Royal College of Music

We're looking forward to welcoming our 2024 graduands and their families to tomorrow!🎓

For those who cannot attend the celebrations in person, a live stream of the ceremonies will be broadcast on https://bit.ly/rcm-graduation-livestreams tomorrow.

‘It’s the people I’ll miss most.’ Upbeat spoke with the Royal College of Music’s outgoing Director, Professor Colin Lawson, about his hopes for the future of music, as he prepares to step down after nearly two decades of leadership.

Read the interview: bit.ly/RCM-colinlawson

'The future of opera is bright'

Congratulations to everyone involved in the RCM and Tête à Tête's summer production of ‘Revolutions’ last week! 👏 We enjoyed three fantastic shows, met with a five-star review from Opera Now, and great enthusiasm from the audience.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read the full review here: https://bit.ly/4cIKQYG

The summer edition of Upbeat magazine is out now! This print edition pays tribute to Director, Professor Colin Lawson, as he reaches the end of his 19-year tenure at the Royal College of Music. Read his farewell interview, as well as insights from artist Alastair Adams into his official RCM portrait.

Pick up your copy at the RCM Box Office, or read online now: bit.ly/RCMUpbeatSummer24

We are live again this evening from the Britten Theatre, with RCM Opera’s summer production ‘Revolutions’, in association with Tête à Tête.

Hear six brand-new short operas by RCM composers, each work drawing you into a different world. Plus, during the stream the composers share insights into each of their operas and how they came to be, and the fascinating process of curating this production.

Join us online from 7pm: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/live

📷: Chris Christodoulou

There are just a few hours to go until we’re live with Martyn Brabbins and the RCM Symphony Orchestra, performing works by Korngold, Druschetzky, Bartók and RCM alumna Dani Howard, in a concert in recognition of outgoing Director, Professor Colin Lawson, who will be joining the Orchestra on stage as a soloist.

In our interval feature, watch an interview with Colin Lawson about his performance and preparation of Druschetzky’s Concerto in F – plus insights from Gary Ryan (Head of Strings) and RCM musicians Polina Makhina (soloist), Deniz Sensoy (orchestral leader) and Guy Courtie (percussion).

Tune in from 7.30pm: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/live

It was an honour to welcome His Majesty The Emperor of Japan to the Royal College of Music today as part of his State Visit to the UK.

His Majesty spent time with Royal College of Music students and experienced the College’s unique blend of heritage and innovation, enjoying performances by students and staff in the groundbreaking Performance Laboratory before visiting the special historical collections housed in the RCM Museum.

Read more about the visit: https://bit.ly/4bifUNP

Last night, Royal College of Music students performed for Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan and Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the State Banquet held at Buckingham Palace.

An incredible opportunity for our students, the Seion Quartet performed a programme designed to reflect the rich musical culture of both Japan and the UK, including a new piece by Royal College of Music student Jasmine Morris commissioned especially for the occasion.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/RCM-BuckinghamPalace

Rehearsals for the RCM Symphony Orchestra’s concert this Thursday are sounding fantastic!

It is going to be a spectacular event, featuring RCM alumna Dani Howard’s ‘The Butterfly Effect’, a work reflecting on how small actions can have a lasting impact, particularly her decision to study at the Royal College of Music and the effect this continues to have on her musical journey.

Plus, hear works by Korngold and Druschetzky, and Bartók’s suite from The Miraculous Mandarin 🎶

Have you got your ticket yet? Book now: https://bit.ly/rcm-butterfly-effect

It’s opening night of the RCM Opera Studio’s summer production ‘Revolutions’ with Tête à Tête, and the set and costumes are looking incredible. Toi toi toi to the whole cast!

📷: Chris Christodoulou

We're so proud of all our community.

With graduation just around the corner, we'd love to hear about your memories of the day. Share you favourite stories in the comments below ⬇

Congratulations to RCM singer Dafydd Jones, who won the Gold Medal at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition final at the Wigmore Hall yesterday! Dafydd received a standing ovation from the Gold Medal panel and was joined onstage by duo partner Francesca Lauri, winner of the 2024 ROSL Collaborative Piano Award.

Dafydd is an Aldama scholar studying with Nicky Spence and Caroline Dowdle at the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio. Catch him on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with Sean Rafferty later today.

Photography by © Frances Marshall Photography

Led by saxophonist Mornington Lockett, the Royal College of Music Junior Department Jazz Ensemble takes to the stage in the Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room next Thursday for an eclectic night of swing, bebop, jazz-funk, latin, Afrobeat and many other popular styles.

Thursday 27 June | Doors open 9pm
Book your tickets here:

Late Night Jazz: Royal College of Music Junior Department Jazz Ensemble The Royal College of Music Junior Department Jazz Ensemble makes its fifth appearance at Late Night Jazz.

Our new exhibition, Awaken: Sufi Music & Women of South Asia, is now open in the Royal College of Music Museum!

Book your free ticket to explore the legacy of women in music, poetry, Mughal miniatures and films associated with Sufism, and discover their invaluable contributions through a display of items drawn from collections across the world.

Discover more about the stories explored in the exhibition and book now: https://bit.ly/Awaken-Sufi-Music.

Revolutions Opera: The Anthem

Completing the programme is an intriguing opera by RCM composer Jasper Eaglesfield and librettist Harry Davies.

