Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Check out these stunning pictures of our Production Arts and Design Showcase! 😍

Each year, our Production Arts and Design students showcase their amazing creativity and craftsmanship from a busy year at RCS. Costumes, props, scenic art, set construction, set and costume designs were all on display - maybe you'll spot a costume from one of our recent productions or a prop from a film!

Photography by Hope Holmes

Congratulations to RCS alumnus Patrick Doyle, Patron of the RCS Junior Conservatoire of Music, on being awarded a CBE in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours 🎉

One of Scotland’s most celebrated composers, Patrick has enjoyed an outstanding career across film, television and theatre, scoring some of the biggest films in modern cinema, including Brave, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Sense and Sensibility.

His relationship with RCS is a powerful full-circle story. As a Junior Conservatoire student, he travelled each week from his home in North Lanarkshire to Glasgow - experiences that helped shape a lifelong journey in music. He went on to study at the then RSAMD, graduating in 1975, and was later made a Fellow in 2001.

Appointed Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Music in 2023 (joining violinist Nicola Benedetti CBE), Patrick continues to give back to the institution he says played an instrumental role in his success.

A richly deserved recognition, Patrick, and thank you for everything you do to support and inspire the next generation of musicians!

📸 Martin Shields

The countdown to graduation is on! 🎓️
With just over two weeks to go, visit our graduation hub for everything you need to know, including ceremony times and the livestream link for friends and family cheering you on from home.
Don’t forget - your loved ones can also leave you a message of support on our online message wall.
Link in comments.

A look back at our June Opera Scenes ✨ Some fab photos of our Vocal Performance students performing in the Alexander Gibson Opera Studio Theatre.

📸 Hope Holmes

When the Rain Stops Falling ☔️

Some fab production photos of our final year BA Acting students in the New Athenaeum theatre.

Brilliantly designed and staged by our production students ✨

🎟️ Tickets available at the RCS box office

📸 Hope Holmes

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey FRSE has announced today (June 9th) that he will step down as Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) at the end of the 2026-27 Academic Year.

Professor Sharkey, a pianist and composer, is currently one of Scotland’s longest-serving Higher Education principals. He joined RCS in September 2014 from Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore where he was Director from 2006-2014.

During his tenure, RCS has raised its profile domestically and internationally and has been ranked the top 10 world leading institutions for performing arts education (QS World Rankings) 10 times since 2015.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey said:
‘This has of course been a difficult decision for me, given how much I love life at RCS and our wonderful community of staff and students. There’s never a perfect time for these things, but this feels an appropriate time to step back and have a new chapter begin for me personally, as well as for the RCS as it celebrates its 180th anniversary.

‘There will be time for reflections about my time at RCS in due course. In the meantime, I remain focused on our shared goals for a positive academic year in 26-27 for RCS and delivering towards our longer-term ambitions as set out in the strategic plan.’

Professor Sharkey will depart in summer 2027. This timeframe has been established by the Conservatoire’s Board of Governors to allow both for a full recruitment campaign and for a transition plan to be put in place.

Fab photos of our Junior Conservatoire Wind, Brass and Percussion students in rehearsals ahead of their end of term showcase 👏🎺🥁🎷

Amazing to see all the hard work, focus and enthusiasm paying off! ✨

📸 Hope Holmes