classical music into the wider community and for you to earn money performing at prestigious events across the UK and beyond.

| For further details see pages 20–23

4. an inspiRing loCation

Our location, in one of the globe’s leading cultural capitals, is the envy of the world. Our iconic Blomfield Building, opposite the Royal Albert Hall, has been an inspiration to generations of students. Our partnerships with neighbouring organisations provide a wealth of opportunities to perform and compose.


ten good Reasons...

Alfred Brendel

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hy study at the RCM?

5. unRivalled faCilities

You will be able to take advantage of our unrivalled facilities. Our performance spaces are our greatest asset, including the fully professional Britten Theatre, and the magnificent Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, both of which incorporate state of the art recording facilities. Our practice rooms, teaching rooms, library, museum, studios, performance simulator and in-house luthier all support your studies.


6. a pRofessional enviRonMent

Unlike other conservatoires, at the RCM we don’t just prepare you for the music profession; we enable you to be a professional from the moment you arrive. Our ensembles, orchestras and opera performances reflect professional standards and conditions. And we enjoy partnerships with London’s leading orchestras, opera houses and concert halls, so while at the RCM you will perform on a professional stage, alongside well-known figures in the music industry.

7. we value independenCe and individuality

After all, we’re independent ourselves – we’re the only UK conservatoire trusted with the power to award and create our own degrees, meaning we can tailor your studies precisely to suit you. Our independent faculties provide the perfect training for you as a performer or composer. And with just 650 of the world’s most talented young musicians studying here at any one time, we’re the perfect size to offer a breadth of experience and a vibrant musical community, yet still have the personal touch.

8. gReat MusiCians with gReat CaReeRs

We will help you become the complete working musician. Achieving success is about so much more than the notes. How can you market yourself and network effectively? How can you manage your finances? How can you build up a teaching practice? You might not be worrying about these things right now, but when you do, our world-leading Woodhouse Professional Development Centre will be on hand to help you not only become a great musician, but also have a great career.

| For further details see page 28

9. opening up the woRld

At the RCM, the world’s best meet the best of British. Half of our students come from outside the UK, while our teaching staff are drawn from every corner of the globe. The RCM’s friendly atmosphere provides a unique opportunity for you to build contacts and friendships with musicians from across the world.

| For further details see page 24

10. iMpRoving youR peRfoRManCe

The RCM helps you get behind the music. We have the largest research community of any UK conservatoire, and our ethos of “practice-based research” means that our researchers are devoted to helping you to improve your performance skills. The highly respected academic component of our degree programmes is also centred on performance – as you’re learning, you’ll be improving everything you do.


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the Royal College of Music’s location is the envy of the musical world. we are situated directly opposite the Royal albert hall in one of london’s most attractive and vibrant areas. surrounding us on three sides is imperial College london, making the RCM part of one of the largest and most active student bodies in the capital. whether you enjoy shopping or sight-seeing, pubs or parks, everything you could want is a short walk away – or an even shorter bus ride on one of the six bus routes that serve the RCM.

exhiBition Road

The RCM is situated in South Kensington – one of London’s safest, most attractive and most desirable places to live and work – and within the heart of the Exhibition Road Cultural Quarter, London’s premier hub of cultural activity.

Within just five minutes’ walk of the RCM you will find all of the following:

• The Royal Albert Hall (the nation’s favourite concert hall and home of the BBC Proms) as well three of the UK’s biggest museums: the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. We enjoy close relationships with all these institutions, which offer inspiration and regular performance opportunities for RCM musicians

• Hyde Park, one of the most attractive green spaces in London, encompassing Kensington Gardens, the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the Serpentine Gallery. Generations of RCM students have enjoyed the quiet of the park, escaping from the intensity of their studies

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• Imperial College London and the Royal College Art, placing the RCM at the heart of a vibrant student body of more than 20,000 students. RCM students regularly collaborate and perform with students from both institutions

• The Goethe-Institut, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Institut Français and the Ismaili Centre, all of which offer vibrant cultural programmes.

All of the academic and cultural organisations along Exhibition Road collaborate on fascinating projects, providing more opportunities for RCM students to perform and learn. In 2012 these projects included Exhibition Road Music Day – when brand new works by RCM composers were performed at the Science Museum – and the Exhibition Road Show, running alongside the 2012 London Olympic Games, during which an RCM brass quintet entertained thousands of visitors to the area.

For more details of future collaborations visit www.exhibitionroad.com

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1. English National Ballet2. Goethe-Institut London3. Hyde Park4. Imperial College London5. Institut Francais6. Ismaili Centre7. Kensington Gardens8. Natural History Museum9. Royal Albert Hall10. Royal College of Art11. Royal College of Music12. Memorial to the Great Exhibition in 185113. Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers14. Science Museum15. Serpentine Gallery16. Victoria & Albert Museum

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Money MatteRs

The Student Services Manager can give advice on funding your course and general financial concerns, and is happy to advise you if you are a prospective RCM student. The Student Services Manager also administers the Access to Learning Fund (for UK students in hardship) and the RCM Mid Term Study Support Grants for EU and international students who demonstrate unexpected financial hardship partway through the course.

For information on fees, funding and the cost of living see page 92–93 or visit www.rcm.ac.uk/moneymatters

student seRviCes“the Royal College of Music’s student services provide advice and support on a range of issues helping you to get the most out of your time at the RCM. we offer a drop in and appointment service, and provide free information sheets and booklets on a wide variety of matters from health issues to events.”

Lynnette Easterbrook Student Services Manager

students with disaBilities

We welcome and encourage the participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of life at the RCM, and we have particular experience in supporting students with dyslexia and visual impairment. Our Disability Good Practice handbook is available on the RCM website at www.rcm.ac.uk.

If you are thinking of applying to the RCM and would like to discuss any of your needs, you can contact the Student Services Manager, in confidence, on +44 (0)20 7591 4316 or email [email protected]

Counselling seRviCe

If you experience any problems in your personal or academic life during your time at the RCM, a counselling service is available to all students. The service is offered by an experienced counsellor who will listen to you in complete confidence. There is also a counselling service available at Imperial College Health Centre. Designated members of RCM professorial staff are available to advise you on academic issues.

aCCoMModation

The RCM has its own hall of residence, College Hall, a short bus or tube ride from the RCM. The site will be redeveloped during 2014/15 and a new, much larger and modern hall of residence will open in autumn 2015. The RCM will still provide accommodation to students in a hall of residence during the 2014/15 academic year. Please visit www.rcm.ac.uk/collegehall for the most up-to-date information.

During the year, the Student Services department produces a list of landlords offering private accommodation to RCM students. A list of hostels and housing associations is also available and the nearby Queen Alexandra’s House provides accommodation for 100 female students. www.queenalex.com

For further details, please contact Student Services on +44 (0)20 7591 4339 or email [email protected]

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healthCaRe

The RCM is linked with Imperial College Health Centre, just a few minutes’ walk away. Students who live at College Hall or in specified nearby postcode areas may register there as NHS (National Health Service) patients. Other students, who are advised to register with a GP (doctor) close to where they live, can use the Health Centre during the day for urgent medical problems. Imperial College London also has a dental practice nearby. Advice on finding and registering with an NHS doctor is available from the Student Services Office. Student Services also has information on agencies specialising in the care of performance-related injuries, and works with the Centre for Performance Science to encourage and promote the healthy musician.

ChaplainCy

The Chaplaincy Centre at Imperial College London welcomes all RCM students. It is located just two minutes away from the RCM and is a place of resource, help, advice and information relating to issues of faith and spirituality. More information can be found on their website www.chaplaincy.ic.ac.uk. The Reverend Andrew Willson visits the RCM regularly, and has strong links with other faith communities.

You can find information about churches and places of worship for other faiths at www3.imperial.ac.uk/chaplaincy

alexandeR teChnique

There is a strong tradition of Alexander Technique at the RCM. Weekly group sessions, led by resident experts Peter Buckoke, Judith Kleinman and Bethan Pugh, are popular with many students. It is also possible to arrange lessons with visiting specialists who can offer guidance on particular aspects of performing such as singing, wind and string playing.

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funding youR studies

When thinking about tuition fees, accommodation and other expenses the numbers can seem big and scary, but the RCM can offer you a wealth of support to enable you to finance your studies.

Approximately 42% of our students benefit from an RCM scholarship every year to help towards tuition fees or living costs, and a small number of grants are available to help with unexpected study costs throughout the year. In addition our International & Awards Officer and Student Services Manager are here to offer advice on financial matters and assistance with finding alternative sources of funding from outside the RCM. For more information about scholarships and other funding see page 93.

Once at the RCM all students also have access to the Woodhouse Professional Development Centre, whose dedicated team offers a wide range of free services, from help

with filling in application forms or writing the perfect CV to finding paid employment through Professional Engagements or the Teaching Service. For more information about the Woodhouse Professional Development Centre see page 28.

As for London itself, there is lots to be enjoyed on a budget. Much of the city’s vibrant cultural scene is free or inexpensive, including the many beautiful open spaces, art galleries and world-famous museums, such as the nearby Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Many lunchtime concerts and theatre matinees are free or sold at a reduced price. Students can also take advantage of special discounts offered by many of the capital’s shops and restaurants, including the local independent music retailer, Kensington Chimes.

For further information about tuition fees and other living costs see page 92 or visit www.rcm.ac.uk/moneymatters

studying at a world-class conservatoire in the centre of london can be expensive, but we believe the RCM experience – from the high standard of teaching and one-to-one tuition to the outstanding reputation our students hold in the professional world – offers excellent value for money.

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students’ assoCiation

Studying at the RCM and living in such a cultural city as London

offers an incredible experience for any aspiring musician.

The Students’ Association (SA) wants to ensure that you remember these years of lessons, rehearsals and professional training as some of the best of your life. We aim to support your activities and wellbeing by providing a friendly environment where you can experiment and develop your creativity. We organise a range of social activities, including an action-packed Fresher’s Week, as well as many cultural events each term. We hope you will become an active member of the SA and contribute to our activities with ideas for events you would like to see happen at the RCM.

The SA’s home, BaRCM, is the social hub of the RCM and with an ever-growing social calendar, you’ll find lots of opportunities to get to know other students and be involved in some fantastic projects. We also have links with other conservatoires and Imperial College (with the opportunity to join more than 300 clubs and societies) so you can always find something to do and to enjoy.

The RCM is incredibly lucky to have an SA, and communication between students and staff is very positive. We also have representatives on many committees, so your views and opinions are acted upon promptly

and effectively. Recent student-led changes have included working on the development of a new practice room booking system and the first performance of the Students’ Film Music Orchestra.

Whether you’re an undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral student, we want you to feel at home at the RCM. We hope to welcome you in September!

students’ association

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Pablo Ortiz de Urbina Students’ Association President 2012–13

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peRfoRManCe spaCesthe RCM has a range of performance spaces suitable for hosting a wide variety of events.

BRitten theatRe

The Britten Theatre is one of London’s best-loved opera venues. Its responsive acoustics and intimate auditorium are appreciated by performers and audiences alike. With excellent technical facilities the theatre is in regular use as the focus of the RCM’s thriving International Opera School, but also hosts a variety of instrumental performances, including a chamber music series and visits from the RCM Big Band. It benefits from an orchestra pit for 80 musicians, a Steinway grand piano, four dressing rooms, a seating capacity of 400, and a recently refurbished bar and foyer.

aMaRyllis fleMing ConCeRt hall

With two Steinway grand pianos, a state of the art recording system and capacity of 400, the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall is the primary rehearsal and concert venue for RCM orchestras and large ensembles. It is one of the busiest venues in London, and has played host to many of the greats, including Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius; Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten; Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

RCM MuseuM

Within the evocative surroundings of treasures from the RCM Special Collections, the RCM Museum offers an intimate setting for chamber and solo performances, talks and lectures.

ReCital hall

The more intimate space of our Recital Hall provides an alternative to the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall for smaller or less formal occasions. It features two Steinway grand pianos, a harpsichord, projector and dropdown screen.

paRRy RooMs

This attractive suite of rooms under the eaves of the building is named after the former Director of the Royal College of Music, Sir Hubert Parry. It boasts an excellent acoustic and views of the Royal Albert Hall. The three rooms are frequently used for chamber music and solo recitals, lectures and masterclasses. Facilities include a grand piano, a harpsichord and an organ.

Britten Theatre Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall


faCilities and ResouRCesthe RCM’s resources are internationally renowned and will enhance and support your learning throughout your time at the RCM.

• seven opera rehearsal spaces available for Opera Department coaching and student practice

• 156 pianos, including 63 grand pianos, and 23 early keyboards. The RCM’s collection of Model B Steinways is the largest of any British institution

• Smartboards and a state-of-the-art Polycom videoconferencing system to enable interactive teaching, distance learning and performance

• instrument storage with special facilities for harps and double basses

• in-house instrument workshops including an on-site luthier and a resident piano technician

teaChing and pRaCtiCe faCilities

The RCM has a large number of teaching and practice facilities designed to offer all students an atmosphere conducive to developing their talents. Every year we develop and improve our facilities, but at the time of writing these include:

• 58 teaching/practice rooms (including four organ rooms) fitted with a combination of audio equipment, pianos, TV screens and mirrors, which are used for academic classes, one-to-one tuition and student practice

• 26 practice rooms dedicated solely for the purpose of student practice. These rooms are free for students’ use and can be booked seven days a week

RCM studios

Our renowned studios are equipped with the latest audio, video and composition technologies, enabling performers and composers to work in a fully professional studio environment. With assistance, supervision and tuition from those in the profession, including our full-time staff engineers, you will have the opportunity to gain valuable recording experience, whether on the concert platform or in a studio session.

Many RCM concerts are streamed live via our website, or filmed and recorded for subsequent viewing by students and professors. The studios also play an important role in supporting electroacoustic projects and high-quality video link ups with other musical institutions around the world. The Composition Suite and Production Suite provide facilities for film, TV and electroacoustic composition.

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iCt faCilities and seRviCes

The RCM’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Service supports teaching, learning and research activities at the RCM.

We provide you with a broad range of essential technology services to aid and enhance the learning experience. Standard services available to students include: WiFi throughout Prince Consort Road, up-to-date student computers, an rcm.ac.uk email address and access to standard and specialist software including Microsoft Office, Sibelius and Audacity.

To help you plan your practice schedule we offer a self-service computerised practice room booking system. Through your RCM student login, you also have access to online technology training, virtual learning resources and online assignment submission. If you need any help, the RCM runs an ICT helpdesk where our friendly staff will be happy to assist.

liBRaRy

The library aims to support teaching and performance at the RCM. We have a team of friendly and knowledgeable staff who run seminars on library use and mount regular exhibitions.

The library contains a wealth of material including:

• Printed music: more than 400,000 items from solo instrumental works and chamber sets to orchestral and choral material, from contemporary scores to editions of earlier repertoire

• Recordings: more than 9,000 CDs, large collections of DVDs and historic recordings on earlier formats. The library also has online subscriptions to Naxos Music Library and DRAM

• Music literature: extensive collections of music books covering all aspects of music and performance. We have a large reference collection including the major encyclopaedias, bibliographies and catalogues. The library also offers e-books and access to online resources like Oxford Music Online and RILM

• Music journals: more than 400 music periodical titles, some going back to the RCM’s foundations. We also hold online subscriptions to journals via JSTOR

• RCM Special Collections: the library holds an internationally renowned collection of manuscripts, early printed editions and a number of composer and performer archives.

For more information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/library

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RCM MuseuM

The RCM Museum houses highlights from the RCM Special Collections of more than 1,000 instruments dating from the late 15th century to the present day. Among its treasures are the anonymous clavicytherium, believed to be the earliest surviving stringed keyboard instrument, remarkable and unfamiliar instruments such as the contrabassophon, division viol and serpent, plus trombones owned and played by Elgar and Holst.

The collection is a unique resource and can support your studies in a variety of ways. Many of the instruments on display can be studied and played by students as a way of gaining a deeper understanding of a particular composer or piece. The RCM Museum also holds a wide range of events, including lecture tours, recitals, concerts and masterclasses.

For more information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/museum.

CentRe foR peRfoRManCe histoRy

The Centre for Performance History houses a diverse collection relating to the history of performance and provides an invaluable resource for researchers and performers.

Among the collection is an internationally famous set of images – 340 original paintings and sculptures and 25,000 prints and photographs – forming the most comprehensive archive of likenesses of musicians in the UK. The collection also comprises 600,000 concert programmes from 1720 to the present day and houses extensive holdings of opera, instrument, title-page and concert hall design, and a specialist reference library.

For more information visit www.cph.rcm.ac.uk.

A portrait of Haydn Mozart manuscript

Serpent by Pretty

Beethoven’s handwriting Virginal by Celestini

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RCM Chamber Music and Solo PerformancesRCM singers and instrumentalists performed in our regular concert series at London’s most prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the National Gallery, Steinway Hall, Cadogan Hall, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts and St James’s Piccadilly.

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29 SeptemberRCM PhilharmonicPhilip Ellis conducted the RCM Philharmonic in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Serge Koussevitzky’s Concerto for double bass with RCM soloist Ha-Young Jung.

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6 to 15 OctoberEnglish Touring OperaCurrent students and recent alumni from the RCM International Opera School joined forces with the English Touring Opera to perform principal roles and covers in a UK tour of Purcell and Handel operas, plus Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri.

13 OctoberRCM Chorus and Symphony OrchestraFormer Music Director of the ENO Paul Daniel conducted a programme of Wagner, Stravinsky and Bernstein.

27 and 28 OctoberThree SymphoniesThe RCM Philharmonic gave performances in London and Oxford of symphonies by Haydn, Mozart and Prokofiev plus a new work by student composer Arne Gieshoff.

peRfoRManCe oppoRtunitiesRCM students receive unparalleled opportunities for solo and communal music-making in the most prestigious venues with the most highly regarded guest artists.

Our orchestral concerts offer chances for solo performers, and are regularly conducted by the likes of Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Sir Roger Norrington. Our operas are directed by internationally renowned directors and designers, and are reviewed in the national and international press. Our many solo concerts and chamber series see singers, pianists and all our other instrumentalists perform every week in London’s most prestigious venues. Our jazz ensembles perform with distinguished guest artists in a variety of settings. Many of these feature works by RCM composers.

The following includes just some of the performing opportunities that RCM students had in 2011/12, and shows what you could be part of.

25 October to 15 NovemberInfernal Dance: Inside the World of Béla Bartók RCM students participated in the Philharmonia Orchestra’s celebration of the music of Béla Bartók. Highlights included two concerts at the Southbank Centre: the RCM Symphony Orchestra presented Bartók orchestral rarities, and RCM student pianists gave the first ever complete UK performance of the Mikrokosmos for solo piano.

