Composition alumni
Undergraduate
Segun Akinola
Undergraduate Degree: 2010-2014
"My time studying at RBC was vital because I had fantastic one-on-one tutors who understood me and helped me work on my weaknesses as well as my strengths. They opened my ears to music I’d never heard before which had a lasting impact on me."
- In 2019, Akinola received a nomination at the Screen Nation Awards in the "Rising Star" category. He was nominated for his work on Black and British: A Forgotten History, Doctor Who, and Wonders of the Moon
- Named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit in 2017
- Served as the music director and composer for the BBC’s Doctor Who series from "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (2018) until "The Power of the Doctor" (2022)
Charlotte Bray
Undergraduate Degree: 2000-2004
"I first began composing at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, having previously studied cello. There, I was given a wonderful freedom to find my own voice while being gently guided through various music and styles. This experience left me with strong foundations and the confidence to pursue a career as a composer on my own terms."
- Winner of the 2019 Ivor Novello Award and 2010 RPS Composition Prize
- Commissions from BBC Symphony Orchestra, ROH, LSO, and DSO Berlin
- Featured at BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Verbier and more
Daniel Fardon
Undergraduate Degree: 2009-2013
"RBC's Composition Department had a profound impact on my development as a music creator, collaborator, and person. The department’s uniquely open and innovative spirit—shared by both staff and students—creates an environment where artists are empowered to truly thrive."
- 2020 Ivor Novello Award and 2018 RPS Composition Prize winner
- Former Wigmore Hall Apprentice Composer; regular BBC Radio 3 broadcasts
- 'Teacher of Composition and Academic Music at The Purcell School for Young Musicians'.
Rob Jones
Undergraduate Degree: 2011-2015
"Looking back, my years at Birmingham Conservatoire were an incredible period of growth. It wasn't just about new experiences; it was where I truly learned the power of collaboration, a skill that's become a cornerstone of my career. In fact, I credit those lessons directly with enabling me to launch Misfits Music Institute, my music charity that's now making a real difference for people across the West Midlands."
- Adopt a Composer 2020 - Broadcast on BBC Radio 3
- Written short opera for Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam)
- Co-Founded Misfits Music Institute and raised over £620,000 in grant funding for community music projects in the West Midlands 2018-2025
Frank Moon
Undergraduate Degree: 1996-2000
"Birmingham Conservatoire offered me the freedom on the composition course that I needed, especially the encouragement and opportunity to study different global musical cultures. This has had the biggest impact on my career - the influence of other musical cultures has been present in all my work ever since."
- Composer for Royal Ballet, ROH, and international dance-theatre
- Nominated for National Dance Awards for Outstanding Creative Contribution
- Performs at BBC Proms, Glastonbury, Royal Opera House, and abroad
Laura Mvula
Undergraduate Degree: 2004-2008
“When I arrived at Birmingham Conservatoire, I was very shy and really unsure of where I wanted to go musically and what direction I wanted to go in. Being around a lot of excited musicians who were happy to be doing what they’re doing was an amazing experience. Studying there taught me confidence.”
-
Scores featured on Netflix, Amazon, and international platforms
-
Two Mercury Prize-nominated albums
-
Won the 2017 Ivor Novello Album Award for her second album The Dreaming Room
-
Awarded two MOBO Awards in 2013
Benjamin Stefanski [also known as Raffertie]
Undergraduate Degree: 2006-2010
"There are many aspects of my education at the Conservatoire that have shaped and remain part of my work, in a foundational, conceptual, but also in a pragmatic sense, which I feel has allowed me to have a chance at making a living in music. I think back fondly on inspiring, sometimes humbling, composition lessons that I feel helped me to have new perspectives on my own work, while also giving me confidence to pursue music."
- Acclaimed electronic artist and Ivor Novello winning composer for Best Original Score
- Credits include Academy nominated film ‘The Substance’, and Emmy / BAFTA winning TV show 'I May Destroy You’
- Scores featured on Netflix, Amazon, and international platforms
Rosie Tunley
Undergraduate Degree: 2015-2019
"The supportive staff in the Composition Department at RBC taught me that any form my music takes is valuable. As a songwriter, I felt nurtured and encouraged to pursue a career in composition both inside and outside the concert hall. This is where I discovered my love for multi-disciplinary live events - something I now produce professionally."
- Debut album 'Night Creature' praised by The Quietus & Electronic Sound Magazine
- Commissioned for immersive sound projects by Coventry City of Culture, Birmingham Commonwealth Games & LUSH Cosmetics
- 5 years as Programme Co-ordinator for the internationally renowned Supersonic Festival in Birmingham
Postgraduate
Dr Kirsty Devaney
Undergraduate Degree: 2009-2013
Doctoral Degree: 2014-2018
"My time at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was influential in shaping my creative practice. It provided a supportive environment to explore new ideas and gain valuable hands-on experience collaborating with inspiring musicians. The values and skills I developed during my undergraduate studies continue to shape my professional and creative work."
- BASCA British Composer Award finalist; works broadcast on BBC Radio 3
- Commissions include LSO, Quatuor Bozzini and Orchestra of the Swan
- Winner of the BERA Anna Craft Prize for educational research
Dr Bobbie-Jane Gardner
Postgraduate Degree: 2012-2015
Doctoral Degree: 2016-2019
"Studying at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was the best decision I made for my career in music. After several years working as a professional composer in the community, my postgraduate studies gave me the knowledge, confidence and freedom to explore various new and experimental approaches to composing. I was helped to discover who I was as a composer and create an identity outside of collaborative composition."
- Commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ex Cathedra, Grand Union, Heart n Soul, London Symphony Orchestra, Spitalfields Music, Onyx Brass, Persona Arts, Punch Records, the Stringcredibles, Tom Kerstens’s G Plus Ensemble, Vivid Projects and Wild Plum Arts.
- Completed arrangements for BBC Concert Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Alicia Keys, in support of a special arrangement for Netflix’s Queen Charlotte series.
- Artist in residence at Heart n Soul music charity (2015), Composer in Residence at the Warwick Arts Centre (2024), Associate Artist at Warwick Arts Centre (2025).
Dr Andy Ingamells
Undergraduate Degree: 2007-2011
Doctoral Degree: 2014-2018
"I came to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for my BMus and returned later to pursue a PhD, drawn by a department that genuinely welcomed experimental ideas and encouraged me test them out in galleries, nightclubs, and concert halls. That openness to collaboration across disciplines and unconventional presentation still shapes how I compose – and how I teach today at Cork School of Music in Ireland."
- Collaborations with Turner Prize-winner Susan Philipsz on large-scale public artworks for Tate Britain and Station Clock (2014–2023)
- Featured in The Times, The Wire, Frieze, Tempo, and Deutschlandfunk Kultur; described as “curiously life-enhancing” and “completely remarkable”.Label Manager at Birmingham Record Company and Lecturer in Composition at Cork School of Music / MTU
- Recipient of major awards and funding from PRSF, Arts Council Ireland, Help Musicians, Jerwood Foundation, and shortlisted for the George Fitzmaurice Award (2023)
Luke Iveson
Undergraduate Degree: 2008-2012
Postgraduate Degree: 2012-2013
"My time at RBC was like creative therapy, it gave me the freedom to explore beyond music, especially through contemporary music theatre, and the teaching staff supported me in connecting with other art forms that continue to influence my work today. Since studying at RBC, I’ve completed further studies in gender and queer studies, built a career as a corporate DEI consultant, performed in drag, and appeared on (and won) The Great British Sewing Bee."
- Built a career as a corporate DEI consultant at Forty1, a creative employee engagement agency, working with clients across sectors including AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Nissan to develop and activate employee engagement and inclusion strategies
- Performed as a drag performer (Selma Skreams) across the UK and internationally in Germany and Spain
- Appeared on (and won) The Great British Sewing Bee season 10
Dr Ryan Latimer
Undergraduate Degree: 2008-2012
Postgraduate Degree: 2012-2013
"My time as a composition student at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was truly transformative. The Conservatoire’s focus on real-world experience gave me the tools to thrive beyond study, and that foundation has been essential both to my life as a composer and to my role as a lecturer, where I strive to pass on those same values of exploration, openness and encouragement to my own students."
- Works performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Concert Orchestra
- Nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 2024 for Pound of Cure, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia, and was a recent recipient of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists
- Associate Professor at University of Birmingham. Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and Honorary Member of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Emily Levy
Postgraduate Degree: 2015-2018
"I will always be grateful for my time at RBC, where I was able to balance part-time Master’s study with freelance work. The Composition Department’s genuinely open and inclusive spirit made it such an inspiring place to listen, learn, connect with others, and create. I'd say it has helped me every day in one way or other in my work ever since."
- Commissions from BBC Concert Orchestra, Streetwise Opera, City of London Sinfonia, Leeds 2023, Bradford 2025, BBC Radio 3 & 4
- Theatre work Me Without You directed by Mella Faye and co-commissioned by Britten Pears Arts, Opera North and Spitalfields Music. Composer for Ella Grey for Pilot Theatre (Offie Nomination for Best Composition for Young Audiences 2024)
- Mercury Songs co-composed with Matthew Bourne for PRSF's New Music Biennial 2025 and released on NMC Recordings
Zygmund De Somogyi
Postgraduate Degree: 2019-2021
"Studying at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was by far the best creative decision I’ve ever made. Coming from a non-traditional musical background, I felt immediately embraced by the incredible community of RBC’s Composition Department, who gave me the tools to experiment with different art forms and musical mediums; as well as an openness to defy convention, and encouragement to forge your own creative path. RBC’s nurturing influence allowed me to build creative resilience as an artist, and directly led me to start PRXLUDES - a contemporary music magazine and promotional organisation dedicated to supporting early-career and emerging composers."
- Music performed at Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, Cheltenham Festival, Chichester Festival Theatre, and internationally in Iceland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, USA, and Malaysia
- Commissions from the Royal Philharmonic Society (2025 Composers programme), Composers Conference, Access Contemporary Music Chicago, and Arc Project, among others
- Founder and artistic director of contemporary music magazine PRXLUDES; featuring interviews with over 120 composers. Recipient of a Hinrichsen Foundation Multi-Year Partnership & funding for PRS Foundation’s New Music Biennial 2025
Dr Maya Verlak
Doctoral Degree: 2015-2018
"The teachers at the RBC's composition department believed in my potential, offering the unfettered freedom and dedicated time necessary to blossom into a professional composer. The profound trust they placed in me was a powerful catalyst, empowering me with the confidence to relentlessly pursue and secure a thriving career in composition."
- Commissions from Brussels Philharmonic (BE), Ensemble Klang (NL), Hermes Ensemble (BE), Nemo Ensemble (BE), Asko/Schonberg Ensemble (NL), Ensemble A.pe.ri.od.ic (USA), Ensemble Interface (DE), Apartment House (UK), International Ensemble Modern Academy (DE)
- Composer- in-residence with Ensemble Klang (NL)
- Portrait discs released on Another Timbre (UK), Ensemble Klang Records (NL) and Birmingham Record Company (UK)