RNCM - Royal Northern College of Music

Celebrating outstanding new music at the RNCM Artist of the Year Composition final.

Our School of Composition composers premiered four new chamber works, performed by Talland Quartet and Carl Raven, alongside two immersive installations in Studio 8.

Congratulations to all of our finalists, and especially to Gloria Xia, winner of the RNCM Artist of the Year for Composition and Kámea Németh whose installation was Highly Commended.

Thank you to our judges Matt Whitham, Laura Bowler and David Fennesy.

On Friday, our School of Wind, Brass & Percussion took centre stage for an unforgettable double bill from the RNCM Brass Band and Wind Orchestra.

Students had the incredible opportunity to perform alongside their tutors, Heads of School and guest section principals, including Kevin Gowland, Stephane Rancourt, Linda Merrick, Ben Hudson, Naomi Sullivan, Laura Llewellyn-Jones, Murray Greig, Owen Farr, David Thornton, Leslie Neish and Simone Rebello.

The evening also featured a standout solo performance from renowned clarinettist Julian Bliss.

📸 Natalie Argent

On Saturday, four of our Popular Music students performed their own original music with our Session Ensemble in the first RNCM Artist of the Year final.

Well done to all of the artists, their bands, the Session Ensemble, and the arrangers who collaborated to deliver a brilliant evening of new music.

A big congratulations to Lottie Gray who was named the Popular Music Artist of the Year for her performance.

If you missed it, you have another opportunity to see Lottie Gray, Harry Lines, Elin Grace and Mateo at the BBC Music Introducing @ RNCM Festival: https://rncm.link/BBCIntroducingRNCM

📸 Hannah Walker

Our 2026/27 Inspirational Artists series 💫

Celebrating the musicians utilising their skill, experience, and training to reshape expectations about classical music, and to inspire the next generation.

See these international artists pushing the boundaries of their own practice and embracing innovation with courage and creativity.

Tickets on sale now: https://rncm.link/InspirationalArtists

Join us on Sun 21 Jun for our brand new festival spotlighting emerging talent, co-curated by BBC Music Introducing.

This day-long celebration takes place across three stages, including acts handpicked by BBC Music Introducing in our Theatre.

Plus, the RNCM Presents line-up is stacked with this exciting mix of new bands and artists from our Popular Music course, performing across the RNCM Café Bar and Concert Hall stages:

Lottie Gray
MATEO
Sam Pendrill
Lucy Ellen and the Leopards
The Everything Complex
The Prior
Tal-é
Fushigi
Iona Gray
Théo DG

🎟️ Book your FREE ticket and explore the full line-up at: https://www.rncm.ac.uk/performance/bbc-introducing-rncm/

Last month, our Children’s Opera saw more than 120 children perform an original opera they created from scratch, supported by 143 RNCM students and led by composer Kate Pearson.

Now in its 17th year, this multi-award-nominated project champions access to music education in primary schools across Greater Manchester. To date, it has inspired over 2,000 children, while giving RNCM students hands-on experience and training the next generation of arts educators.

Thank you to Arts Council England, The East Lancashire Masonic Charity, The Granada Foundation and The Zochonis Charitable Trust for their generous support of this year’s RNCM Children’s Opera.

📸 Robin Clewley Photography

Meet us in LA!

We’re excited to be heading to Los Angeles in two weeks time to take part in the Study UK-LA Greater Together campaign.

We will be one of 16 higher education institutions at the Study UK - British Council pop-up experience on Fri 22 May, giving you the chance to learn more about studying music in the UK.

Our Student Recruitment team will be there to answer any questions you might have, including understanding the conservatoire application and audition process, visas and scholarships, and more.

Manus Carey, Deputy Principal and Artistic Director, will be leading Applying to a UK conservatoire: global outlook – local impact, one of several GREAT sessions taking place during the day.

There will also be a showcase performance by popular music student Harry Lines, featuring RNCM musicians from across our Popular Music and Classical programmes.

Register now: https://studyuk-popup.eventbrite.com