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2 to 8 NovemberBrahms and his ContemporariesRCM students, professors and special guests presented a week of Brahms’ chamber music, songs and piano music.

4 NovemberThe Great American Song BookThe RCM Big Band and singers offered up a programme of favourite songs by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern.

9 to 10 NovemberGreat ExhibitionistsThis series of experimental and innovative concerts was devised and presented exclusively by RCM composers and performers.

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Paul Daniel

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14 to 15 NovemberInternational Festival of ViolsDutch violist Wieland Kuijken and period ensemble Fretwork were the special guests for the RCM’s annual two-day festival of concerts, masterclasses and lectures.

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28 November to 3 DecemberBizet: Double BillThe RCM International Opera School presented four sell-out performances of Bizet’s witty operetta Le docteur Miracle and his penultimate opera Djamileh.

“this brace of Bizet operas is one of the most rewarding and sumptuous-looking student shows i have seen in years. a professional company should remake it with some of these singers in the very near future” – Hugh Canning, Sunday Times

26 JanuaryFrom Fireworks to The FirebirdThe RCM Philharmonic performed two Stravinsky masterpieces and Liadov’s tone poem The Enchanted Lake.

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1 FebruaryComposition for Screen ShowcaseWorks by students on the RCM’s acclaimed Composition for Screen course were performed live to film in the atmospheric setting of the RCM’s Britten Theatre.

2 FebruaryVariable GeometryCelebrating the centenary of the birth of John Cage, seven RCM harpsichordists performed his seminal work HPSCHD.

3 FebruaryBest of British BrassNigel Black led RCM brass students in an all-British programme including an arrangement of Walton’s Spitfire Prelude and Fugue.

Great Exhibitionists Bizet: Le docteur Miracle

Vladimir JurowskiInternational Festival of Viols

Variable Geometry

8 and 9 DecemberThe Genesis of Mahler 1The RCM Philharmonic plus student soloist Martha Jones gave two performances of an all-Mahler programme that included his Songs of Wayfarer and Symphony no 1.

JanuaRy

16 JanuaryNew PerspectivesNew music specialist Timothy Lines directed the RCM’s new music ensemble in Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians.

21 JanuarySergei Prokofiev, Man of the People?Vladimir Jurowski conducted the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir in a programme of Prokofiev rarities, including his Symphony no 2.

“you can’t fault this performance. Jurowski got playing from the RCM orchestra that the london philharmonic may not have bettered” – Nick Breckenfield, Classical Source

performance opportunities

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Fête FrançaiseThis term-long celebration of French music encompassed chamber, vocal and orchestral concerts as well as composer residencies, talks and workshops. Highlights included the world premiere of Debussy’s long-lost cantata Diane au bois with RCM singers Louise Alder and John McMunn, and a week-long residency from leading French composer Pascal Dusapin.

MaRCh

2 to 6 MarchVive le Piano!The RCM Keyboard Faculty celebrated the very best of French music for piano, harpsichord and organ with five days of events, broadcast worldwide via the RCM website.

8 MarchRCM PhilharmonicThe RCM Philharmonic performed Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no 5, and a new work by RCM composer Philip Ashworth.

22 MarchPiano Masterclass with Lang LangRegular visitor Lang Lang worked on piano concerto repertoire with three student pianists.

26 March to 29 MarchLondon Handel FestivalLaurence Cummings conducted singers from the RCM International Opera School and a professional orchestra in four performances of Handel’s Riccardo Primo.

“a musical treat… musical standards were expert and rigorous” – Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

May

4 May RCM Symphony OrchestraENO Music Director Edward Gardner conducted Elgar’s Symphony no 1 and Berg’s Violin Concerto, performed by RCM student violinist Agata Darashkaite.

11 to 12 MayGreat ExpectationsWorking with director Bill Bankes-Jones, six RCM composers created brand new operatic miniatures, performed by RCM singers and instrumentalists.

12 MayA Concert for the Earl of SandwichRCM Historical Performance students performed on BBC Radio 3 and headed to the south coast of England for a unique feast of 17th- and 18th-century music.

15 May to 12 JuneRising Stars at Cadogan HallRCM soloists and chamber groups were once again invited to perform at one of London’s most prestigious venues, in this series of recitals featuring newly commissioned works by RCM composers.

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Lang Lang

Edward Gardner

Riccardo Primo

life at the RCM

performance opportunities


20 MaySuper String SundayIn this musical marathon, some of the RCM’s most brilliant string players performed 26 pieces representing the 26 miles of the ultimate athletic challenge.

June

4 JuneThames PageantThe RCM Chamber Choir performed alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra in front of the Royal Family and a huge international TV audience.

22 June to 28 July24 Violins du RoiRCM students joined forces with French musicians for a series of high-profile concerts and broadcasts across France and the UK, culminating in a performance at the BBC Proms conducted by Sir Roger Norrington.

“the performances were exquisite. Bliss from start to finish” – Tim Ashley, The Guardian

25 to 26 JuneBernard HaitinkRegular RCM visitor Bernard Haitink returned to conduct the RCM Symphony Orchestra in two performances of Bruckner’s Symphony no 8.

“one cannot speak too highly of the quality of the orchestra that the RCM students have created this year. their responsiveness to the clarity of haitink’s direction and the rigour of his interpretation, were very impressive indeed and made for an evening’s music-making of outstanding quality” – Ken Ward, Bachtrack

29 June to 1 JulyLe nozze di FigaroJean-Claude Auvray directed the RCM International Opera School in four sell-out performances of Mozart’s sparkling comedy.

July

3 JulyString Showcase: Variations, the art of changeRCM students took over the Wigmore Hall, London’s leading chamber music venue, for performances of Paganini, Arensky and Brahms.

8 JulyStewart Copeland and the RCM Festival of PercussionStewart Copeland, drummer with The Police, coached RCM student percussionists ahead of the UK premiere of his concerto for percussion and orchestra, and performed with the RCM Big Band in the grand finale of the annual RCM Festival of Percussion.

July / august

London Olympics and ParalympicsRCM performers took part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympics games, and entertained visitors to the Olympic Park.

Cadogan Hall

Le nozze di Figaro

Sir Roger Norrington

Bernard Haitink

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No matter where you come from, moving to a new country can feel

daunting, but as International & Awards Officer at the RCM, it’s part of my job to help make you feel at home here. Fortunately the staff and other students make that job an easy one. Half of our students come to us from outside of the UK, representing 63 different countries across the globe, making the RCM a truly international community. The academic and administrative staff come from as far away as Australia and as close as South Kensington.

inteRnational students

Nicola Peacock International & Awards Officer

“ Two full-time staff members, myself and the Student Services Manager, provide advice and support for international students across a range of practical subjects including; visas and immigration; opening bank accounts; accommodation; financial advice or just finding out how you can make the most out of your time at the RCM. If you would like to speak to fellow international students about what the RCM has to offer, the Students’ Association is a lively and active student body in the international music arena.

The RCM’s international student community is one of its greatest assets and, along with world-class teaching, is what helps to make the RCM a friendly, exciting and wildly diverse hub of music-making talent.

For further information about tuition fees, auditions and English Language requirements for overseas applicants see How to Apply, pages 84–94, or visit www.rcm.ac.uk/international.

”

exchangeswww.rcm.ac.uk/ l i fe 25

The RCM has a large number of student exchange opportunities with leading European, American, Japanese and Australian music conservatoires and universities. These provide an opportunity to study at another international music institution as part of your RCM studies.

The RCM is a member of the ERASMUS Programme, a European Union initiative that promotes exchange of knowledge and learning throughout Europe. As a member, the RCM receives funding in order to offer financial support to those students who choose to go on a European exchange while they are registered at the RCM. Erasmus exchanges are for a period of three months. They are available to full time undergraduate students in Years 3 and 4, and to postgraduate students in Year 2.

European ExchangesAmsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, The Hague, Helsinki, Karlsruhe, Lyon, Malmö, Oslo, Paris, Potsdam, Prague, Salzburg, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Trossingen, Utrecht and Vienna

American ExchangesEastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory

Australian ExchangesQueensland Conservatorium, Sydney Conservatorium

Japanese ExchangesKyoto City University of Arts

exChanges

American, Australian and Japanese exchanges can last from six months (for postgraduates) up to a full academic year (third year undergraduates). These exchanges do not include EU financial support.

Student exchanges are an excellent opportunity for you to get to know another city and its culture, to learn or develop a new language, and to benefit from the new perspectives offered by a different teacher. They also provide an opportunity to develop new networks and contacts that can help advance your future career as a musician. Many past RCM students who have been on exchange have found the experience inspiring and have gone on to work abroad as a result.

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l ife Beyond the RCM 26

life Beyond the RCM

You want to be a professional musician, but what do today’s professional musicians actually do? How has the life of the musician changed in the last ten or twenty years? How might it change again before you graduate?

At the Royal College of Music, we want to ensure you are fully prepared for the ever-evolving profession which you have chosen. Challenges await you, but if you start your preparation early there’s never been a better time to be a musician.

First-rate musical skills are of primary importance but to achieve your goals you need to be truly dynamic, making opportunities for yourself, becoming proactive rather than reactive. You need determination, passion and great imagination to make a lasting impression with future employers and potential audiences.

28 Professional Development - The Woodhouse Professional Development Centre - RCM Sparks30 Graduate Careers

life Beyond the RCM www.rcm.ac.uk/ l i fe 27

life Beyond the RCM

l ife Beyond the RCM28

woodhouse pRofessional developMent CentRe

The RCM is a world-leader in career development for musicians and is home to the renowned Woodhouse Professional Development Centre. We emphasise the need for musicians to be confident and versatile communicators, not just on stage but in everything they do.

Our dedicated team is here to help you unlock your potential and become a distinctive candidate for the many opportunities that lie ahead. We will advise you on the basics, guide you through a range of opportunities which mirror the professional world, and encourage you to use your initiative.

We offer:• Extensive opportunities to perform

in and around London

• Advice on preparing effective CVs, covering letters, biographies and other essential publicity materials

• Step-by-step suggestions on planning your own concerts

• Numerous resources and directories, enabling you to find out everything you need to know about the music profession

• Factsheets designed to answer your most frequently asked questions

• Guidance on self-management and self-employment including finance

• Seminars, workshops and special events giving you a better view of the professional landscape

Professional Engagements and Concert Opportunities Gaining experience and making contacts while you are still a student is crucial to your development as a professional musician. The Woodhouse Professional Development Centre sources and manages a range of external opportunities that offer practical experience in working as a musician. Engagements include formal and informal concerts in churches, galleries and community centres together with live music for a variety of corporate events and private functions. Inventive programming, immaculate presentation and a highly professional attitude are all essential requirements for musicians undertaking this work, and the team guide and support you through this process offering feedback following each event.

Job OpportunitiesOur Woodhouse Centre Assistant is committed to ensuring that relevant jobs and opportunities in the music business are featured on our extensive noticeboards and in our popular weekly jobs e-bulletin, bringing opportunities direct to your inbox whether you are a current student or an RCM graduate.

Professional SkillsThe Woodhouse Professional Development Centre’s team leads units and seminars on the BMus Programme raising many of the key issues concerning professional musicians. Topics include promoting yourself, applying for work, organising effective concerts and planning education projects.

Teaching ServiceAn essential part of many musicians’ careers, teaching is widely valued among its exponents as a creative and worthwhile way to share your musical passion and expertise with a new generation. The Woodhouse Professional Development Centre runs a popular teaching service which matches members of the public who want to learn with RCM students who are able to teach. Every week we receive requests for private music teachers of all types. If you have the skills, commitment and experience you can be considered for teaching opportunities as they arise.

pRofessional developMentat the RCM, you learn about the demands and realities of a fast-changing profession, and are helped and encouraged to respond actively and creatively. in addition to carefully structured programmes of study and performance, there are many opportunities to deepen your knowledge, widen your experience, extend you skills and build networks of contacts – all of which ultimately enhance your employability.

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RCM spaRks

RCM Sparks is the Royal College of Music’s ground-breaking learning and participation programme. It provides opportunities for everyone to make or learn about music at the RCM, regardless of musical ability. From weekend workshops for children to holiday courses for teenagers, vocal days for families to opera matinees for schools, RCM Sparks offers a musically enriching experience for all.

Complementing the RCM mission to provide professional training at the highest international level, RCM Sparks runs specially tailored and comprehensive training programmes for students, preparing them for the diverse roles they will undertake as professionals. The aims are to enrich each student’s individual musicianship and professional skills, to cultivate an awareness of social responsibility and to improve long-term employability.

As part of the Tri-Borough Music Education Hub, RCM Sparks is an official partner of the Royal Albert Hall and the Aurora Orchestra. Together, the three organisations provide music services to children in three London boroughs – Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster – and aim to ensure that every child aged 5–18 years has the opportunity to sing and learn a musical instrument, to develop their skills and to play with other children as part of an ensemble or choir. These key projects offer a number of opportunities for RCM students to develop their professional skills.

Recent RCM Sparks activities have included:

• Summer Music: a month of activities for more than 300 young people, running alongside the BBC Proms

• Workshops as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust week at the Royal Albert Hall

• Turtle Song: a ten-week creative music project for adults with memory problems and their carers, during which the group composes a unique song cycle

• A series of practical community workshops run in partnership with the Royal Albert Hall for children, young people and families taking place in the holidays and at weekends

• Education projects with: - BBS Symphony Orchestra

and Drake Music - English Touring Opera - Southbank Sinfonia

For more information visit www.rcm.ac.uk/sparks

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l ife Beyond the RCM30

playing with:

Academy of Ancient MusicBaltimore Chamber OrchestraBBC Concert OrchestraBBC National Orchestra of WalesBBC Philharmonic OrchestraBBC Scottish Symphony OrchestraBBC Symphony OrchestraBelcea String QuartetBirmingham Royal BalletBournemouth Symphony OrchestraBrodsky String QuartetCape Town Philharmonic OrchestraChamber Orchestra of EuropeChilingirian String QuartetCity of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraEnglish Baroque SoloistsEnglish Chamber OrchestraEnglish National Opera OrchestraEnglish Northern PhilharmonicGlyndebourne Touring Opera OrchestraHallé OrchestraHong Kong Philharmonic

Iceland Symphony OrchestraLondon Mozart PlayersLondon Philharmonic OrchestraLondon SinfoniettaLondon Symphony OrchestraMelbourne Symphony OrchestraMusicworksNational Symphony Orchestra of IrelandNorthern SinfoniaOpera Sinfonica de SevillaOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentL’orchestre de la Suisse RomandePhilharmonia OrchestraQueensland Symphony OrchestraRambert Dance CompanyRoyal Concertgebouw OrchestraRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Oman Symphony OrchestraRoyal Opera House OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Scottish National OrchestraSacconi String QuartetScottish Chamber OrchestraSouthbank SinfoniaSydney Symphony OrchestraSymphony Orchestra of IndiaTrondheim Symphony OrchestraUlster OrchestraWelsh National Opera Orchestra

gRaduate CaReeRsRCM graduates are leading successful musical careers throughout the world. the most popular professions for RCM graduates are performer, composer, teacher, conductor, administrator or musical director (numerous shows in london’s west end are directed by RCM graduates) – or a combination of all of these. these pages give just a few examples of places where RCM graduates are plying their trade right now.

graduate Careers www.rcm.ac.uk/ l i fe 31

singing with:

Bayreuth FestivalBuxton Festival OperaChelsea Opera GroupCity of Birmingham Touring OperaEnglish National OperaEnglish Touring OperaGarsington OperaGlyndebourne Festival OperaGlyndebourne Touring OperaGrange ParkLiceu, BarcelonaLyric Opera, ChicagoThe Metropolitan Opera, New YorkOpera Holland ParkOpéra national de LyonOpera NorthThe Royal Opera, Covent GardenLa Scala, MilanScottish OperaWelsh National Opera

teaChing at:

Bath Spa UniversityBirmingham ConservatoireBoston ConservatoryChichester CollegeColchester InstituteGuildhall School of Music & DramaHochschule der Künste, BerlinHong Kong Academy of Performing ArtsImperial College LondonThe Juilliard School, New YorkKing’s College, University of LondonMalaysian Institute of ArtsManhattan School of MusicOpen UniversityQueen Mary College, University of LondonQueensland ConservatoriumReykjavik College of MusicRoyal Academy of MusicRoyal College of MusicRoyal Northern College of MusicRoyal Scottish Academy of Music & DramaRoyal Welsh College of Music & DramaSydney ConservatoriumTrinity LabanUniversity College, CardiffUniversity of MelbourneUniversity of YorkVictoria College of the Arts, AustraliaYamaha Academy of Arts and Music

woRking with:

Askonas Holt LtdBayerische StaatsoperBBCChannel 4Classic FMDelicious DigitalEden FoundationHarrison/Parrott LtdHazard ChaseITVLos Angeles Philharmonic OrchestraNational Children’s OrchestraNational Youth Orchestra of Great BritainPriory RecordsRemote Control ProductionsRoyal Albert HallRoyal National TheatreThe Sage GatesheadSouthbank CentreStaatstheater KasselWarner Music LtdWigmore HallYamaha Music Ltd

Your time at the RCM is very special. Possibly the most important person you will be in contact with during your study is your chosen professor. He or she will act as guide and mentor during your studies, on hand to help you nurture your talents and support you through this time of rapid development.

any questions?If you have any questions about your study area contact us using the email in the gold band dividing each page.

faCulties

34 Brass38 Composition42 Historical Performance46 Keyboard50 Percussion52 Strings56 Vocal Studies 60 RCM International Opera School 62 Woodwind

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www.rcm.ac.uk/facult ies 33 faculties

“As a member of the Brass Faculty, you’ll enjoy an environment that enables you to recognise your full ability as a performing musician. You’ll receive a challenging but carefully structured programme of study and performance with particular emphasis on identifying and unlocking of individual potential.”

