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Friends, We are now at the start of the end-of-year assessment period for our Music students, with each of our performers preparing a recital to be given over the next month. It is that moment when a year of preparation, lessons and solo practice are distilled into a single session of high...

Get to know who is driving Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, in this regular feature, Meet the RBC leadership team. Head of Strings Nicholas Britton Trygstad is a seasoned performer who has also taught cello for 15 years at the Royal Northern College of Music. In his role at RBC, he enjoys hearing students of all ages develop and improve, as well as ensembles creating a convincing musical experience.

Associate Professor of Music Adam Whittaker, Associate Professor of Music Education Anthony Anderson and Associate Professor of Arts, Creativity and Education Victoria Kinsella-Hadjinestoros have been awarded Research England Support Funding to create briefings and guides for policymakers about their research in the field of music education.

Fourth-year BMus students Anna Thirkettle and Felicity Lennard have been appointed as Graduate Music Assistants at the specialist music school Wells Cathedral School.

The Organ Department has visited several local primary schools over the last 12 months to enable local schoolchildren to experience and understand more about the organ. For many of the key stage one and two children, these visits were their first experience of seeing and hearing a live organ.

Welcome to RBC This Week, at the end of a long and immensely productive spring term. Our students now have a short break before they return for their end-of-year recitals and a string of public performances to round off the academic year – and for some, their time at RBC.

The Learning and Participation (LEAP) Ensemble recently performed to more than 2,600 primary schoolchildren through an ongoing partnership between RBC and Leicestershire Music.

Student Oscar Abbott (left) will perform the world premiere of Liam Taylor-West’s piano concerto Ring Out! with the National Open Youth Orchestra, the world’s first disabled-led national youth ensemble.

Meet Applied Performance in Community and Education alumnus Liam Fletcher, who shares what it’s like to live away from home for more than eight months of the year on a cruise ship.

Get to know who is driving Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, in this regular feature, Meet the RBC leadership team. Prior to joining RBC, Head of Keyboard Studies Professor of Music John Thwaites worked at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Next month (May 2025), Birmingham City University (BCU) will host Serendipity Arts Festival, a four-day arts extravaganza celebrating South Asian arts and culture, and free tickets are available to book now.

The Learning and Participation (LEAP) Ensemble recently rehearsed and performed alongside 450 young musicians through a new partnership between RBC and the Bristol Cathedral Schools Trust.

BMus student Michelle Amezcua performed her final project, México Mágico, with dancers, musicians and storytellers, as well as the Ambassador of Mexico to the UK Josefa González.

Secondary school students from Lordswood Boys’ School paid a visit to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire recently to discover the life and music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges as part of RBC’s French Season.

Get to know who is driving RBC in this regular feature, Meet the RBC leadership team. Vice Principal Professor Shirley Thompson has held several different roles since 2001 when she joined RBC. She is the first and only woman to be Principal, an interim role that she held for three years.