Composition
Express yourself
Now, more than at any other time in history, composers can express themselves in any number of musical and artistic genres.
At Royal Birmingham Conservatoire we celebrate this diversity and make it our mission to foster artists who challenge, innovate and transform notions of artistic practice today.
Our approach
From the outset, we encourage students to explore their own ideas both within the context of specific musical genres and using genres as a jumping-off point for the creation of new artistic concepts.
We support and encourage a diversity of styles and approaches, such as contemporary art music, pop, jazz and fusion, experimental and conceptual music, film and theatre music, Queer art, electroacoustic and studio-based composition.
As a student you will be able to
- work closely with performers and getting your music performed
- have opportunities to write for orchestras and large ensembles
- have weekly 1-2-1 sessions with industry professionals
- engage in collaborations with projects involving theatre, galleries and media (film, TV, animation, radio, podcasts, gaming)
- learn the nuts and bolts of composition
- have the space to create ambitious and self-defined work
Postgraduate courses in Experimental Performance
Designed for emerging arts practitioners across all disciplines (including, but not limited to, instrumental/vocal performance, composition, dance, choreography, theatre, visual and performance art, creative writing), Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s brand new PgCert, PgDip and MMus courses in Experimental Performance provide you with a unique opportunity to undertake independent artistic projects in a fully supportive environment.

Ben Stefanski
"I have released two records under the name of Raffertie with Ninja Tune. Both of these releases…

Charlotte Bray
"Certainly the highlight of my career so far has been my BBC Proms debut in the summer of 2012,…

Samuel Bordoli
'A former student at Birmingham Conservatoire (graduated 2009), Samuel Bordoli, who currently…

Laura Mvula
Composition graduate Laura Mvula rose to fame in 2013 with critically acclaimed album, 'Sing to the…

Stephen Willey
MMus Music Composition I chose the Conservatoire because the course offered lots of opportunities…

Jae-Moon Lee
"I chose Birmingham Conservatoire due to the amount of performance opportunities it offered; I…