Nigel Black Head of Brass

BRass

key featuRes

• Regular performance and ensemble classes

• Faculty masterclasses with distinguished visiting international musicians

• High-profile chamber music opportunities, with coaching from a professor of your own choice

• Brass Faculty staff hold principal positions in the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London Brass, English Baroque Soloists, English Concert, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique

Head of Brass

Nigel Black FRCM

Prince Consort Professor of Trumpet

Håkan Hardenberger

Prince Consort Professor of Trombone

Christian Lindberg Principal Conductor, Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra

Ensemble in Residence

London Brass

Brass Band in Residence

Zone One Brass

Bras

s faCulties34

ask the faCulty – [email protected]

hoRn

Nigel Black FRCM Principal Horn, Philharmonia Orchestra

Susan Dent ARCM, DipRCM Principal Horn, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Principal Horn, English Baroque Soloists

Philip Eastop ARAM Former Principal Horn, London Sinfonietta

Timothy Jones Principal Horn, London Symphony Orchestra

Simon Rayner ARCM Principal Horn, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

John Ryan BMus(Hons), GSMD Pricipal Horn, London Philharmonic Orchestra

natuRal hoRn

Susan Dent ARCM, DipRCM Principal Horn, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Principal Horn, English Baroque Soloists

Roger Montgomery BA(Hons), GSMD Principal Horn, Orchestra of the Age of

Enlightenment

tRuMpet

Mark Calder DRSAMD Second Trumpet, Philharmonia Orchestra

Andrew Crowley ARCM Principal Trumpet, English Chamber Orchestra

Michael Laird FRCM Visiting Professor

Alistair Mackie Principal Trumpet, Philharmonia Orchestra

Alan Thomas Principal Trumpet, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Jazz tRuMpet

(Second or Related Study only)

Martin Shaw GRSM, LRAM

lead tRuMpet


Mike Lovatt GTCL, LTCL Lead Trumpet, John Wilson Orchestra, Back to Basie Big Band and The Jay Craig Orchestra

natuRal tRuMpet

Neil Brough ARCM Principal Trumpet, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Principal Trumpet, English Baroque Soloists

tenoR tRoMBone

Byron Fulcher GGSM Principal Trombone, Philharmonia Orchestra

Roger Harvey MA (Oxon) Co-Principal Trombone, BBC Symphony Orchestra

Graham Lee AGSM Principal Trombone, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Lindsay Shilling ARCM Principal Trombone, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Brasswww.rcm.ac.uk/brass 35

Bass tRoMBone

Peter Harvey ARCM

David Stewart GGSM

Jazz tRoMBone


Richard Edwards Member, London Brass

lead tRoMBone (Second or Related Study only)

Richard Edwards Member, London Brass

tuBa and CiMBasso

Owen Slade Member, London Brass and former member, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Eleftherios Tsarmaklis Principal Tuba, London Philharmonic Orchestra

euphoniuM

Andrew Fawbert HonBC, ABSM Former member, BBC Radio Orchestra and Big Band

gRaduate destinations

Graduates of the Brass Faculty currently hold the following positions:

• Principal Horn, Philharmonia Orchestra

• Principal Horn, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

• Principal Horn, English National Opera

• Principal Horn, Northern Sinfonia• Principal Trumpet, Orchestra of the

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden• Principal Trumpet, City of

Birmingham Symphony Orchestra• Co-Principal Trumpet, BBC Symphony

Orchestra• Principal Trombone, Orchestra of the

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden• Principal Trombone, BBC Concert

Orchestra• Principal Trombone, Opera North• Tuba, Ulster Orchestra

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Marvin Stamm

highlights inClude…

• Performances at the London Jazz Festival, with the RCM Big Band collaborating with legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine

• RCM Brass players joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the BBC Proms rehearsals, as part of the sit-in scheme for postgraduate students on the specialist orchestral pathway. Each participating student on the pathway is assigned a mentor from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and sits alongside them in rehearsals throughout the year

• Masterclasses with high-profile visitors including star trumpeter Alison Balsom, horn players Alessio Allegrini and Radovan Vlatkovic, tuba player Sergio Carolino and trombonist Jörgen van Rijen (Principal Trombone with the Concertgebouw Orchestra)

• Peter Warlock recording made using the RCM Studios

Brasswww.rcm.ac.uk/brass 37

katy’s stoRy...

Katy Woolley graduated from the Royal College of Music with a first class degree and as the Tagore Gold Medallist. In her final year at the RCM, she was appointed 3rd horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra and a year later became Joint Principal. She has always been an enthusiastic orchestral player, having previously played Principal in the European Union Youth Orchestra.

“arriving as an undergraduate i was fortunate to already be well-acquainted with the RCM and the surrounding area, but it was still a challenge working out london bus routes! what was more daunting was being surrounded by a host of incredible players, all of whom seemed to able to do everything better than i could! despite my initial fear (which didn’t last too long!), i feel incredibly lucky to have worked and learnt from such inspirational contemporaries and teachers.

a worry on applying to music college was the potential lack of academic focus in comparison to a university degree, but as my main priority was having the time to practise, i decided that a conservatoire education was more appropriate. i soon discovered, however, that my concerns were unfounded and that the balance was perfect. enthusiastic academic staff ensured that there were ample academic opportunities, while never being so overwhelming as to encroach on the necessary practice hours.

i found the RCM to be an extremely supportive environment. in lessons, my teachers were very encouraging but also firm about what i needed to achieve. out of lessons, there were a wide range of opportunities on offer – i spent a term studying in Berlin as part of the erasmus exchange programme and there are also opportunities to participate in lso and BBC symphony orchestra side-by-side schemes, eno sit-ins and philharmonia collaborations. the orchestral opportunities were fantastic too and i was lucky enough to play under vladimir ashkenazy, esa-pekka salonen and Bernard haitink with the RCM symphony orchestra. i also really enjoy chamber music, and in my second year set up a brass quintet, which continues to be one of the highlights of my musical calendar!”

Katy WoolleyRadovan Vlatkovic

student Case study

CoMposition

Com

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key featuRes

• Composition at the RCM is about a partnership – between talented composers who want to write and gifted instrumentalists who want to perform

• Performances of your own works – in concert or on film, in class, workshop, studio and live performance by fellow students and by professional ensembles – are central to the training

• Individual lessons and visits from established composers of concert and film music provide an unrivalled opportunity for you to nurture and to develop your creative and technical skills as well as your own compositional voice

Head of CompositionWilliam Mival MMus, FRCM

CoMposition

RCM Research Fellow in CompositionMark-Anthony Turnage FRCM Composer in Residence, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Mead Composer in Residence, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Prince Consort Professor of CompositionColin Matthews OBE, BA, MPhil, DPhil, FRCM Associate Composer with the Hallé Orchestra

Area Leader in Postgraduate CompositionJonathan Cole PhD Composer-in-Association with the London Contemporary Orchestra

faCulties 38

“Being a composer today is about having the confidence and the strength to be yourself – realising your own personal ideas and creating your own individual music. At the RCM you will find that confidence and strength is built and sustained within a wholly exceptional performance environment in which your compositions will be played by resident and visiting professional musicians, RCM

orchestras and ensembles and fellow students of the highest technical ability.”

William Mival Head of Composition

Professors of CompositionDai Fujikura PhD

Kenneth Hesketh MMus, DipRCM, ARCM ‘Composer in the House’, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, 2007—2009

Simon Holt PPRNCM

Joseph Horovitz BMus, MA, FRCM

Alison Kay BA, ARCM, MMus, DPhil

Michael Oliva BA, MA

Recent Visiting Composers and Guest LecturersMichel van der AaJulian AndersonLouis AndriessenTsvi AvniJames ClarkePascal DusapinIvan FedeleAtsuhiko GondaiHelen GrimeMichael JarrellHanspeter KyburzHelmut LachenmannLiza LimMagnus LindbergStuart MacraeRolf MartinssonHilda ParedesRoger RedgateFrederick RzewskiKaija SaariahoJames SaundersJoan TowerTheo VerbeyCarl VineParam VirJudith Weir


CoMposition

Composition

www.rcm.ac.uk/composit ion 39

CoMposition foR sCReen

Area Leader in Postgraduate Composition for ScreenVasco Hexel BM, MMus

Professors of Composition for Screen

Howard Davidson ARCM

Joseph Horovitz BMus, MA, FRCM

Michael Oliva BA, MA Composer in Residence of rarescale, Artistic Director of madestrange opera

Enrica Sciandrone MMus

Francis Shaw BMus, GLCM, ALCM

Visiting Professor in Music and Multimedia

David Burnand BMus, MA

Recent Visiting Composers and Guest LecturersJeff Atmajian orchestrator: ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘The Village’, ‘Blood Diamond’, ‘King Kong’, ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’

Patrick Doyle composer: ‘Igor’, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘Henry V’

Dario Marianelli composer: ‘Atonement’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘The Brothers Grimm’

Jennie Muskett composer: ‘The State Within’, ‘Material Girls’, ‘Hello Sister, Goodbye Life’, ‘Spooks’, ‘Safety in Numbers’, ‘Mecurial’, ‘The Deep’

Rachel Portman composer: ‘Emma’, ‘Cider House Rules’, ‘Chocolat’, ‘The Legend of Baggar Vance’

Debbie Wiseman composer: ‘Flood’, ‘P.O.W.’, ‘My Uncle Silas’, ‘The Office’

Gabriel Yared composer: ‘The English Patient’, ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’, ‘Das Lebens der Anderen’


• Composition graduates have produced commissions for opera, orchestra, TV and film, including the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the BBC Proms, the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Intercontemporain

• Composition for Screen alumni are working throughout the industry in both Hollywood and the UK, and hold numerous awards including BAFTA Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards (Oscars)


• A collaboration with innovative producers Tête à Tête, with RCM composers and performers working together to create and perform six, brand new short operas

• A unique project with alumni Charlotte Harding and painter Jo Lewis, with RCM composers writing a brand new sextet inspired by Britten’s Four Sea Interludes

• Visits from some of the world’s leading composers for both concert and film including Pascal Dusapin, Jérôme Ducros, Howard Shore, Hugh Wood, Helmut Lachenmann, Hanspeter Kyburz, Louis Andriessen and Debbie Wiseman

• Prize wins for composition students including the Peer Raben Award and The European Talent Award at SoundTrack_Cologne, Royal Philharmonic Society Composers Competition, Lord Mayor’s Composition Award, Serocki International Composition Competition and the International Film Scoring Competition

faCulties 40 Co

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ChaRlotte’s stoRy...

Charlotte Harding graduated from the RCM with a BMus degree. As a foundation scholar, her principal study was composition with Mark-Anthony Turnage, supported by a related study in saxophone with Martin Robertson. On graduating she won the Cobbett and Hurleston prize for composition as well as the Queen Elizabeth Rosebowl. During her time at the RCM Charlotte had works premiered at venues such as Cadogan Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as winning the RCM Concerto Competition with her orchestral work Fuse. Charlotte’s compositions have subsequently been performed around the world in Australia, Germany, France and the USA.

“as soon as i enrolled at the RCM i felt part of a musical and professional community, which was further enhanced by living in College hall. as a composer, i benefitted enormously from having so many of my pieces workshopped and performed in creative and supportive environments.

the Composition faculty provided many opportunities and platforms to combine practical and technical experience with creative development. from masterclasses, residencies and lectures with eminent composers to chamber music workshops, contemporary art collaboration, and instrumental masterclasses, every opportunity was provided to learn from others while developing an individual compositional language. the faculty welcomes composers from around the world who all bring and share exciting and different perspectives which influence and challenge your own. My individual lessons felt like an apprenticeship; theoretical discussion was combined with learning the craft of making pieces work practically, technically and musically.

the BMus programme completely exceeded my expectations in terms of developing my skills as an all-round musician. the flexibility of the course, wide range of facilities available and the expertise of RCM staff enabled me to pursue my particular areas of interest. My programme of study ranged from jazz history to conducting, to writing and recording a full tom and Jerry score! the RCM encouraged and invested in all aspects of my musicianship with an endless supply of opportunities that i will always be grateful for and benefit from for many years to come.”

Charlotte Harding

student Case study

www.rcm.ac.uk/composit ion 41 Com

position

ChRistopheR’s stoRy...

Christopher Tin was born in America, but received much of his musical education in England. After successfully completing his undergraduate education at Stanford University and Oxford University, he won a Fulbright Scholarship and enrolled for a Masters in Composition for Screen at the RCM. He graduated in 2000 with an MMus with Distinction, earning the highest marks in his class, and scooping the Horovitz Composition Prize in the process. Since graduation Christopher has established himself as a composer whose career spans all major markets: film, television, video games, advertising, and the record industry. His music has been performed live by many orchestras around the world, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Philharmonia, Metropole Orchestra, and hundreds of amateur choirs across the globe. In 2011, he won Grammy Awards for ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists’ and ‘Best Classical Crossover Album’.

“i’d been writing music since i was a kid, but i wasn’t a Composer until i attended the RCM. a transformation happens during your months at the conservatoire; it’s brought about through the daily exposure to world-class teachers and the young and brilliant student body. it comes from living in one of the great artistic capitals of the world. you cease to merely ‘write music’; instead you place yourself squarely in one of the finest traditions in english composition training. you mature. you own your art.

working in visual media requires a broad set of skills; dramatic sensibilities, business acumen, and comfort with technology. But all of that aside, the heart of being a successful film composer is simply to be a great composer. and if you want to become the finest composer you can be, enrol yourself in the finest composition school you can find. that, for me, is the Royal College of Music.”

Christopher Tin

student Case study

CeleBRated aluMni inClude...

Malcolm ArnoldLuke BedfordFrank BridgeBenjamin BrittenSamuel Coleridge TaylorAnne DudleyMichael FinnissyGustav HolstJoseph HorovitzHerbert HowellsConstant LambertNicola Le FanuAndrew Lloyd WebberElisabeth LutyensDame Elizabeth MaconchyAnna MeredithErnest MoeranBarrington PheloungEdmund RubbraRoberto SierraSir Michael Tippett Mark Anthony TurnageRalph Vaughan Williams

histoRiCal peRfoRManCe

key featuRes

• Study with the important collection of instruments in the RCM Museum, including the unique English 17th-century Kessler collection of viols

• Weekly one-to-one lessons by principal players in major period instrument orchestras as well as soloists and members of well-known ensembles

• Masterclasses given each year by distinguished visiting international musicians including Dame Emma Kirkby, Michael Chance, Peter Harvey, Jordi Savall, Christophe Coin, Andrew Manze, Rachel Podger, Walter van Hauwe and Kenneth Gilbert

• Outstanding research opportunities with the RCM Library’s extensive collection of manuscripts and early printed editions

• A large collection of period instruments (string, wind and brass) which students are able to borrow, and one of the largest collections of early keyboards in any institution

• Practical classes and lectures (project-based culminating in assessed public performances and presentation classes) include:

– medieval classes with William Lyons (Dufay Collective)

– stylus phantasticus – 17th-century Austrian and Italian repertoire with Terence Charlston

– early 18th-century French repertoire with Lisa Beznosiuk

– baroque dance workshops with Mary Collins

– cello continuo classes with Richard Tunnicliffe

– lute song with Jakob Lindberg

– classical and romantic repertoire with Geoffrey Govier

• Non-assessed regular classes include: – coaching of 18th-century repertoire

on modern and period instruments from Florilegium, the RCM’s Ensemble in Residence

– tuning and temperament (16th–18th centuries) with Claire Hammett

– keyboard continuo with Terence Charlston

– ornamentation and cadenza classes with Rachel Brown

“Historical Performance provides specialised training in all aspects of historically informed interpretations. Individual lessons are offered on the complete range of period instruments by professors who are active as soloists and in leading period instrument ensembles. A full schedule of performing opportunities includes frequent chamber projects and concerts, baroque and classical orchestral projects for

both modern and period instruments and regular masterclasses.”

Ashley Solomon Head of Historical Performance

– chamber music and continuo techniques with Robert Woolley

– baroque and classical taster sessions for modern woodwind players in the RCM Museum

– treatises and primary sources with Elektra Miliadou

– gregorian chant with Jennifer Smith

• Orchestral opportunities include: – termly performances by the

RCM Baroque Orchestra within the RCM plus external performances at festivals in London and around the UK

– historically informed performances of Classical and Romantic repertoire on modern instruments directed by Sir Roger Norrington

– Bach Cantata projects directed by Ashley Solomon

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faCulties 42


Composition

Head of Historical PerformanceAshley Solomon ARAM, HonRCM

Prince Consort Professor of Historical PerformanceSir Roger Norrington CBE, FRCM

Chair of Historical PerformanceProfessor Colin Lawson MA (Oxon), MA, PhD, DMus, FRCM, FRNCM, FLCM

Ensemble in AssociationFlorilegium

Visiting ProfessorsMichael Chance voice

Kenneth Gilbert FRCM harpsichord

Dame Emma Kirkby OBE, FRCM voice

Andrew Manze baroque and classical violin David Owen Norris MA, FRAM, FRCO fortepiano

Walter van Hauwe recorder

keyBoaRd

Jane Chapman BA, HonRCM, ARCM harpsichord

Terence Charlston MA, MMus, FRCO, ARAM harpsichord, clavichord, continuo organ

Geoffrey Govier MMus, DMA, ARCM fortepiano

Robert Woolley GRSM, ARCM harpsichord, clavichord, continuo organ ++++

stRings

Richard Boothby BMus viola da gamba

Claire Bracher viol consort coach

Peter Buckoke HonRCM, ARCM baroque double bass

Adrian Butterfield MA, ARCM baroque and classical violin ****

William Hunt MA violone +++

Reiko Ichise viola da gamba

Annette Isserlis ARCM, DipEd baroque and classical viola * ***

Jakob Lindberg ARCM lute, archlute, theorbo, baroque guitar

Catherine Martin viola d’amore, baroque and classical violin

Rodolfo Richter ARAM baroque and classical violin ***

Catherine Rimer MMus, GRNCM, LRAM baroque and classical cello * **

Lucy Russell MA baroque and classical violin +

Richard Tunnicliffe baroque and classical cello, cello continuo * +++

www.rcm.ac.uk/hp 43 historical perform

ance

• Other performance opportunities include:

– high profile internal and external chamber music opportunities including the Handel Festival, Guildford Festival, Tilford Bach Society, Hatchlands Concert Series, Kent Early Music Festival, London Organ Forum, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the British Library

– the RCM Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble are regularly directed by David Staff (from HMSC)

• Historical keyboard studies include: – performance on and study of

historical keyboard instruments and their playing styles within the RCM and in collaboration with other institutions

– access to unique collections of instruments and primary source materials through the RCM Library, Museum and Special Collections, guided by internationally recognised experts in their field

– concerts, workshops, conferences and other events

Palace of Versailles

histoRiCal peRfoRManCe pRofessoRs aRe CuRRently playing with…

• Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment *

• English Baroque Soloists **• Academy of Ancient Music ***• Hanover Band ****• English Concert Orchestra *****• Fitzwilliam String Quartet +• Florilegium ++• Fretwork +++• Purcell Quartet ++++• His Majesty’s Sagbutts and

Cornetts +++++


Historical Performance alumni currently hold positions with:

• Academy of Ancient Music• English Baroque Soloists • English Concert• Florilegium • Orchestra of the Age of

Enlightenment• Orchestre Révolutionnaire et

Romantique

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faCulties 44


woodwind

Lisa Beznosiuk GGSM, HonRCM baroque and classical flute * *****

Rachel Brown baroque and classical flute*** ****

Julien Feltrin recorder

Nancy Hadden BMus, MA renaissance flute

Gail Hennessy baroque and classical oboe

Colin Lawson MA (Oxon), MA, PhD, DMus, FRCM, FRNCM, FLCM classical clarinet ****

Anthony Robson baroque and classical oboe *

Barnaby Robson classical clarinet *

Ashley Solomon ARAM, HonRCM recorder ++

BRass

Susan Addison ARCM sackbuts ** +++++

Neil Brough cornett, natural trumpet * *****

Susan Dent ARCM, DipRCM natural horn **

Anthony George BA, ACPS, AGSM ophicleide and serpent

Peter Harvey ARCM, sackbuts **

David Staff cornett and natural trumpet +++++

highlights inClude...