When Court Composer Nicholas Lear is forced to create a new national anthem, his journalist wife, Imogen makes investigations. With democracy crumbling around them, it’s not long before the couple find themselves becoming enemies of the State.

Book now for Revolutions on 24, 26, & 28 June: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Yesterday we held the Royal College of Music’s inaugural Festival of Woodwind and Brass!

It was a fantastic event, with a wide variety of performances from RCM musicians, as well as visiting artists Adam Walker and Amy Harman from the Orsino Ensemble, and Tredegar Town Band closing the day. Audiences also had the opportunity to experience the RCM’s cutting-edge Performance Simulator, which was unveiled earlier this year.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us! If you missed out, why not come along to FestivALL this Sunday – find out more on our website at https://bit.ly/festivALL-2024

Revolutions Opera: I (Romance)

Based on the 1924 novel by Mykola Khvylovy, RCM composer Alisa Zaika’s opera is set in 1920s Ukraine under Bolshevik rule. We perceive the story through the eyes of ‘I’ – a secret police agent, faithfully devoted to communist ideals but struggling between the conscience of his own human self and the willingness to fulfil his duties by any means.

With just one week to go until opening night, tickets for Revolutions are selling fast! Book yours now: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Revolutions Opera: The Drifterman

The second half of the evening will open with RCM composer Connie Harris’ opera set in 1970s Norfolk. The Drifterman tells the story of Danny, the only traditional herring fisherman left. Trapped at sea with his grandson and driven by terror and doubt, Danny makes an unforgivable confession...

Tickets: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Revolutions Opera: F***y and Stella’s Last Day Out

Set in 1870, this vibrant opera tells the story of two infamous female impersonators who came to delight and scandalise Victorian London in equal measure. The opera follows them over the course of one joyful day – until they are brought to trial and brutally cross-examined...

Come and experience F***y and Stella’s Last Day Out, with music by RCM composer Jasper Dommett and libretto by Jessica Walker, as part of Revolutions on 24, 26 and 28 June: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Two weeks to go until the RCM Symphony Orchestra’s final concert of the academic year, in recognition of RCM Director, Professor Colin Lawson.

Conducted by Martyn Brabbins, the programme includes RCM alumna Dani Howard’s The Butterfly Effect, and a rarely-performed Classical concerto for three basset horns by Czech composer Druschetzky. Framing these are two 20th-century masterworks: Korngold’s irresistible Violin Concerto with RCM musician Polina Makhina as soloist, and Bartók’s suite from his ‘pantomime ballet’ The Miraculous Mandarin.

Book your tickets now for this concert of sparkling scores! ✨
https://bit.ly/rcm-butterfly-effect

📽 This performance will also be streamed live online – to watch, subscribe to our YouTube channel

Revolutions Opera: Church on the Blood

Second on the programme is an opera by RCM composer and librettist Jasmine Morris. Set in Russia, July 1918, Church on the Blood tells the foreboding story of the Romanov family who are held captive in Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg. Their lives and those all around them are about to be catapulted into a deadly revolution…

Book your tickets here: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Revolutions Opera: Airtime

Opening the evening is Airtime, composed by RCM Masters student Ed Driver with libretto by Samir Chadha.

Set in Paris 1927, this humorous production offers a magical take on the city’s pneumatic clock network. The whole of Paris regulates its timepieces by the rhythm of the city's most consistent breather, Philippe N du Lum, until this regularity is disturbed and the city is thrown into turmoil...

Book your tickets via our website now

Just two weeks to go until the opening night of Revolutions!

Under the direction of Bill Bankes-Jones from Tête à Tête, RCM composers, singers and instrumentalists unite to bring you six fascinating short operas, spanning a huge variety of eras, worlds and stories.

Can you spot the clues to all six operas within this picture? Stay tuned throughout the week to find out more!

7pm | 24, 26, 28 June. Book your tickets now: https://www.bit.ly/45rtgfe

Join the RCM Chamber Ensemble for a fascinating concert of three chamber works by three unique composers ✨

Welsh composer Grace Williams studied at the Royal College of Music with Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, developing a distinctive voice audible in her lively Suite for nine instruments.

‘One of Iceland’s most celebrated composers’, Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Aequilibira is a hauntingly beautiful piece that epitomises her style.

Singer, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson has been taking the world by storm with her characteristic works, with Blush exploring the ups and downs of young love.

📅6pm, Wednesday 19 June, Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall
Book your tickets now: https://bit.ly/rcm-chamber-ensemble

A few photos from last month’s Opera Scenes!

Directed by Dafydd Hall Williams and conducted by David Doidge, singers of the RCM Vocal Faculty presented a wonderful evening of performances of excerpts from beloved operas, including Handel’s Rinaldo, Verdi’s Falstaff and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.

📷: Richard Hubert Smith

Did you know the Great Exhibition Road Festival is returning to South Kensington next weekend?

We’re delighted to be part of this annual celebration of science & the arts and hope you’ll join us at this fantastic FREE festival where you can learn from researchers and scientists, watch artists at work, sample delicious food of the future and much more!

Discover the talks, workshops, exhibits and performances happening on and around Exhibition Road on 15-16 June 👉

Home - The Great Exhibition Road Festival The Great Exhibition Road Festival is an annual celebration of science and the arts in South Kensington, London.