• Performances across France and the UK, culminating in a concert at the BBC Proms conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, as part of the 24 Violons du Roi project

• Performances in Rome, Venice, Frascatti and Nemi by the RCM Baroque Chamber Ensemble

• Frequent appearances on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme

• Annual concert of Bach Cantatas with the RCM Baroque Orchestra

• Masterclasses with Rachel Podger, Jordi Savall and Andrew Manze, plus videoconferencing sessions with the Eastman School New York, the Sydney Conservatorium and the Hong Kong Academy

• The annual International Festival of Viols featuring concerts, lectures and masterclasses with Paolo Pandolfo, Susanne Heinrich and Fretwork

• Visit to Sydney to perform with the Sydney Conservatorium

www.rcm.ac.uk/hp 45 historical perform

ance

Yu-Wei Hu Jordi Savall

student Case study

yu-wei’s stoRy...

Yu-Wei Hu is in her second year of the Artist Diploma in Performance following the successful completion of her MMus.

“it’s fantastic studying in the historical performance department at the Royal College of Music. we are fortunate in being able to receive instrumental lessons and chamber music coaching from the best early music performers in europe. RCM students are free to be coached by any professor in the department, which gives you a great opportunity to learn from different opinions and points of view. you can also sign up for public chamber music coaching sessions with florilegium, the RCM ensemble in association.

the RCM is a warm and friendly environment to meet other players and make useful contacts. i was fortunate to make two of my closest friends here, with whom i co-founded the ensemble les nations Reunies, and won first prize at the international early Music Competition at Middelburg in the netherlands. following our win, we were offered two fantastic performance opportunities – to perform on austrian Ö2 Radio live and at the Bach week festival in vienna.

Besides numerous concerts at the RCM, i have been given the chance to perform at other venues in london and beyond, including st Martin-in-the-fields, Cobbe Collection at hatchlands, finchcocks and at the early Music festival in sandwich. My ensembles have also performed in the elgar Room at the Royal albert hall and at the national gallery. a particular highlight of my time at the RCM has to be being conducted by sir Roger norrington with the RCM Baroque orchestra in london and france. all these concerts and projects provide you with such wonderful opportunities to develop as a recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician.”

“Fine players need fine instruments, and the RCM certainly has these in abundance. But a high quality musical performance, radiating artistry, technique, integrity and depth of stylistic understanding is only possible with the input of teaching staff of the highest level. Our distinguished professorial team will help you achieve your personal goals in a supportive environment, where you

can develop the skills to be successful in today’s music profession.”

Professor Vanessa Latarche Head of Keyboard and Chair of International Keyboard Studies

keyBoaRd


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key featuRes

• Opportunities to experience tuition and masterclasses in a variety of keyboard subjects – Piano, Fortepiano, Harpsichord, Piano Accompaniment, Contemporary piano, Organ and Jazz piano

• Historical keyboard studies (see page 42)

• A specialist postgraduate piano accompaniment programme. Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/accompaniment

• Programmes encourage students to fulfil their own potential and provide opportunities to specialise in a variety of areas such as contemporary music and historical performance

Head of Keyboard and Chair of International Keyboard StudiesProfessor Vanessa Latarche FRCM, HonARAM, FTCL, LRAM, ARCM

Assistant Head of KeyboardIan Jones BMus, ARCM, DipRCM

Head of Keyboard Technical ServicesChris Moulton

piano

• Perform and have individual lessons on Steinway grand pianos; the RCM has the largest collection of Model B Steinways of any British institution

• Take part in concerto opportunities with the RCM’s orchestras

• Perform solo recitals in venues across London and beyond

• Be part of a faculty that achieves unrivalled success in international competitions

• Take part in the RCM’s annual festival of piano music

• Participate in and observe masterclasses with the world’s leading performers and teachers

Prince Consort Professor of PianoBarry Douglas OBE, FRCM

Visiting Professor of PianoJohn Lill CBE, HonDMus, HonDSc, FRCM, FTCL, FLCM

Professors of PianoDmitri Alexeev Postgraduate Dip (Moscow Conservatoire)

Andrew Ball BA, FRCM

John Blakely BA, HonRCM, ARAM, ARCO

John Byrne Dip (Moscow Conservatoire), GRNCM, ARCM, ARAM, DipRAM, PPRNCM

Nigel Clayton BMus, ARCM

Gordon Fergus-Thompson FRCM

Norma Fisher FRNCM

Sofya GulyakNiel Immelman FRCM

Julian Jacobson GRSM, MA, ARCM

Ian Jones BMus, ARCM, DipRCM

Vanessa Latarche FRCM, HonARAM, FTCL, LRAM, ARCM

Leon McCawley BMus (Curtis Institute), ARCM Hons

Ruth Nye Performance Dip (Melbourne), FRCM

Dina Parakhina Masters Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma (Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire)

Edna Stern Solisten Dip (Basel)

Kathron Sturrock ARCM

Ashley Wass BMus, PGDip, ARAM

Andrew Zolinsky DipRCM (Performance), DipRCM (Teaching)

piano aCCoMpaniMent

Prince Consort Professor of Piano AccompanimentRoger Vignoles BA, MusB, FRCM, HonRAM

Professors of Piano AccompanimentAndrew Ball BA, FRCM

John Blakely BA, HonRCM, ARAM, ARCO

Elizabeth Burley ARCM, Orchestral piano specialist

Nigel Clayton BMus, ARCM

Julian Jacobson GRSM, MA, ARCM

Simon Lepper MA (Cantab), LRAM, DipRAM, ARAM

Kathron Sturrock ARCM

Jazz piano

Michael Moran GRSM, ARCM

keyboardwww.rcm.ac.uk/keyboard 47

oRgan

• Students have access to the RCM’s selection of mechanical action instruments, including a 34-stop three-manual organ by JW Walker

• Students can perform and have lessons on organs outside the RCM, including at the Royal Albert Hall and on the new Flentrop organ in Christ Church, Chelsea

• RCM professors hold positions in important churches including Farm Street Church in London, and St Sulpice in Paris, as well as distinguished international performing and recording careers

• Regular study trips abroad are arranged to France, Germany and the Netherlands

• Training within the core BMus programme encompasses preparation for the diplomas of the Royal College of Organists

• Opportunities exist to work with the RCM Chamber Choir and take part in ensemble activities including continuo playing

• Many students hold organ scholarships while studying, for example at Westminster Abbey, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Chapel Royal Hampton Court, Southwark Cathedral, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Farm Street Church and other significant churches in and around London

Prince Consort Professor of OrganDame Gillian Weir DBE, HonDMus, Hon FRCO, FRCM

Professors of OrganSophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin Deux PREMIER PRIX in interpretation, improvisation, harmony, counterpoint (CNSMDP – Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique

et de Danse de Paris)

David Graham BMus, ARCM, ARCO, Professor in charge of organ

Margaret Phillips GRSM, FRCO, ARCM

ImprovisationSophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin Deux PREMIER PRIX in interpretation, improvisation, harmony, counterpoint (CNSMDP – Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique

et de Danse de Paris)

David Graham BMus, ARCM, ARCO

Supporting studiesIan Curror GRSM, FRCO(ChM), ARCM Accompaniment

Andrew McCrea BMus, MMus, ARCM, ARCO

aluMni


PIANOMalcolm BinnsIan BrownAlexey ChernovBarry DouglasMegumi FujitaPeter JablonskiAndrei KorobeinikovPiers LaneJohn LenehanJohn LillMalcolm MartineauAlexander RomanovskyHoward ShelleyKathryn StottMelvyn TanRoger Vignoles

HARPSICHORDJane ChapmanSophie Yates

ORGANNicholas DanbyPeter HurfordNicholas KynastonWayne MarshallJane Parker-SmithGordon StewartThomas TrotterJane WattsDame Gillian Weir

Lang Lang

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faCulties48

haRpsiChoRd and foRtepiano

• Students are offered individual tuition on outstanding early keyboard instruments. These include a fortepiano by Paul McNulty after Walter; a newly commissioned six and half octave fortepiano by David Winston after Schott (1825); copies of French, Flemish, German and Italian harpsichords by Michael Johnson, David Rubio and Denzil Wraight; a newly commissioned copy of ‘Queen Elizabeth’s Virginals’ c1570 (V&A Collection) by Alan Gotto; a continuo organ by Vincent Woodstock; and a clavichord by Derek Adlam

• Students are given figured bass and continuo lessons

• Extensive continuo opportunities accompanying soloists, in chamber ensembles, and with the Baroque Orchestra are available

• Opportunities are provided to study in the unique RCM Museum. This important collection includes a copy of the earliest surviving stringed keyboard instrument, harpsichords by Kirkman and Weber, and grand pianos by Broadwood and Bertsche (see page 19)

Visiting Professor of HarpsichordKenneth Gilbert FRCM

Professors of HarpsichordJane Chapman BA, HonRCM, ARCM

Terence Charlston MMus, MA, FRCO, ARAM

Robert Woolley GRSM, ARCM

Visiting Professors of FortepianoDavid Owen Norris MA, FRAM, FRCO

Professor of FortepianoGeoffrey Govier MFA, MMus, DMA, GRSM, ARCM, LTCL


• RCM graduate pianists are performing concertos with major orchestras worldwide, and giving solo recitals at the world’s leading festivals

• A number of piano alumni are chosen to take part in the Park Lane Group Series at the Southbank Centre each year

• A number of pianists have signed exclusive CD contracts with record labels including Decca and Sony BMG

• RCM graduate organists hold key full-time posts at churches and cathedrals, including St Paul’s Cathedral

Alfred BrendelVladimir Jurowski


keyboardkeyboard

www.rcm.ac.uk/keyboard 49


• Masterclasses with high-profile visitors including world-renowned pianists Emanuel Ax, Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel, Murray Perahia and Mitsuko Uchida

• Concerto performances with RCM orchestras, working with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vladimir Jurowski

• Organ trips to France, the Netherlands and Germany, enabling students to perform and take masterclasses on several organs

• A groundbreaking performance of John Cage’s HPSCHD for seven harpsichords

• RCM pianist Nicholas McCarthy performed in the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, watched by a worldwide TV audience of 7 million

• Prize wins for piano students including First Prize at the Honens International Piano Competition in Canada, First Prize at the Nordic International Piano Competition in Sweden, First Prize at the Sheepdrove Intercollegiate Piano Competition, First Prize at the 6th Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial Competition, Joint Winner of the Gerald Moore Award for piano accompaniment and Third Prize at the Géza Anda International Piano Competition in Zurich

Jun’s stoRy...

Jun Ishimura is in the second year of the Masters Programme in Performance. She is supported by the Japanese Government Overseas Study Programme for Artists and the Derek Butler Scholarship from the RCM.

“i’ve only had wonderful experiences during my time here at the RCM. My lessons are always excellent and all the masterclasses and workshops i’ve participated in have given me a huge amount of inspiration. Recently, Murray perahia, alfred Brendel and Mitsuko uchida visited the RCM to give public masterclasses – it’s inspiring to learn from such great pianists.

there are many opportunities to perform at the RCM, and also at major venues including Cadogan and steinway hall through the woodhouse professional development Centre. i find it an enriching and invaluable learning experience to perform in different venues – audiences are always supportive and give me useful feedback. i also receive lessons on early keyboard instruments – it’s a wonderful way of getting to know the instruments composers used for compositions and performances. i have been taking lessons on the fortepiano for a couple of years now and it’s been a great help in understanding the music from that time.

london is one of the capital cities for artists in the world, and i find it very exciting to study in such a cosmopolitan environment. as well as great concerts, there are also lots of other areas to discover such as painting, acting, ballet and modern art. all of these experiences help you to expand your vision, develop your talent and explore more about music.”

Jun Ishimura

student Case study

“The Percussion Faculty currently boasts 27 former students in the UK’s leading orchestras. Although the backbone of teaching still has an orchestral bias, today’s training covers all aspects of percussion activity, enabling you to enter the profession equipped with the musical tools of the trade.”

David Hockings Head of Percussion

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on faCulties 50

key featuRes

• A vibrant faculty encompassing world percussion alongside the orchestral repertoire

• A purpose-built percussion suite• A specialist postgraduate

solo marimba programme – the first of its kind in the UK. Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/marimba for details

• Regular faculty performance classes where every student participates at least four times a term

• Regular lessons for all first and second year undergraduates on solo marimba, jazz vibraphone, Latin percussion and drum kit, in addition to timpani and percussion

• The first conservatoire in the UK to have an American Drumline ensemble

Head of Percussion

David Hockings FRCM, Principal Percussionist, BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta

tiMpaniAdrian Bending BA, Co-Principal Timpanist, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (historical timpani)

Matt Perry MA, DipRCM Principal Timpani, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Andrew Smith LRAM, ARCM Principal Timpanist, Philharmonia Orchestra

peRCussion

Alex Neal GRSM(Hons), DipRCM Co-Principal Percussionist, BBC Symphony Orchestra

Michael Skinner HonRCM, BSc(Hons), FRSA Principal Percussionist, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (1973–2004)

Sam Walton BMus(Hons), LRAM, ARAM, Co-Pricipal Percussionist, London Symphony

Orchestra

Jazz viBRaphone

Anthony Kerr

dRuM kit

Ralph Salmins AGSM

latin peRCussion

Hugh Wilkinson BMus(Hons)

MaRiMBa

Daniella Ganeva LGSM


• Percussion alumni hold key positions in major orchestras and bands including Principal Timpani, Principal Percussion and Co-Principal Percussion with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra

• RCM graduates are achieving solo success worldwide. For example, recent graduates Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox have achieved critical acclaim and commercial success as O Duo. They have performed concertos with the BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, worked at Abbey Road and Sony studios on television and film scores, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV

• Many percussion graduates also go on to achieve successful freelance careers as orchestral and session players across the globe


Joe’s stoRy...

Joseph Richards in his first year of the Master’s Programme following the successful completion of his BMus.

“since my first day at the Royal College of Music i’ve been in a state of complete amazement at the music making that goes on here. By the end of my first term i’d already had so many performing opportunities, from opening the london stockhausen festival with the RCM symphony orchestra to playing on stage with marimba virtuoso Mark ford. as it turns out, that was the quietest of any term since!

it seems to me that the best thing about studying at the RCM is the sheer diversity of musical experiences. with hundreds of concerts each year, you can expect that any musical avenue you wish to explore will not only be open to you, but every effort will be made to encourage and support you to achieve your highest potential.

the percussion faculty itself is a constant hub of musical energy. during the first two years you are given in-depth tuition by specialist professors in orchestral percussion, timpani, latin percussion, jazz vibraphone, drum kit and marimba, before being given the opportunity to specialise in various fields in the third and fourth years. with such a wealth of information at your fingertips, and so many teachers always ready to help, you’re free to become the kind of musician you want to be. add in the constant stream of masterclasses with top players from around the world and you can guarantee that all the possibilities will be covered; after one masterclass in my first year, i spent a few months utterly convinced that after the RCM i was destined to move to ghana and spend the rest of my life playing the gyil.

i can’t even begin to imagine what i would be doing now if i hadn’t chosen the RCM, mostly because i’m always so busy! But there’s nothing better than being busy here, because it’s always with something new, challenging and exciting!”

percussionwww.rcm.ac.uk/percussion 51

student Case study


• RCM students, staff and alumni acted as drum leaders in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, watched by a worldwide TV audience of 900 million

• Performance opportunities in the UK and Switzerland with PERC’M ensemble, coached by Serge Vuille and Sam Walton

• The annual Festival of Percussion, which in 2012 featured concerts, masterclasses and representatives from some of the world’s leading percussion organisations, and special guest rock-drummer Stewart Copeland

• Masterclasses with high-profile visitors including Pete Lockett, Frank Epstein, Anders Åstrand, Michael Burritt, Peter Erskine, Colin Currie, Pius Cheung, David Friedman, Paolo Cimmino, Eric Summat, and 18 times world pipe-band champion Jim Kilpatrick, who trains our Redhocks drumline

• The annual Percussion Showcase involved the entire faculty, and in 2012 featured the European premiere of Stewart Copeland’s Gamelan D’Drum

Joseph Richards

Stewart Copeland

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“No matter which area of performance you choose, we’ll help you be the best: unlimited chamber coaching with international quartets and chamber musicians; performing with conductors such as Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Jurowski; and lessons with international professors. Be

part of the vibrant musical family that is the Strings Faculty; tap into creativity and be transformed as a musician.”

Mark Messenger Head of Strings

stRings

key featuRes

• An innovative course that combines instrumental training of the highest calibre with the skills needed to fulfil your professional potential

• Leading world-class professors whose students have a proven record of competition and professional success

• Opportunities for string players to form and perform in their own chamber groups, with unlimited coaching from and performances by the RCM’s resident Sacconi Quartet

• Unparalleled orchestral experience with links to the profession and major London orchestras, and opportunities to perform with international conductors

• Earn while you learn through the varied job opportunities available to RCM students

• On-site workshop and luthier providing maintenance and repairs, together with rehair facilities and practical advice

• Opportunities for violin, viola and cello students to work with professional accompanists to develop duo skills

• Specially tailored ensemble opportunities with expert practitioners for double bass, harp and guitar students

Head of StringsMark Messenger FRCM, LRAM, ARAM

Assistant Head of StringsGary Ryan GRSMHons, LRAM, LGSMHons, HonARAM

Ensemble in ResidenceSacconi Quartet

Resident LuthierDavid Hume AGSM

Consultant LuthierCharles Beare HonRCM

violin

Visiting Professors of ViolinPeter Herresthal Visiting Professor in Contemporary String Music

Lewis Kaplan BS, MS, The Julliard School

Professors of ViolinFelix Andrievsky FRCM, Dip and Dip Solo Performance (Gnessin Musical Institute)

Radu Blidar LMD (Romenie, France, Austrie)

Natalia Boyarsky Dip and Dip Solo Performance (Gnessin Musical Institute)

Michal Cwizewicz DipRCM

Detlef HahnLutsia IbragimovaBerent KorfkerGabrielle LesterAdrian Levine ARAM, FRSA

Natalia Lomeiko BMus

Mark Messenger FRCM, LRAM, ARAM

Susie MészárosMadeleine Mitchell MMus (Eastman USA), GRSM, ARCM, FRSA

Gordan Nikolitch Maciej Rakowski MA, Dip Solo Performance

Itzhak Rashkovsky MMus, BMus, FRCM

Jan RepkoSasha RozhdestvenskyDaniel RowlandLaura SamuelAni Schnarch ARCM, Artist DipHons (Tel Aviv Music Academy)

Yuri Zhislin ARCM, DipHons

Yossi Zivoni FRCM, FRNCM (Tel Aviv Music Academy and Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles)


stringswww.rcm.ac.uk/str ings 53

Jazz violin / viola

Christian Garrick

viola

International Chair of ViolaJennifer Stumm

Visiting Professor of ViolaLawrence Power

Professors of ViolaJonathan Barritt Ian Jewel ARCM, HonARAM

Susie MészárosSimon Rowland-JonesAndriy Viytovych Concert Artists Diploma

Katie Wilkinson DipRCM (perf), ARCM

violonCello

Prince Consort Professor of CelloJohannes Goritzki

Professors of VioloncelloAlastair Blayden DipRCM (perf), DipRCM (teaching)

Alexander Boyarsky Dip and Dip Solo Performance (Gnessin Musical Institute), HonRCM

Thomas CarrollAlexander ChaushianNatalie Clein

Hélène Dautry Richard Lester Alice NearyMelissa Phelps ARCM

Amanda Truelove ARCM, DipRCM (perf), Konzertexamen Diplom (Dusseldorf)

douBle Bass

Visiting Professor of Double BassPaul Ellison

Professors of Double BassPeter Buckoke HonRCM, ARCM

Caroline Emery GTCL, LTCL, CertEd, HonRCM

Anthony Hougham LTCL, GTCL

Enno Senft DipMus (Cologne/Vienna)

Neil Tarlton

haRp

Visiting Professor of HarpMarisa Robles

Professors of HarpDaphne Boden ARCM, FRCM, HonARAM, Premier Prix (Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles), FRSA

Ieuan Jones DipRCM

Rachel Masters ARCM


QUARTETSBelcea QuartetChilingirian QuartetSacconi Quartet

VIOLINHugh BeanLevon ChilingirianAndrew HaveronDaniel HopeAlina IbragimovaSir Neville MarrinerPeter OundjianVasko VassilevTamsin Waley-Cohen

VIOLACecil AronowitzRoger ChaseSimon Rowland-JonesChristopher Wellington

CELLONatalie CleinEileen CroxfordJoan DicksonAmaryllis FlemingJulian Lloyd WebberAnna Shuttleworth

GUITARJulian BreamJohn Williams

HARPClaire JonesRachel Masters

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Nicola Benedetti

guitaR

Visiting Professor of GuitarJohn Williams

Professors of GuitarCarlos Bonell HonRCM

Charles Ramirez ARCM

Gary Ryan GRSMHons, LRAM, LGSMHons, HonARAM

Chris Stell

Jazz guitaR

Milton Mermikides


In addition to appearing around the world as soloists, on stage with rock bands and in Hollywood recording studios, String Faculty alumni also currently hold key positions at a number of leading orchestras, including:

• Leader and Joint Leader, BBC Symphony Orchestra

• Permanent Guest Leader, Hallé Orchestra

• Leader and Joint Leader, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

• Concert Master, Philharmonia Orchestra

• Principal Violin, London Sinfonietta• Principal Viola, Orchestra of the Royal

Opera House, Covent Garden • Sub Principal Cello, London

Symphony Orchestra• Principal Double Bass, London

Philharmonic Orchestra

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Vladimir Jurowski


student Case study

stringswww.rcm.ac.uk/facult ies 55


• Masterclasses with high-profile visitors including Pinchas Zukerman, Nicola Benedetti, Alina Ibragimova, Lawrence Power, Jennifer Stumm, Johannes Goritzki, Natalia Gutman, Paul Ellison, Esko Laine, Marisa Robles and John Williams

• Performances inside and outside the RCM with great conductors including Vladimir Jurowski, Bernard Haitink and Vladimir Ashkenazy

• Concerts by String Faculty members and the RCM String Band at leading London venues including Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Cadogan Hall

• Prize wins for students including First Prize at the European Young Concert Artists Competition in Leipzig, First Prize at the Windsor Festival International String Competition, First Prize in the Liechtenstein International Guitar Duo Competition and First Prize at the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition

aRiana’s stoRy

Ariana Kashefi is a fourth year student on the Batchelor of Music degree programme. She has won the Anna Shuttleworth Cello prize, and has been awarded the Fleming Scholarship and the Henry Wood Award. She studies with Melissa Phelps and has held principal positions with many of the RCM orchestras.

“as a cellist, the main reason i was drawn to study at the RCM was because of the choice of highly acclaimed professors. i chose to study with Melissa phelps because i respect her greatly as a musician and i knew that i had some technical issues she would be able to help me with. the RCM also attracts many fantastic players, and i’ve been hugely inspired from visits by the cellists natalia gutman and guy Johnston. Most recently the noted cellist Johannes goritzki has become a visiting professor, giving lessons to students a few times every term, which is such a great opportunity for us.

i am a hugely passionate chamber musician and therefore the unlimited chamber coaching that the RCM offers is invaluable to me. with the sacconi quartet as ensemble in Residence and the many individual professors who are keen chamber players, you are never short of choice! through the RCM i’ve had the opportunity to perform at some very exciting engagements, most notably a chamber concert at the wigmore hall. i’ve also taken advantage of the many lunchtime concerts at the RCM, which offer a fantastic opportunity to try out new programmes in front of a friendly audience.

the location of the RCM – in the heart of london and in one of the most diverse and culturally rich cities in the world – already is an advantage for anyone studying here. with so many world-class musicians regularly visiting the city and enthusiastic to collaborate with the RCM, i’ve had the opportunity to play under the baton of vladimir Jurowski – an experience i’ll never forget!”

Ariana Kashefi

student Case study

“The Vocal Faculty’s reputation for producing outstanding international artists is unsurpassed. We foster a supportive environment which encourages individual excellence and self-expression. Our goal is to equip emerging artists with the vocal and interpretative skills required for a successful singing career. As a faculty we are proud of our current and former successes using this as a spur to provide our singers with

relevant and innovative training in a flexible and ever-changing artistic landscape.”

Nicholas Sears Head of Vocal Studies

voCal studies inCoRpoRating the RCM inteRnational opeRa sChool

key featuRes

• Masterclasses given by international artists, together with coaching from repetiteurs from London’s world-renowned opera houses

• Individually-tailored vocal and artistic projects led by outstanding artists and innovative practitioners

• Courses include a two-year specialist Artist Diploma in Opera programme based in the exquisite and professionally-equipped Britten Theatre

• Three fully-staged operatic productions per year, including one in collaboration with the London Handel Festival, which are attended by international press and agents (see pages 60–61)

• RCM singers currently enjoy outstanding success, many making impressive debuts in the main international opera houses and musical centres and securing recording contracts with major international labels

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Head of Vocal StudiesNicholas Sears MA, FRCM

Visiting ProfessorsMichael ChanceSarah Connolly CBE, FRCM

Jeanette Favaro-ReuterGerald Finley FRCM

Peter Harvey MA

Rosemary JoshuaDame Kiri Te Kanawa DBE

Andrew KennedyDame Emma Kirkby OBE, FRCM

Jonathan LemaluPatricia MacMahon FRSAMD

Jane Manning OBE, FRCM

Donald MaxwellDennis O’Neill CBE

Elizabeth Watts

ProfessorsGraeme Broadbent DipRCM, Diplomé (Moscow Conservatoire)

Sally Burgess ARCM, FRCM

Roderick Earle MA

Tim Evans-JonesEiddwen Harrhy FRWCMD, ARNCM, FRSA

Dinah Harris ARCM

Janis Kelly DRSAMD

Justin Lavender AGSM

Rosa MannionStephen Roberts GRSM, ARCM

Elizabeth Robson JP, DRSAM

Amanda RoocroftPatricia Rozario OBE, BA, AGSM

Peter Savidge MA

Lucy SchauferBrindley SherrattRussell Smythe AGSM

Jeffrey Stewart AGSM

Mark Tucker MA, DipGSM

RepeRtoiRe Classes

Sally Burgess ARCM, FRCM

Christian CurnynPatrizia Dina Italian

Richard Jackson MA

Norbert Meyn Dip Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” (Weimar) LGSM Lieder

Stephen Roberts GRSM, ARCM Oratorio & English

Lucy Schaufer Stephen Varcoe MA English

Roger Vignoles BA, MusB, FRCM, HonRCM Duos

vocal studieswww.rcm.ac.uk/vocal 57

language Classes

Daniele Guerra Italian

Johanna Mayr MagPhil, DipTrans, MIL German

Sonja Nerdrum HonRCM French

Paola Quaglia Italian

voCal RepeRtoiRe CoaChing

Alexander CroweJohn Blakely BA, HonRCM, ARAM, ARCO

John Fraser BMus, ARCM

Christopher GlynnSimon Lepper MA (Cantab), LRAM, DipRAM, ARAM

Christopher Middleton GGSM

Andrew Robinson DipRCM

Stephen Varcoe MA

Stephen Wilder GRSM, ARCM

speeChChristina Legge

CeleBRated aluMni inCludeSir Thomas AllenSophie BevanAlfie BoeSally BurgessPaul Charles ClarkeSarah ConnollyRoderick EarleAnne EvansHelen FieldGerald FinleyMichael GeorgeMartyn HillJason HowardRuby HughesJacques ImbrailoNeil JenkinsDella JonesBen JohnsonDame Gwyneth JonesRosemary JoshuaJanis KellyAndrew KennedyFiona KimmAnna LeeseJonathan LemaluJenny LindValerie MastersonSusan McCullochKenneth McKellarRobert MurrayAnna Maria PanzarellaIan PartridgePeter PearsCatherine PopeJames RutherfordDame Joan SutherlandTomas TomassonSarah WalkerElizabeth WattsCatherine Wyn-RogersLawrence Zazzo

MoveMent

Kate Flatt movement co-ordinator

Desirée KongerødTim Lamford

aCting

Tom Fahy


• Prize wins for students at the following 2012 competitions: Robert Hendra Prize, Bellini International Vocal Compeition, “Vokal Genial” Competition, the Maggie Teyte Competition and the Cesti International Baroque Opera Competition

• Prize wins for students at the following 2011 competitions: Kathleen Ferrier Competition, the Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award and the Royal Over-Seas League Singer’s Award

• A performance by the RCM Chamber Choir in the Thames Pageant, the centrepiece of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, watched by 10 million people

• Opera productions directed by eminent musicians including James Conway, Laurence Cummings, Jean-Claude Auvray, Iain Burnside, Sir Thomas Allen, Jude Kelly, Ian Judge, Jo Davis, Paul Curran, David Fielding, Lee Blakely and Alessandro Talevi (see page 61)

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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa



In 2011/12, RCM alumni performed at:

• Royal Opera House• Metropolitan Opera• La Scala, Milan• Liceu, Barcelona• La Bastille• Glyndebourne• Welsh National Orchestra• Opera North• Scottish Opera• Houston Opera• Théatre du Chatelet, Paris• Wigmore Hall• Edinburgh Festival• Royal Festival Hall• Barbican• Royal Albert Hall • Vienna State Opera• Vienna Volksoper• Theater an der Wien

vocal studieswww.rcm.ac.uk/vocal 59

kitty’s stoRy...

Winner of the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Award, mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately graduated from the RCM International Opera School, following the successful completion of the Masters Programme in Vocal Studies.

“i remember my first week at the RCM being a little nerve wracking! i was asked to stand in for someone at a public masterclass. it was the first time i had sung in front of anyone at the RCM and i was very nervous about it, but being thrown in the deep end like that actually helped me to feel less inhibited. everyone was so friendly, and the singers are such a social group, that i soon felt very much at home.

as a member of the RCM international opera school i’ve had many fantastic performance opportunities. i’ve been lucky enough to sing in masterclasses with gerald finlay and sarah Connolly. But best of all are the operas. the opera school puts on three a year and i’ve performed edwige in handel’s Rodelinda and dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. taking on roles in fully staged operatic productions, working with professional conductors and directors, gaining stage experience and exposure are all invaluable experiences. it was actually through singing dorabella that i was signed by my agents, intermusica, which has been hugely helpful at this point in my career.

the opera course is fantastically varied with coaching from different professional conductors and teachers each week. you also get individual movement lessons, group dance and acting classes. so every aspect of the training is well covered. But the best thing about the RCM has been my teacher tim evans-Jones. he is a technical wizard and has really helped me to understand my voice.

the RCM is a truly wonderful place and i shall miss it very much when i leave. situated in the heart of london’s culture scene, you’re never short of something to do. it’s also a five minute bus ride from knightsbridge, which is handy for a shopaholic like me!”

Kitty Whately

student Case study

• Regular masterclasses with high- profile visitors including Christine Brewer, Barry Banks, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Susan Bullock, Sarah Connolly, Petra Lang, Ann Murray, Brindley Sherratt, Sarah Walker, Edith Wiens and Roderick Williams

• Contemporary music performances, including a celebration of the vocal music of Jonathan Dove, in the presence of the composer

• Regular collaborations with the English Touring Opera – Britain’s largest Arts Council supported touring company (see page 61)

“The RCM International Opera School is one of the world’s leading training centres for opera. Part of the Vocal Faculty (see pages 56–59), the Opera School offers operatic training at the highest level for performers from around the globe, and many of the world’s leading singers have passed through our doors. Among the many performances on offer, we present three fully-staged operatic productions a year, including one in

collaboration with the London Handel Festival, which are attended by international press and agents. Many of our students move straight into young artist schemes at the world’s leading opera houses, or directly into fully fledged careers.”

Michael Rosewell Director of Opera

RCM inteRnational opeRa sChool

Director of OperaMichael Rosewell FRCM

Assistant Director of OperaChristopher Middleton

Head of Vocal FacultyNicholas Sears MA, FRCM

Visiting ProfessorDame Kiri Te Kanawa DBE

Manager of the Opera School and Vocal FacultyAnn Somerville

Theatre and Production ManagerPaul Tucker

Theatre ElectricianKieran Taylor

Costume SupervisorJools Osborne

Opera AssistantIsabelle Coe

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John Constable formerly Royal Opera music staff and international coach

Laurence Cummings Musical Director, London Handel Society, Music Director of the

Göttingen Handel Festival

David Drummond formerly Scottish Opera

Martin Fitzpatrick Head of Music Staff, English National Opera

Lionel Friend formerly Senior Staff Conductor for English National Opera, Head of Opera, Birmingham Conservatoire

John Gibbons conductor and opera coach

David Gowland Director of the Jette Parker Programme at the Royal Opera

Philip Headlam conductor and opera coach

Richard Hetherington vocal consultant to the Jette Parker Programme at the Royal Opera

Alex Ingram formally Staff Conductor, English National Opera

Jonathan Kenny early music specialist

Roy Laughlin international opera coach

Michael Lloyd formerly Staff Conductor, English National Opera

Christopher Middleton formerly Royal Opera music staff

Natalie Murray formerly Welsh National Opera music staff

Martin Pacey Vocal Coach, English National Opera

Michael Pollock international opera coach, formerly Welsh National Opera

Jane Robinson Head of Training, ENO and Vocal Director, Opera Works

Peter Robinson Artistic Director, British Youth Opera

Michael Rosewell Music Director, English Touring Opera, and formerly Vienna State Opera and National Theatre Mannheim music staff

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Peter Selwyn conductor and coach, formerly Royal Opera and Bayreuth music staff and Head of Music, Nuremberg Opera

Philip Sunderland conductor and opera coach

David Syrus Head of Music Staff, Royal Opera

Roger Vignoles international accompanist and vocal coach

language CoaChes

Maria Cleva/Isabella Radcliffe Italian

Norbert Meyn/Hildburg Williams German

Paola Quaglia Italian

Michel Vallat French

MoveMentKate Flatt movement co-ordinator

Desirée KongerødTim Lamford

stageCRaftJames Bonas


a yeaR in the life of the RCM inteRnational opeRa sChoolthe RCM international opera school stages three productions per year, including one in collaboration with the london handel festival. the following includes just some of the opportunities that RCM opera students have had and shows what you could be a part of:

Riccardo Primo

Great Expectations

L’incoronazione di Poppea

RiCCaRdo pRiMoMarch 2012The RCM’s annual collaboration with the London Handel Festival saw singers from the International Opera School perform alongside professional musicians in four performances of Handel’s Riccardo Primo conducted by Laurence Cummings.

“this was an especially well-cast show, with two notably stunning sopranos: eleanor dennis and emilie Renard” – Opera Now magazine

“the solo singing in two alternating casts was mightily impressive” – Hugh Canning, Opera magazine

gReat expeCtationsMay 2012Singers from the RCM International RCM singers and composers joined forces to create and present a series of brand new operas as part of Great Expectations, a unique collaborations with Tête à Tête.

le nozze di figaRoJune 2012Devised by outstanding French director Jean-Claude Auvray, the RCM production of Le nozze di Figaro delighted audiences for four sell-out performances.

“this is a figaro that presses all the right buttons – exuberance, a damp eye and wicked humour” – Classical Source

angelsOctober 2012RCM singers presented an evening of music by celebrated contemporary composer Jonathan Dove including the London premiere of his 30-minute mini-opera Seven Angels.

l’inCoRonazione di poppea

November 2012General Director of English Touring Opera James Conway directed RCM singers in a sell-out production of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

“the RCM international opera school is flourishing. there was plenty of promising singing… the 10-strong orchestra, dominated by the sensuous yet glittering sounds of thoerbo and triple harp, was first rate” – The Observer

Le nozze di Figaro

RCM international opera school

www.rcm.ac.uk/operaschool 61

“The RCM Woodwind Faculty boasts an unrivalled roster of professors, who combine careers as eminent performers and passionately dedicated teachers. With training of this kind vital in shaping you for your future career, the opportunity to play in orchestras and ensembles is open to everyone, from the moment you enter the RCM as a first year undergraduate, right through to

graduation. The RCM has two symphony orchestras allowing progression through an unparalleled orchestral experience with strong links to the profession and opportunities to perform with international conductors.”

Simon Channing Head of Woodwind

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key featuRes

• World-class professors that include principal players in major orchestras, as well as soloists and members of well-known ensembles

• Regular faculty performance classes to develop solo performing skills

• Faculty masterclasses with distinguished visiting international musicians

• High-profile chamber music opportunities with coaching from a professor of your own choice

• Performance opportunities with the Wind Ensemble at the RCM and at concert halls in London

• Concerto opportunities with an RCM orchestra following termly concerto trials

Head of WoodwindSimon Channing BA, ARCM, HonRCM

flute

Katie Bedford BMus, PGDip (RCM) *****

Simon Channing BA, ARCM, HonRCM

Gareth Davies PGDip ****

Susan Milan FRCM

Daniel Pailthorpe *

Sue Thomas DipRAM, BMus, PPRNCM, GRNCM ***

Jazz FluteAndy Panayi

Piccolo (Second or Related Study only)

Stewart McIlwham ***

Kathleen Stevenson *

Baroque FluteLisa Beznosiuk HonRCM, GGSM +++++

Rachel Brown

ReCoRdeR

Visiting Professor of RecorderWalter van Hauwe

Maria Martinez AyerzaJulien FeltrinAshley Solomon ARAM, HonRCM

oBoe

Prince Consort Professor of OboeJacques Tys

John Anderson ARCM +

Gareth Hulse MA, ARCM +++

David Theodore FRAM, FGSM

Fabien Thouand MMus

Cor Anglais (Second or Related Study only)

Jane Marshall AGSM Christine Pendrill ****

Baroque and Classical OboeGail HennessyAnthony Robson +++++

ClaRinet

Michael Collins FRCM, HonRAM

Peter Davis BA, LRAM, ARCM *

Robert Hill ARCM, ARAM ***

Janet Hilton FRCM, ARMCM

Richard Hosford ARCM, DipRCM (perf) *

Timothy Lines ARCM, DipRCM

Barnaby Robson AGSM **

E Flat Clarinet (Second or Related Study only)

Peter Davis BA, ARCM, LRAM *

Timothy Lines ARCM, DipRCM

Bass Clarinet (Second or Related Study only)

Michael Harris ARCM FRCM

Paul Richards GRSM ***

Classical ClarinetColin Lawson MA (Oxon), MA, PhD, DMus, FRCM, FRNCM, FLCM

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saxophoneKyle Horch BMus, MMus

Martin Robertson ARCM, DipRCM

BassoonJoost Bosdijk BMus (Royal Conservatoire, The Hague) ****

Sarah Burnett DipRAM, MA, LRAM ++++

Andrea di Flamineis ++

Martin Gatt HonFGSM, ARCM, FRCM

Robin Kennard ARCM, AGSM

Julie Price *

Contrabassoon (Second or Related Study only)

Martin Field ++

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FluteJames Galway

OboeEvelyn BarbirolliLeon Goossens

ClarinetMichael CollinsDame Thea KingGervase de PeyerFrederick Thurston

BassoonRoger BirnstinglArchie Camden

SaxophoneJohn Harle

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woodwind pRofessoRs aRe CuRRently playing with…

BBC Symphony Orchestra *Philharmonia Orchestra **London Philharmonic Orchestra ***London Symphony Orchestra ****Orchestra of the English National Opera *****Royal Philharmonic Orchestra +Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden ++London Sinfonietta +++Britten Sinfonia ++++Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment +++++

Jacques Tys


Woodwind alumni currently occupy the following positions:

• Principal Flute, English National Opera

• Principal Flute, Chamber Orchestra of Europe

• Principal Flute, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

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• Sub Principal Clarinet and Sub Principal Oboe, Northern Sinfonia

• Principal Bassoon, Philharmonia Orchestra

• Contrabassoon, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

• Contrabassoon, Hong Kong Philharmonic

• Principal and Second Flutes, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia

• Principal Flute, RTE Concert Orchestra• Principal Oboe, Hong Kong

Philharmonic• Principal Oboe, Hong Kong

Sinfonietta• Sub Principal Clarinet and

Sub Principal Oboe, Northern Sinfonia• Principal Clarinet, Scottish Chamber

Orchestra• Principal Clarinet, Hong Kong

Sinfonietta


• Chamber music performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra

• Prize wins for students at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition and Ernest Bloch Music Competition

• International masterclasses with high-profile visitors including Sir James Galway, Bram Van Sambeek, Stefano Canuti, Pascal Moragues, Wenzel Fuchs, Frederick Hemke, Stefan Schilli, Claude Delangle and Vincent David

• A series of masterclasses with principals from the Cleveland Orchestra held using the RCM’s videoconferencing facilities

• Newly commissioned works for the RCM Wind Ensemble

• Orchestral performances inside and outside the RCM with great conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vladimir Jurowski

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MiRiaM’s stoRy...

Miriam Levenson is a postgraduate student at the RCM, studying with Joost Bosdijk and specialising in orchestral performance. Before joining the RCM, Miriam completed a BA in Music from the University of Cambridge graduating with First Class Honours.

“with students and teachers from more than 50 different countries worldwide, the RCM is a real melting-pot of musical experiences and personalities. everyone is incredibly passionate about their music-making, and whether you walk through the doors of the RCM at 8am in the morning or last thing at night, you will hear music coming from all corners of the building. at first i was worried about not knowing many people, but everyone is really friendly and keen to get to know each other.

the quality of teaching available here is amazing, and the number of different types of classes on offer means that you get to work with a huge range of professors. on top of my regular one-to-one lessons, i’ve really enjoyed having group sessions with other bassoonists, and getting to grips with big orchestral pieces in wind section classes. there are also lots of performance opportunities, whether playing for fellow students or for wider audiences, and i have gained so much confidence ‘playing solo’ since i started at the RCM. the opportunities for chamber music are also unparalleled, and my wind quintet can sign up for unlimited coaching from any of the RCM’s professors. the RCM’s woodhouse professional development Centre sends out regular bulletins for professional performance opportunities, and their team are fantastic at helping you find your way in the professional world.

although there isn’t enough time in the day to make the most of all the opportunities offered here, the staff are extremely supportive of external commitments that you might have, whether for personal reasons or as a result of other musical opportunities. there is always someone who is happy to talk to you if you have a problem or a query!”

Miriam Levenson

student Case study

Our current degree programmes aim to create professional musicians with high-level practical skills who are flexible, thoughtful and well-informed about music and the opportunities available within the profession. Your development as a performer or composer lies at the heart of these programmes. We have shaped these in ways that allow scope for both flexibility and specialisation to help you prepare for the ever widening demands of the music profession.

aCadeMiC pRogRaMMes

68 Undergraduate Programmes - Undergraduate Programmes - Experience Programmes in London71 Postgraduate Programmes - Masters Programmes in Performance and Composition - MSc in Performance Science - Post-Masters Programmes - Academic Staff

Pictured: Vladimir Ashkenazy with RCM Student Sofya Gulyak, winner of the 2009 Leeds international Piano Competition

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www.rcm.ac.uk/courses 67 academ

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undeRgRaduate pRogRaMMesThe RCM’s undergraduate programmes include the BMus(Hons) degree, a BSc in Physics and Musical Performance and a range of Experience Programmes. The BMus(Hons) balances training in solo, chamber and orchestral performance with critical enquiry into music past and present: the study of music in context, contemporary cultures and a range of courses developing practical and applied skills.un

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undeRgRaduate pRogRaMMes

Bachelor of Music:BMus(Hons)• Weekly lessons on your Principal

Study – your main instrument, voice, or composition

• Opportunities for instrumentalists to undertake Related Study on an instrument related to your Principal Study (e.g. cor anglais or baroque oboe for oboists)

• Second Study tuition is available (audition at start of programme necessary) and students with an equally high level of ability in two areas may undertake Joint Principal Studies

• Faculty-based activities, including chamber music and duo performance coaching, orchestral training, performance classes, language classes (singers), music technology (composers) and improvisation (organists)

• Orchestral and choral projects, workshops and masterclasses in all areas including period instruments

• A range of core modules in historical, technical, practical and vocational subjects to provide breadth and depth to your study and help develop key skills such as oral and written communication, team working and problem solving

• A comprehensive range of options in Years 3 and 4, allowing you to specialise in particular areas of interest and expertise

• Exchange opportunities, as part of your RCM studies, with leading international conservatoires. BMus(Hons) students can take a junior year (third year) exchange to the USA or to Australia. Year 3 and 4 students often study in Europe for a term. For full details see page 25

• The award, to successful students at the end of the programme, of the internationally recognised BMus(Hons) degree under the RCM’s own Royal Charter


Composition

historical performance

undergraduate programm

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Contemporary Cultures• classical CD production• composing with the sequencer• jazz harmony and arranging• orchestration and arrangement• composition (including composition

for screen) • electro-acoustic music• pop-song writing• contemporary music

Ensemble Performance• chamber music• duo performance• improvisation• accompaniment• conducting• specialist vocal performance (in

song classes, opera, acting and movement)

Applied Skills• alexander technique• instrumental and vocal teaching• participatory music education• psychology of music• aural in professional contexts

BSc(Hons) in Physics and Music Performance• 4 years full-time• Taught jointly with Imperial

College London

This programme combines advanced performance training and related musical studies with all the components of an honours degree in physics. See page 88 for the application procedure or visit www3.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus

Years 1 and 2• Performance studies in Principal

and Related instruments, with regular workshop opportunities for performance

• A range of practical faculty-based activities

• Training in participatory education and instrumental teaching

• Courses in history and performance practice, practical musicianship/stylistic studies, aural awareness, study skills, Alexander Technique and musicians’ wellbeing

• Options in history and stylistic studies topics in Year 2

• Opportunity to fast track to higher levels of study in aural awareness and practical musicianship

Years 3 and 4• Continuing work in performance

studies (Principal, Related and Second Study instruments)

• Creation of a personalised programme of study from the following options (offered on either a yearly or two-yearly basis):

Music in Context• historical studies• historical performance• jazz history• research and repertoire projects• advanced stylistic studies

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The purpose of these programmes is to provide an opportunity for intensive practical work in London, enabling those who have already achieved a high standard to consolidate their technique and to widen their musical experience. Places are offered only to those who show high levels of ability, potential and motivation. Applicants must be able to meet BMus(Hons) entry requirements (see page 87). Successful Experience Programme students are provided with a full transcript at the end of their studies, together with a certificate of study, and can attend the RCM Graduation Ceremony in July.

expeRienCe pRogRaMMes in london

Gap Year ExperienceProgrammeThis flexible programme is intended for talented young musicians who want to take a gap year before commencing an undergraduate programme. For suitable students, the programme can then be used to transfer direct to Year 2 of the BMus(Hons).

Junior Year or SemesterExperience ProgrammeThis programme is ideal for Junior Year North American students and Asian or other overseas students who want to experience studying and living in London for either a semester or a whole year. Most international higher education institutions will give credit for Junior Years or semesters abroad.

Gap Year and JuniorYear/SemesterExperience ProgrammeContentEach programme is arranged on an individual basis, according to instrumental and personal priorities, and within an articulated credit structure. It provides:

• Individual lessons on Principal Study

• Opportunities for involvement in orchestras, ensembles, choral groups and chamber music

• Participation in core academic classes (for example, aural awareness, historical studies), according to need, and a range of BMus options appropriate to the level of the student

• Concerts, masterclasses, seminars and workshops

• Access to RCM resources (Library, RCM Museum, Studios, Centre for Performance History, Centre for Performance Science, practice facilities)

postgraduate programm


MasteRs pRogRaMMes

• MPerf or MMus in Performance: for instrumentalists, conductors and singers

• MComp or MMus in Composition: for composers and composers for screen

• MSc in Performance Science: for those interested in gaining a scientific understanding of how music is performed, taught, created and perceived

Our Masters programmes are designed to prepare you for the music profession. They encourage you to develop your creative personality as a musician, and to benefit from our highly distinguished and experienced team of professors.

The MPerf and MComp programmes are designed with a strong emphasis on Principal Study. The MMus programmes are intended for those who are aiming for careers that require more extensive academic experience alongside high level performance or composition skills.

The MSc draws on the expertise and facilities of the RCM Centre for Performance Science and is intended for those who are interested in developing a robust understanding of the science of musical performance. Both the MMus and MSc provide a solid grounding for those aiming for further study at doctoral level.


post-MasteRs pRogRaMMes

• Artist Diploma: for performers or composers who have already demonstrated excellence in performance at Masters level, either at the RCM or elsewhere

• DMus or PhD: for performers, composers, musicologists and performance scientists, who wish to combine practice and theory at the highest level


postgRaduate pRogRaMMes

The RCM is home to a lively community of taught and research postgraduate students. Our postgraduate programmes encourage interaction and dialogue at all levels; at their core resides the concept of the informed musician who works across practice and theory. As well as encouraging the study of key sources relevant to performers and composers, our postgraduate programmes foster critical skills, and provide you with a platform upon which to engage in topical debates about all issues connected with the arts; not least to rehearse the arguments for the importance of your own music-making.

otheR awaRds

• PGDip: for instrumentalists, conductors, singers and composers who have completed one year of a two-year full-time Masters programme

• GradDip: for Non-EU and UK/EU vocal students, as a bridge to postgraduate study, who have an alternative to a music degree or come from a non-conservatoire environment

Murray Perahia

MasteRs pRogRaMMes in peRfoRManCe and CoMpositionThe Masters programmes are designed to allow a strong emphasis on one-to-one tuition on your Principal Study instrument. They also offer you the opportunity to undertake a Second Study (for example the historical equivalent of your Principal Study instrument).

The Masters programmes at the RCM consist of three parts:

1. Principal Study (see below)2. Masters Options (see page 74)3. Elements for MMus students only (see page 74)

These programmes can be taken over two years full-time or three years part-time. The MMus in Performance and MMus in Composition can exceptionally be taken fast-track in one calendar year.


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CompositionAs a composer, you will be able to choose between focusing on composition or composition for screen. You will receive individual lessons and lectures from visiting composers, and you will have many opportunities to hear performances of your own works in concert, on film and in class workshops, performed by fellow students and professional ensembles.

| See page 38 to find out more about the RCM Composition Faculty.

Historical Performance Principal Study in a historical instrument is supplemented by extended projects on the music of various eras, nationalities and genres. They are designed to give you experience and understanding of the challenges of period performance. There is also scope for a Second Study.

| See page 42 to find out more about Historical Performance at the RCM.

1. pRinCipal study

BrassIn addition to one-to-one tuition and the Masters Options listed on page 74, you will attend regular performance and ensemble classes, faculty masterclasses with distinguished visiting musicians, and receive high-profile chamber music and orchestral opportunities.

| See page 34 to find out more about the Brass Faculty.

ConductingAs a conducting student, you will be able to explore a wide variety of repertoire through one-to-one conducting lessons. You will receive opportunities to direct various orchestras and ensembles, and take rehearsals for (and shadow) visiting conductors. Recent visiting conductors have included Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Jurowski, Lorin Maazel and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

To support your Principal Study, you will be offered seminars in: Analysis; Specialist Techniques and Repertoire Classes; Podium Time (and observation of other conductors).

KeyboardFor your Principal Study, you can choose between Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Fortepiano, Contemporary Piano and Piano Accompaniment / Repetiteur.

Principal Study in Contemporary Piano provides you with the opportunity to expand your repertoire interests. To complement your Principal Study, you will take part in workshops on subjects such as minimalism and post minimalism, prepared piano, aleatoric music and improvisation. You will work alongside staff and student composers in preparing pieces for concert performance, and have the chance to develop orchestral piano, duo and ensemble playing, as well as solo performance.

Principal Study in PianoAccompaniment/ Repetiteur includes intensive training in the accompaniment of instrumental and vocal music. Regular classes with renowned pianist Roger Vignoles focus on vocal repertoire, while other provision includes: performances of duo repertoire and chamber music; sight-reading and transposition; fortepiano, harpsichord, continuo playing and figured bass; techniques for the repetiteur and basic conducting. There are close links with other faculties and the RCM International Opera School.

| See page 46 to find out more about Keyboard Faculty.



PercussionIn addition to one-to-one tuition and the Masters Options listed on page 74, you will attend regular faculty performances classes and have use of a purpose built percussion suite. A specialist postgraduate solo marimba programme is also offered. See www.rcm.ac.uk/marimba for further details.

| See page 51 to find out more about the Percussion Faculty.

StringsIn addition to one-to-one tuition and the Masters Options listed on page 74, you will attend regular performance and ensemble classes, faculty masterclasses with distinguished visiting musicians, and receive high-profile chamber music and orchestral opportunities.

| See page 53 to find out more about the String Faculty.

VoiceDesigned for singers who are already highly accomplished, these programmes provide you with the opportunity to develop your voice, and to acquire vocal and operatic training. Language work and classes in acting and movement training will help you gain the skills essential to the singer’s craft; these are supplemented by classes that help you prepare for the professional world.

To support your Principal Study, you will be offered training in the following modules: repertoire coaching; opera coaching; interpretation and artistry.

Assessment is by recital, continuous assessment and the assessment of an operatic scene or role. All students participate in fully staged opera scenes. Second Study is not available on this course.

| See page 56 to find out more about the Vocal Faculty.

WoodwindIn addition to one-to-one tuition and the Masters Options listed on page 74, you will attend regular performance and ensemble classes, faculty masterclasses with distinguished visiting musicians, and receive high-profile chamber music and orchestral opportunities.

| See page 62 to find out more about the Woodwind Faculty.

What is the role of the RCM International Opera School?Most class-based postgraduate vocal study takes place within the RCM International Opera School (RCMIOS) and its teaching and rehearsal spaces.

In addition to two sets of opera scenes in spring and summer terms, the RCMIOS mounts three fully-staged productions annually. The school is truly international, in terms of the range of nationalities of singers who study with us, as well as the high profile its productions enjoy. Operatic repertoire is chosen to cater for the specific needs of singers studying on the Artist Diploma in Opera although Masters students are frequently invited to audition for roles in the RCM’s critically acclaimed opera productions. See pages 60–61 to find out more about the RCM International Opera School.

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2. MasteRs options

According to the number of elements within your Principal Study Area – and depending on which Masters programme you are following – you will be asked to choose a number of options from the following list:

Ensemble PerformanceAs a performer at the RCM, you will have numerous chances to participate in our full and varied concert programme. In addition to that, these options offer you the chance to enrich your skills as a musical team-player at the highest level.

• Chamber Music• Concerto Competition• Conducting• Continuo Accompaniment • Duo Performance• Keyboard Improvisation • Orchestral Performance • Recital Accompaniment

Music in ContextThe treasures in the RCM Library and Museum offer world-class resources for training in different research techniques, and for the investigation of performance histories. So you can discover how the musical past informs the present and the future.

• Analysing Interpretation in Performance

• Historical Performance• Programme Notes/Spoken

Presentation• Repertoire Project• Sources in Performance History

Contemporary CulturesMany of these options are based around collaborations between performers and composers, and many make use of our excellent studio facilities, equipped with the latest creative technologies. Within this rich, creative, experimental environment, you will be encouraged to find new ways of making music, and of communicating with audiences.

• Concert Craft• Contemporary Music in Action• Composition for Screen• Electro-acoustic Music• Experimental Music• Orchestration• Pop Song Writing • Studio Experience

Applied SkillsThese options will help you to prepare for a lifelong career in music, drawing on the unrivalled resources of the RCM Centre for Performance Science, the Woodhouse Professional Development Centre, and RCM Sparks – the RCM’s outreach and education programme.

• Alexander Technique• Education and Outreach • New Media• Musical Development• Musicians’ Health and Wellbeing• Professional Skills• Psychology of Performance

3. MMus eleMents

The MMus in Performance and MMus in Composition have at their core the same Principal Study Areas, faculty-based activities and Options as the MPerf and MComp programmes. In addition, you will prepare a Research Project and a Critical Portfolio in the research areas of composition, composition for screen, performance practice and performance science.

| Find out more about the Masters programmes at www.rcm.ac.uk/masters

Msc in peRfoRManCe sCienCeThe MSc in Performance Science is an internationally distinctive programme, providing opportunities to examine the art and science of performance in real-world educational and professional contexts. It challenges students to engage with key facets of peak performance, musicians’ health and wellbeing, musical development, and effective learning and teaching.



Msc in peRfoRManCe sCienCe

• One year full-time or two years part-time

Drawing on the expertise and facilities of the RCM Centre for Performance Science – as well as the lively performance environment of the RCM and of London – the aim of this innovative programme is to enable you to develop a robust understanding of the science of musical performance, while gaining the critical and analytical skills necessary to conduct high quality practical work and independent research in this field.

Who is it for?The programme benefits anyone who is motivated to gain a scientific understanding of how music is performed, taught, created, and perceived, including performers and educators aiming to progress their current careers through continued professional development.

Equally, the programme serves as an ideal base for those wishing to pursue doctoral research and/or teaching in performance science, music psychology, or musicians’ health, or in any area in which knowledge of scientific methods and techniques would be an advantage.

About the programmeThe programme challenges students to examine the physical and mental demands of practising and playing in real-world performance, educational and professional contexts through taught units on the Psychology of Performance, Musicians’ Health and Wellbeing, and Musical Development.

There are also units on Research Methods and a seminar series which keeps abreast of the latest developments in performance science.

You will complete a research project, applying knowledge and experience informed and shaped by practical, theoretical and ethical considerations. Assessment is a combination of coursework essays, oral presentations, written examinations, and an in-depth independent research project.

| Find out more about the MSc in Performance Science at www.rcm.ac.uk/cps

post-MasteRs pRogRaMMes For students who have already attained Masters level, our range of post-masters programmes offer the opportunity for in-depth study. Our Artist Diploma is for performers, composers and animateurs who want to develop their art at the highest level, while our DMus and PhD programmes are for performers, composers and researchers who wish to engage in practice-based research within the RCM’s unique inspirational environment.

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These courses represent the highest level of non research-based postgraduate study. They are aimed at musicians wishing to hone their skills by working intensively on particular areas of their artistic development, and are offered to students who have already demonstrated a high level of ability at Masters level. They focus on one-to-one provision and practical project work, as suited to your particular career aspirations.

The RCM already offers Artist Diplomas in the following areas:

• Opera• Performance

From September 2014, the RCM plans to offer additional Artist Diploma courses in:

• Animateurship • Chamber Music• Composition

| Find out more about the Artist Diplomas at www.rcm.ac.uk/artistdiploma

dMus oR phd

• Three to four years full-time or five to six years part-time

The RCM’s doctoral awards are specialist research degrees that particularly encourage practice-based research in the areas of performance, composition, musicology and the psychology of music.

Who are they for?The DMus is aimed at performers and composers who wish to explore research questions arising directly from their artistic practice. You will be expected to include practical work in addition to written commentaries, whether a composition or a performance portfolio.

The PhD is a research degree that foregrounds musicological and scientific approaches to performance and composition. You will be expected to offer a written dissertation, with supporting practical work if appropriate to the topic.

About the programmeAs a research degree candidate, you will work with at least two supervisors in addition to attending group tutorials and seminars. The RCM’s distinctive areas of research interest and resources are outlined in the Research section of the website.

To be admitted onto the programme, you will need to demonstrate a familiarity with existing theoretical and practical aspects of your topic area. There should also be a close match between your intended project and expertise of staff at the RCM. Please contact members of the research team for advice on the suitability of their topic area.

If you are interested in pursuing your research interests at the RCM, please contact Professor Amanda Glauert, Director of Programmes & Research at [email protected].

aCadeMiC staff

Director of Programmes & ResearchProfessor Amanda Glauert MA (Cantab), PhD, ARCM, HonRAM

Head of Academic Development & Undergraduate ProgrammesDr Elisabeth Cook BMus, MBA, PhD, HonRCM, PGCE, FRGS

Assistant Head of ProgrammesDr Natasha Loges BMus, MMus, PhD

Mark Armstrong BA, LGSM

David Bahanovich BMus, MMus, MBA

Professor Paul Banks BA, DPhil, HonRCM

Dr Amy Blier-Carruthers BMus(Hons), MMus, PhD, LRAM

Andrew Bottrill GGSM

Peter Buckoke HonRCM, ARCM

Dr Jean-Philippe Calvin MM, DMA

Dr Jonathan Cole MMus, PhD

Ben ConnellanIan Curror GRSM, FRCO(CHM), ARCM

Carola Darwin MA, MMus, PhD

Miranda Francis BMus, LRAM, ARCM, PGCE, ARAM

David Graham BMus, ARCM, ARCO

Dr Katy Hamilton BA(Hons), MA, DMus, LRSM

Kenneth Hesketh DipRCM, MMus, ARCM(PG)

Ivan Hewett MMus

Vasco Hexel BM, MMus

Dr Alison Kay BA, ARCM, MMus, DPhil

Dr Haris Kittos BMus, BA, MMus, PGA

Judith Kleinman STAT, GRSM

Professor Richard Langham Smith BA(Hons), Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres, FRSA

Professor Colin Lawson MA(Oxon), MA, PhD, DMus, FRCM, FRNCM, FLCM

Dr Tania Lisboa BMus, PGDip, MA, PhD

Natalia Luis-Bassa BMus, PGDip, MMus

Richard Lyne BMus, GRSM, MA, FRSA, ARCO, ARCM

Dr Robert Manning BMus, PhD, HonRCM, ARCO, CertEd(FAE)

Andrew McCrea BMus, MMus, ARCM, ARCO

Dr Anna McCready GRSM, MMus, PhD

William Mival MMus, FRCM

Jenny Nex BMus, MA

Michael Oliva BA, MA

Dr Ingrid Pearson BMus, PhD, DipEd, LTCL, LMusA

Dr Jonathan Pitkin MA, MMus, DMus

David Rees MA

Dr Paul Robinson BA, MA, PhD

Dr Jane Roper MMus, PhD

Gary Ryan GRSM, HonARAM, LRAM, LGSM

Pande Shadov BMus, PGDip

Dr Matthew Shlomowitz BMus, MMus, DMA

Tim Watts MA, MMus

Professor Aaron Williamon BA, BSc, PhD, HonRCM

Eric WilsonGareth Wilson BMus, DipRAM, MA



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Originality and innovation are key elements in the RCM’s musical and academic profile. Our broad definition of research across theory and practice encompasses and ground-breaking investigation that leads to enhanced knowledge and new insights.

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78 Research at the RCM - Creating New Music - Enhancing Performance - Understanding Music’s Contexts - Engaging with Audiences

Research www.rcm.ac.uk/research 79

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ReseaRCh at the RCM

The RCM has a dynamic and mixed community of researchers, involved in various aspects of pure and applied research. Its research priorities are:

• Creating New Music• Enhancing Performance• Understanding Music’s Contexts• Engaging with Audiences

These priorities involve an imaginative convergence of theory and practice to encourage innovation and creativity, and to generate a stimulating environment for all staff and students. The RCM is fortunate to have research leaders in composition, performance and musicology who have been successful in developing distinctive research areas across the RCM.

In the Research Assessment Exercise of 2008 run by the Higher Education Funding Council the RCM was awarded a higher amount of Quality-related (QR) funding than any institution in the UK Conservatoire sector. The panel commented on the RCM’s ‘impressive’ research ‘suggestive of a lively and sustainable research culture’.

People and ProjectsResearchers and research projects at the RCM can be grouped under these four thematic banners (left). Each is led by a specific research group or area of activity, but is designed to draw in as many people as possible from across the RCM.

The RCM is also committed to collaborating with external research organisations and has developed strong links with the AHRC funded Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice (CMPCP), the University of London Institute for Music Research, Conservatoires UK (CUK) Research Forum, the British Library, the BBC, IRCAM and many other higher-education institutions in the UK and abroad.

CReating new MusiC

The RCM’s Composition Faculty, led by William Mival, hosts a large community of staff and student researchers who have won impressive prizes and commissions for their artistic achievements. These include commissions from the Royal Opera House, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra,

“The RCM offers a unique opportunity for students, staff and audiences to appreciate the richness of our musical heritage, and the potential for the music profession and music scholarship to create new perspectives for the future. We pride ourselves on having an open door, so please come and visit our world-renowned research collections, attend our dynamic research events, or talk to

us about your own research interests.”

Amanda Glauert Director of Programmes & Research

BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms, Nash Ensemble and Ensemble Intercontemporain. Within the RCM’s research environment composers are active in exploring:

• Composer-performer collaborations• Cross-arts dialogues• New media explorations

Composer-performer collaborationsStaff composers Dr Jonathan Cole, Kenneth Hesketh, Dr Alison Kay, Professor Colin Matthews, William Mival, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Simon Holt have distinguished records in rethinking, transforming and recasting the genres of Western Art music through direct collaboration and interaction with performers and performing groups at the highest artistic level.

The RCM has many staff performers distinguished for their work in contemporary music with today’s composers including pianists Andrew Ball and Julian Jacobson, harpsichordist Jane Chapman, violinists Radu Blidar and Madeleine Mitchell, recorder player Julien Feltrin and many others.

www.rcm.ac.uk/research 81 Research at the RCM

Cross-arts dialoguesSeveral of the RCM’s composers have forged innovative approaches to music’s role within opera and explored the nature of dramatic interaction on both a large and small scale, and in abstract and non-abstract contexts. Mark-Anthony Turnage and Michael Oliva have worked with the stage on the largest operatic scale, while Dr Alison Kay and Dr Jean-Philippe Calvin have explored dramatic interaction in dance and other theatrical media.

In connection with the postgraduate ‘Composition for Screen’ course, led by Vasco Hexel, the RCM also hosts research into the aesthetics of collaborative creativity in film, as explored through the lens of theory and practice.

Interaction with new media and technological innovationThe RCM’s state-of-the-art studios have encouraged extensive research into the creative potential of new music technologies, and in particular how new tools can interact with new creative uses. RCM composers such as Dr Dai Fujikura, Michael Oliva and Dr Jean-Philippe Calvin are renowned for their engagement with the processes of electroacoustic music from artistic, technical and aesthetic perspectives.

sean’s stoRy

Sean Riley is in the first year of his doctoral studies having successfully completely the Masters programme.

“My RCM experience has been a tremendous journey from day one. as an american from new york, i am continually excited by london’s cutting edge music scene and by what is happening at the RCM. with world-class faculties, excellent training resources and a highly knowledgeable library staff, i’ve been able to jump into my work with inspiration and focus.

My dMus research examines innovative, collaborative practices and the RCM has offered a wide variety of examples to participate in or observe from a distance. part of my project has been to design a student run performance-training program and i’ve been exploring the possibility of enabling a peer-based development network within a higher learning institution. More than 185 students have taken part in my project, and they all did so by their own initiative. i believe this overwhelming student assertiveness speaks volumes about the incredible atmosphere offered here. it was a breath of fresh air when i found that the RCM allows for entrepreneurial growth and innovation. Besides making my research easier it has allowed my fellow research colleagues to create new programs and collaborations.

i have also enjoyed access to some of the greatest conventional and unconventional halls in the world including st Martin-in-the-fields and the national gallery. i can’t help but be deeply affected by the intense history and cultural impact each new location brings to my experience here in london. as soon as i arrived at the RCM it became clear that it is not a place where musicians hide in a practice room never to see the light of day. you meet inspiring people, gain lifelong friendships and are challenged to define the next generation of music.”

Sean Riley

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enhanCing peRfoRManCe

The RCM’s Centre for Performance Science, led by Professor Aaron Williamon, is one of the leading research groups for developing empirical scientific approaches to questions of performance education and development, skill acquisition and expertise, musicians’ health and wellbeing. It has an international reputation for creating collaborations between the disciplines of psychology, applied physiology, music education and performance in real-world educational and professional contexts. The RCM’s performance science researchers are responsible for projects in the areas of:

• Musicians’ health and wellbeing• Musical development• Phenomenology of performance

Musicians’ health and wellbeingThe RCM has led many projects and symposia on vital questions of how to enhance the wellbeing and self-efficacy of musicians, as well as how to manage performance-related stress and ill health. This has led to several high-profile collaborations with partners across the arts and the medical sciences, including the Conservatoires UK (CUK) Research Forum, the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, London’s Science Museum and the medical faculties of Imperial College, Nottingham University and University College London.

Musical developmentDrawing on the RCM’s own teaching environment, researchers from the Centre for Performance Science are involved with casting new light on how musicians learn, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. For example, projects from Dr Rosie Perkins and Dr Tania Lisboa, Research Fellows in Performance Science, and Jackie Clifton, Research Fellow in Music and Visual Impairment have led to new strategies for skills training and life-long learning that can enhance pedagogical practice in conservatories and wider afield. Also, Dr Elizabeth Cook (Head of Academic Development & Undergraduate Programmes) and Professor Amanda Glauert (Director of Programmes and Research) have worked with Heads of Faculty and Artistic Director Stephen Jones to establish a Behind the Scenes project series that explores conservatoire assessment practices.

Phenomenology of performanceWithin the Centre for Performance Science, staff and student researchers are involved with analysing some of the key challenges performers’ face, such as how to measure success in performance, how to enhance processes of memorisation and how to document the detailed choices performers make.

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undeRstanding MusiC’s Contexts

The RCM’s Special Collections headed by Professor Paul Banks, seeks to bring together the unrivalled materials which are housed in the RCM Library and Museum, for the purpose of illuminating the contexts in which music is created and performed. The collections encourage musicians studying across all programmes to link the RCM’s rich heritage to present and future performance practices. Research is centred in the areas of:

• Performance practice• Music history and aesthetics• Music businesses past and present

Performance practiceUnder the leadership of Professor Colin Lawson, Director of the RCM and Ashley Solomon, Head of Historical Performance, the RCM has a strong reputation for the practical exploration of how to bring music’s past context to life in the present through concerts and recordings. Among the professoriate there are many performer-researchers working from historical sources – whether instruments, manuscripts and early printed editions, treatises, or historical accounts – to invigorate and illuminate practice. These include Rachel Brown, Jane Chapman, Terence Charlston, Dr Geoffrey Govier, David Graham, Janis Kelly, Norbert Meyn, Dr Ingrid Pearson (Research Fellow in Performance Practice) and Robert Woolley.

Research at the RCM www.rcm.ac.uk/research 83

engaging with audienCes

Knowledge exchange and public engagement are key to all the RCM’s research activities, so as to enhance everyone’s understanding of what it might mean to be a musician, for the future as well as the past. To this end the RCM is involved in creating:

• Grove Forum events• Collaborative projects• ‘Open Studio’ initiatives

Grove Forum eventsNamed after Sir George Grove, the founder of the RCM, whose musical inquisitiveness was unbounded, the Grove Forum events are designed to foster lively debates about music across the boundaries of arts and science, theory and practice. The events include research presentations, round-table discussions and lecture recitals, and they are often linked to other institutions via the RCM’s video-conferencing facilities. They usually take place on a Thursday afternoon and tickets are free to the public.

Collaborative projectsAs part of its aspiration to reach a wider public, the RCM has collaborative research partnerships with the Science Museum, the Open University (researching the history of listening practice), the Victoria & Albert Museum (providing music for its galleries), the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall and British Library.

‘Open Studio’ initiativesThe RCM’s vision of opening the musician’s ‘studio’ to new enquirers, as well as to new modes of enquiry, is greatly enhanced by its position within Albertopolis and the rich heritage of the Exhibition Road cultural quarter. The RCM is thus committed to linking a spirit of enquiry into all its artistic and educational activity and to ‘opening its doors’ – whether doors onto the past or into the future – to as wide a public as possible. Research at the RCM is thus committed to helping make music more ‘visible’ in the RCM’s immediate cultural surroundings and further afield – through events of all kinds, workshops, exhibitions, podcasts and publications.

Music history and aestheticsWith its roots in the 19th century, having been founded in 1883, the RCM boasts a strong team of scholars concerned with exploring the wider factors – aesthetic, socio-economic, and political – which have influenced the growth and make-up of the institution’s performance repertoire. These include Professor Amanda Glauert, Professor Paul Banks, Professor Richard Langham Smith, Dr Natasha Loges (Assistant Head of Programmes), Dr Peter Horton (Deputy Librarian), Ivan Hewett, and Dr Katy Hamilton (Junior Research Fellow in Performance History).

Music businesses past and presentAs a complement to its outstanding collections of musical instruments, manuscripts and early printed editions and concert programmes, the RCM has researchers working on the business of instrument-building (Jenny Nex, Curator of Musical Instruments), of music publishing and editing (Professor Paul Banks and Dr Peter Horton) and of concert programming and recording (Stephen Johns, Artistic Director and Dr Amy Blier-Carruthers).

How to get involvedThere are many ways to get involved in research at the RCM, including applying for Doctoral study (see pages 88–89), accessing our collections (see pages 18–19) or attending our research events, including the Grove Forum (see left).

If you are interested in pursuing your research interests at the RCM, please contact Professor Amanda Glauert, Director of Programmes & Research at [email protected].

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This section takes you, in chronological order, through everything you need to think about when you consider applying to the RCM, from coming along to an open day to raising funds when you’ve been offered your place.

You should find answers to most of your questions here, but if you need to know anything else please contact us on 020 7591 4300 or at [email protected], and we’ll be very pleased to hear from you.

how to apply

86 Open Days and Tours87 Minimum Entry Requirements - Undergraduate Programmes - Postgraduate Programmes - English Language Requirements88 Applying to the RCM - CUKAS Applications - Non-CUKAS Applications - Application and Audition Fees89 Special Requirements90 Auditions - Audition Format - When and Where - Auditions by DVD for International Applicants91 What Happens Next? - Consultation Lesson82 Money Matters - Tuition Fees - Scholarships - Other Sources of Financial Assistance94 Application Checklist

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www.rcm.ac.uk/howtoapply 85

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Our prospectus and website will tell you everything you need to know about studying at the RCM, but the best way to discover what life is truly like here is to visit us.

Join us each spring for our free annual Open Day, designed to give prospective students, parents and teachers the chance to ‘access all areas’ and experience all kinds of live music, introductions to the faculties, plus a wide range of open lessons and rehearsals. The day starts at 11.00am and we encourage you to come from the start.

open days and touRs

Our 2013 Open Day is on Wednesday 24 April. Information on our 2014 Open Day will appear on our website: www.rcm.ac.uk/openday from summer 2013.

If you can’t come to Open Day, you may like to consider a personal tour. Tours are held throughout term-time except in examination weeks, and must be booked in advance. They usually last an hour and precede or follow one of our regular lunchtime concerts.

The tour telephone booking number is +44 (0)20 7591 4867/4310. There is no charge for tours, but places are subject to availability.

Regular tour days are:

• Tuesdays 2.00pm – 3.00pm: You can also attend the regular Tuesday lunchtime chamber concert at 1.00pm before a tour.

• Thursdays 12.00pm – 1.00pm: You can also attend the regular Thursday lunchtime chamber concert at 1.00pm after a tour.

entry Requirements


Students transferring from other institutionsBMus or Experience Programme applicants wishing to enter Year 2 of the Undergraduate Programme should provide full transcripts from their current university or college to demonstrate successful progression through their course of study.

postgRaduate pRogRaMMes

Masters Programmes in Performance or Composition• A first degree or diploma, or an

equivalent international qualification, usually in music

Students who wish to take the MMus may also be requested to demonstrate appropriate knowledge and ability as part of the admissions process (see page 89).

Artist Diplomas• A postgraduate diploma or Masters

degree in music, or equivalent experience

Graduate Diplomas• A first degree, diploma or equivalent

international qualification, or equivalent experience

MSc in Performance Science• A first degree with a 2:1 class or

above (or equivalent international qualification) in Music or a related subject such as Education, Psychology or Biology. Other degrees, professional qualifications, or experience may be considered

english language RequiReMents

If your first language is not English, you must achieve a satisfactory standard in an approved test in English.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) CertificatePassing IELTS with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, etc) is acceptable for most programmes. Applicants wishing to pursue the MMus or MSc qualification will also require a minimum overall score of 7.

Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic)• Minimum score of 51 in each

component for most programmes; 65 for MMus and MSc applicants

TOEFL IBT (Internet-Based Test)• Minimum score of 72 for most

programmes (including listening 17, reading 18, speaking 20, writing 17); 90 for MMus and MSc applicants

English language requirements need to be met by 1 May preceding commencement of studies.

Whilst the above English language requirements must be met prior to admission, special English support classes for musicians are also available at the RCM.

We will also accept other Secure English Language Tests recognised by the UK Border Agency. Please consult www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk for full details. Please note that visa nationals must obtain passes with scores in line with current UK Border Agency regulations.

MiniMuM entRy RequiReMents

Other qualifications may be accepted: for information please contact the Registry Officer on +44 (0)20 7591 4362 or email: [email protected].


BMus(Hons) and Experience Programmes

UK students

• A level Music at grade C or above (most students achieve grade A or B), and either

• A second A level at grade E or above, or

• Two AS levels both at grade C or above (not including Music)

Music Technology is not accepted as a substitute for A level Music, but can be your second A level or one of your AS levels.

If you are not taking A level Music, but still wish to apply to the Royal College of Music, you may still be considered if you can demonstrate an appropriate level of musical knowledge and literacy. You may be tested or interviewed at audition or during the admissions process to ascertain this.

Alternative entrance qualifications which are accepted instead of A levels are:

• Three SCE Higher Grade passes, one of which should be in Music

• Cambridge Pre-U

• Advanced GNVQs

• BTEC qualifications

International Students

• European or International Baccalaureate or other equivalent international qualifications sufficient for university entrance in your own country

The RCM regrets that it is unable to offer the Gap Year Experience programme to students who require a Tier 4 Student Visa to study in the UK.

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non-Cukas appliCations

BSc in Physics and Musical Performance• You must apply to Imperial College

London through UCAS for this programme

• Auditions are held in February

• This programme is available to instrumentalists and composers only

• Visit the Imperial College website for more information

Doctoral Studies• Applications should be made directly

to the RCM (not through CUKAS)

• The deadline for applications is 31 January 2014

• Successful applicants are expected to commence studies in September

• Visit www.rcm.ac.uk/doctoral for full guidance on the recruitment procedure and online application form

appliCation and audition fees

The following application and audition fees must be paid when making your online application. The fee covers the cost of administering your audition/ interview and is non-returnable:

• auditions in London (deadline 1 October 2013) or Asia (deadline 31 October 2013) or by DVD:

- for single study with or without second study: £90

- for joint principal study or alternative study: £150

• auditions in the USA (deadline 5 January 2014): £140

• for Doctoral applications (deadline 31 January 2014): £90

• for MSc applications (deadline 5 January 2014): £50

Please note: all applicants applying via CUKAS must also pay the £16 CUKAS application fee. Candidates submitting a late application should contact the RCM at [email protected]. Late applications for auditions in London and by DVD (i.e. received after 1 October 2013) are subject to an additional fee of £10.

In most cases applications to study at the RCM should be made online through CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) at www.cukas.ac.uk.

However for some programmes this is not the case – see right.

Cukas appliCations

• The online application is for undergraduate applications (except BSc in Physics and Musical Performance) and postgraduate applications (except Doctoral)

• To create an application go to www.cukas.ac.uk

• You can apply simultaneously to all of the conservatoires that are members of Conservatoires UK via one online application. You can apply to as many or as few conservatoires as you wish

• You can check the progress of your application, accept offers and confirm decisions online

• You can pay your application and audition fees online

• You can track your application, find out when your audition is and get the results of your audition on CUKAS

• You can submit your application for entry in 2014 to CUKAS from July 2013

• CUKAS applicant helpline: 0871 468 0470; or from overseas: +44 (0)1242 222444

• RCM admissions: +44 (0)20 7591 4362 or [email protected]

applying to the RCM

special Requirements


MMus

In order to demonstrate appropriate knowledge and ability, you may be requested to submit two examples of recent written work, such as essays, directly to the RCM as part of the admissions process. You may also have an interview to discuss your work either on the day of audition, or at an alternative mutually convenient time. You will be told if you need to do this.

opeRa

Opera applicants must audition in person in London.

aCCoMpanists and RepetiteuRs

Postgraduate Repetiteurs should apply for Principal Study Accompaniment and may take a Repetiteur specialism in their second postgraduate year.

CoMposition and CoMposition foR sCReen

You can apply for either Composition (undergraduate and postgraduate levels) – the broad-based study of compositional technique as both art and craft, or Composition for Screen (postgraduate only) – the specific discipline of writing music for film, television and other media.

In addition to completing your CUKAS application all composers must submit examples of their compositions directly to the RCM. You must submit a portfolio of at least two, but not more than five, contrasting examples of your compositions. We are looking for evidence of both a talent for composition and, depending on the level at which you wish to study, the ability to realise effectively, or to start to realise, your ideas in a variety of forms and media.

Please submit your portfolio to the RCM by 31 October 2013 (or by 5 January 2014 for candidates being interviewed in the USA). Details of how to submit your portfolio are currently under review, please check www.rcm.ac.uk/apply for the most up-to-date information.

In addition to the normal academic and musical standards expected for entry to the RCM’s Masters Programme, Composition for Screen applicants will be expected to demonstrate:

• a command of musical gesture and expression

• instrumentation and orchestral skills

• proficiency in music technology applications such as sequencing and score processing

• experience in the use of Logic or similar software

• a keen awareness of music’s narrative and dramatic functions within and beyond film, television and multimedia.

Candidates may also be asked to complete a number of tasks during their interview.

ConduCtoRs

Conducting is available at postgraduate level only, although undergraduate students can choose this as an option in Years 3 and 4.

In addition to completing your CUKAS application you must submit a DVD of a recent performance which you conducted to ‘Admissions’ at the RCM by 31 October 2013. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an audition which may include:

• aural tests, including rhythm tests

• tests on knowledge of orchestral music, instrumentation and transposition

• a viva voce on orchestral repertoire and the instruments of the orchestra

• conducting an RCM instrumental ensemble in a rehearsal of excerpts from one or more works, as directed by the audition panel, to include a piece of sight-reading with a 10 minute preparation period

All candidates are expected to play an instrument or sing to a high standard and will be asked to demonstrate that at audition.

Conductors must audition in person in London during the February audition period. Details of the set pieces will be sent with audition timetables. All candidates are expected to show a detailed knowledge of orchestral repertoire and to prove a genuine commitment to, and interest in, conducting as a significant part of their professional career. Shortlisted candidates may be required to stay in London for a second day.

speCial RequiReMents

audi

tions

how to apply90

audition foRMat

• Auditions/interviews at the RCM are approximately 15–20 minutes long

• For some instruments and for voice you may be asked to perform at a second audition on the same day

• For details of audition pieces visit www.rcm.ac.uk/auditionpieces

• Performers may be asked to undertake a short sight-reading exercise, and in some cases asked to play scales and arpeggios or other technical exercises

• The RCM does not require advance notice of your audition programme

• You are advised to bring your own accompanist, with whom you will have worked in preparation for your audition. However, if you are unable to do so, an accompanist can be provided by the RCM

• The RCM does not need to know in advance if you require an RCM accompanist

when and wheRe

Auditions in London• Applications should be submitted by

1 October 2013

• Late applications will be accepted only if there is space in the audition schedule

• Most auditions will be held in London between 2 December and 16 December 2013, although some applicants may be asked to audition in February 2014

• If you are auditioning in the December audition period, you will be notified of your audition date and time in mid-November and you will be told the result of your audition in late December via CUKAS Track

• If you are auditioning in February you will be notified of your audition date and time in January and you will be told the result of your audition in late February via CUKAS Track

Auditions in the USA• The RCM holds auditions in New York

and Boston in February or March

• Applications should be submitted through CUKAS by 5 January 2014

• Applicants auditioning in the USA can be considered for scholarships as well as places

• USA auditions are not available for opera, conducting, repetiteur, lute, percussion or organ. Auditions for these principal studies are held only in London

• For more information email: [email protected] or telephone +44 (0)20 7591 4362

Auditions in Asia• The RCM holds auditions in Seoul

and Tokyo in November; in Hong Kong and Singapore in January; and in China in March

• Applications should be submitted through CUKAS by 31 October 2013

• Applicants auditioning in Asia can be considered for scholarships as well as places

• Auditions in Asia are not available for opera, conducting, repetiteur, lute or percussion. Auditions for these principal studies are held only in London

• For more information email: [email protected] or telephone +44 (0)20 7591 4377

auditions By dvd foR inteRnational appliCants

The RCM prefers you to audition in person, but international applicants from outside the European Union may audition by DVD, unless they are conductors, repetiteurs, opera singers, organists, percussionists or lute applicants. Applicants who are auditioned by DVD cannot normally be considered for RCM scholarships.

If you wish to be auditioned by DVD, please complete the online application at www.cukas.ac.uk by 1 October 2013. Once you have submitted your online application you should then send the following directly to the RCM by 31 October 2013:

• A DVD recording of your performance of the prescribed pieces for your instrument or, where applicable, three contrasting pieces of a similar standard. For set pieces see the audition pieces online at www.rcm.ac.uk/auditionpieces. The recording should be of good quality and must be an unedited single performance of your audition pieces. Your recording will not be returned to you

• A letter that states that the performance is your own unaided work, signed by the recording engineer, your Principal Study teacher, Head of Department or Head Teacher

• A photocopy of the marks and examiner’s comments in the highest examination that you have taken of ABRSM or other internationally recognised examinations body.

auditions

what happens next?


• Offers are made to successful applicants via CUKAS Track, which outlines details of the programme offered with any conditions

• To access CUKAS Track you will need the login details you used to make your application

• You will receive an email notification to inform you that updated information is available on CUKAS Track

• The RCM aims to inform applicants of the outcome of the audition as soon after the audition period as possible. Applicants who audition in London in December should hear before Christmas. Applicants auditioning overseas or in February should hear within two weeks of audition

• In addition to the offer posted on CUKAS Track, the RCM will send a confirmatory email with further information

• Applicants being offered scholarships will receive notification from the RCM

• Successful applicants can accept their offer via CUKAS Track

• To ensure we can reach you by mail, email or telephone (including over the Christmas period), it is important that you keep your contact details up-to-date on CUKAS Track

• Successful applicants who have accepted offers of places will then be contacted again in the August preceding commencement of studies. In the meantime, further information about the RCM, events and concerts is available on our website, and you are free to contact us at any time

what happens next?

Consultation lesson

If you are offered a place by the RCM and would welcome guidance about your choice of professor, please contact the relevant Head of Faculty at the RCM who will be happy to advise (see page 32 onwards for faculty information). You may also wish to have a consultation lesson with a prospective professor. Your Head of Faculty is best placed to advise you on this and will be able to put you in touch with the relevant professor. There is normally a charge of £70 for a consultation lesson (but this may vary), which is conducted in the professor’s own time. This charge is payable directly to the professor.

The RCM offers online consultation lessons for prospective applicants to the Masters Programme in Composition for Screen and to those who are re-applying. Further details are available from the Area Leader in Postgraduate Composition for Screen, Vasco Hexel [email protected].

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tuition fees

Tuition fees are revised annually so please check the website at www.rcm.ac.uk/moneymatters for the latest information. An up-to-date full list of fees for all programmes can be found there.

Study at a world-class conservatoire can be expensive, but the most talented students have all their fees covered by scholarships and almost half of students receive some financial support from the RCM.

Students from the UK and EUAs a guide only, key fees for the academic year 2013/14 were:

• BMus £9,000

• MPerf/MMus/MComp £8,960 (part-time £6,325)

• Fast-track MMus £11,470

• MSc £5,790

• ArtDip in Performance £8,840

• Gap Year and Junior Year Experience Programme £9,000

• Doctoral programme £5,790

Students from Other Countries• BMus, Experience Programmes

£19,780

• MPerf/MMus/MComp £20,290

• Fast-track MMus £25,490

• MSc £14,210

• ArtDip in Performance £18,890

• Doctoral programme £13,580

Postgraduate Vocal ProgrammesPostgraduate vocal provision at the RCM is generous and intensive. As a result, fees for singers are higher than those for instrumentalists and composers. The RCM is fortunate to have generous scholarship funds, which means that almost all vocal students receive a scholarship that covers some or all of their fees.

As a guide, fees for 2013/14 were:

• Graduate Diploma/Masters Programme in Vocal Performance £9,540 (UK and EU); £20,800 (other countries)

• Artist Diploma in Opera £11,190 (UK and EU); £21,730 (other countries)

US Federal LoansThe RCM is designated as an eligible institution for American students to apply for US Federal Student Loans or for deferment of payment on an existing US Student Loan. For more detailed information on US loans and how to apply, visit www.rcm.ac.uk/usloans

Overseas Students (Non EU)If you are an overseas student, it is essential that you have the means to pay your fees and living expenses for the duration of your course before leaving your own country. Minimum living expenses are estimated at more than £9,000 – most students spend approximately £11,000 per year on living costs. There may be a small number of grants and awards available in your home country for study abroad. Consult your local British Council representative for details.

Money MatteRs

Money M

atters www.rcm.ac.uk/howtoapply 93

Money MatteRs

sCholaRships

RCM Scholarships and Study Awards• RCM scholarships and study

awards are available to UK/EU and Non EU applicants at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels

• RCM scholarships and study awards provide support for tuition fees (up to full fees)

• At the time of your audition, you will automatically be considered for an RCM scholarship provided you audition in person and are applying for an eligible course. They are awarded on merit as part of the audition process. No separate application is needed

• Applicants who receive a high audition mark will be considered for an award either during their Principal Study audition, or at a second audition the same day

• RCM scholarships and study awards are not normally awarded to applicants who apply by DVD or for Experience Programmes (Gap Year, Semester or Junior Year Experience)

• BMus UK or EU students who are offered scholarships have the option to use their scholarship to offset either their tuition fees or College Hall accommodation rent, or for living costs

Other ScholarshipsABRSM offers scholarships to six students each year to study at the RCM: three for undergraduates (one UK, one EU and one Non EU); and three for postgraduates (one UK, one EU and one Non EU). Doctoral students are not eligible.

• These scholarships may cover up to full tuition fees

• Overseas student awards also include assistance with living costs

• No separate application is required to be considered for ABRSM scholarships

otheR souRCes of finanCial assistanCe

You can find a comprehensive guide to scholarships and funding at the RCM, at www.rcm.ac.uk/howtoapply including advice for UK/EU and international students, a list of key external funding organisations and helpful tips on how to approach them.

appl

icat

ion

Chec

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t how to apply 94

Been to an Open Day or tour, or visited the RCM website and found out all you need to know about your faculty and programme of study?

Checked that you meet the entry requirements? See page 87 for details.

Submitted your application online? Remember to check whether you need to apply via CUKAS or another method – see page 88 for details.

Paid your application and audition fees online? See page 88 for details.

Checked the special requirements? See page 89 for details.

appliCation CheCklist

Decided the Royal College of Music is the place for you? Make sure your application runs smoothly by following our simple checklist below.

Have you...

Made a note of your audition date and time (available on CUKAS Track) and checked www.rcm.ac.uk/auditionpieces for details of your audition pieces?

Impressed us with a great audition? International students may apply by DVD if you can’t attend in person – see page 90 for details.

Checked our website www.rcm.ac.uk/moneymatters for up-to-date information on our tuition fees and secured the necessary funding? Help and advice on financial matters can also be found online.

Checked CUKAS Track to see if your application was successful? See page 91 for details.

Accepted your offer via CUKAS Track? You may also wish to book a consultation lesson to discuss your choice of Professor – see page 91 for details.

If you have any other queries about the application process please visitwww.rcm.ac.uk or contact the RCM on +44 (0)20 7591 4300 or via [email protected].

good luck with your application! we hope to see you in september 2014.Design: www.splashofpaint.com General photography: Chris Christodoulou

Additional photography: Ben Rice – pages 13, 47, 49, 72, 78. Shutterstock – page 25. Shelia Burnett – pages 26–27, 29, 37, 40, 45, 65.

www.rcm.ac.uk 95

Royal College of Music, london

Prince Consort RoadLondon SW7 2BS

United Kingdom

Tel +44(0)20 7591 4300Email [email protected]

www.rcm.ac.ukwww.facebook.com/royalcollegeofmusic

www.twitter.com/rcmlatest

Patron Her Majesty The Queen

President His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

Chairman Professor Lord Winston

Director Professor Colin Lawson MA (Oxon) MA PhD DMus FRCM FRNCM FLCM

The Royal College of Music is a registered charity. No. 309268

The Royal College of Music prospectus is printed on Heaven 42.

It is fully recyclable, biodegradable and Elemental Chlorine Free.

Documents

Royal College of Music Prospectus 2014/15