The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is a

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

and concert venue in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England. It provides professional education in

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

, and related disciplines up to

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

level. It is a centre for

scholarly research The scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars and academics to make their claims about the subject as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public. It is the me ...

and

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

-level study in areas such as

performance practice Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of the musical era in whic ...

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and

music history Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view. In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...

. It is the only one of the nine conservatoires in the United Kingdom that is also part of a faculty of a university, in this case Arts, Design and Media at

Birmingham City University Birmingham City University (abbrev. BCU) is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic in 1971 and gai ...

. It is a member of the

Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate vocational drama training in the UK. It was formed in June 2017. History A formal organisation for drama training in the UK was first established with the Conference of Drama Schools (CDS) i ...

, and a founder member of Conservatoires UK. The conservatoire houses a 500-seat concert hall and other performance spaces including a recital hall, organ studio, and a dedicated jazz club. It was founded in 1886 as the Birmingham School of Music, the first music school to be established in England outside London.

History

The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was founded in 1886 as the Birmingham School of Music, grouping together into a single entity the various musical education activities of the

Birmingham and Midland Institute , mottoeng = Endless Learning , established = 1854 by Act of Parliament , city = Birmingham , province = West Midlands , country = United Kingdom , president = Sir David Cannadine , vice_president = Dr Serena Trowbridge, Sami ...

. The institute had conducted informal musical instruction from its foundation in 1854, and its predecessor organisation, the

Birmingham Philosophical Institution The Birmingham Philosophical Institution was a society established in Birmingham, England for the exchange of scientific knowledge. The Institution was established in either 1800 or 1803 (sources are uncertain) in cramped premises in Cannon Street ...

,had held music classes since 1800, but it was in 1859 that music was established as a formal part of the institute's curriculum. In that year, singing classes were begun, which, after some initial struggles, by 1863 had 110 students and were performing regular concerts. In 1876, a proposal was heard at the institute's council that further classes should be established on the model of the

Leipzig Conservatoire The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...

, and that year the composer

Alfred Gaul Alfred Robert Gaul (30 April 1837 — 13 September 1913) was an English composer, conductor, teacher and organist. Life and career Gaul was born in Norwich, where he studied under Zechariah Buck.Brown, James D. & Stratton, Stephen S: ''Brit ...

began teaching classes in the

theory of music Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "Elements of music, rudiments", that are needed to understand ...

. In 1882 instrumental classes were started, attracting 458 students on their first year, and a separate music section created within the institute. This was established as the separate "School of Music" in 1886, with

William Stockley William Frederick Paul Stockley (29 June 1859 – 22 July 1943) was an Irish academic, Sinn Féin politician and Teachta Dála (TD). Early life W. F. P. Stockley was born in Templeogue, County Dublin, and was educated at Rathmines School. He ...

as its first principal The school's second principal

Granville Bantock Sir Granville Ransome Bantock (7 August 186816 October 1946) was a British composer of classical music. Biography Granville Ransome Bantock was born in London. His father was an eminent Scottish surgeon.Hadden, J. Cuthbert, 1913, ''Modern Music ...

was recommended for the position by

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

The name 'Birmingham Conservatoire' was adopted in 1989, with its undergraduate diploma and award (GBSM and ABSM) renamed from 'Graduate/Associate of the Birmingham School of Music' to 'Graduate/Associate of the Birmingham Schools of Music', to reflect the internal structure adopted of the Schools of Creative Studies, of Orchestral Studies, of Keyboard Studies, and of Vocal Studies. In 1995, the GBSM degree-equivalent diploma was redesigned to become a full

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

(BMus) degree. In 2008, as part of the university's reorganisation of faculties, it became a part of the Faculty of Performance, Media and English (PME), which has since merged to become the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media. As part of the Paradise Circus redevelopment the former site of the Conservatoire was subject to a

compulsory purchase Compulsion may refer to: * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...

Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom (e ...

. The Conservatoire received £29 million in compensation in a deal agreed in December 2013; this deal included £12.4 million of council expenditure. Designed by

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (also known as FCBStudios) is a British architectural design firm, established in 1978, with offices in Bath, London, Manchester, Belfast and Edinburgh. The firm is known for its pioneering work in sustainable desig ...

the new building on Jennens Road contains teaching and performance space including a 500-seat concert hall to replace

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

Hall. Building work started in August 2015 and was completed in August 2017. Adrian Boult Hall was demolished in June 2016. The remaining building on Paradise Circus was demolished by April 2018 as part of Phase I of the scheme. In July 2015,

Galliford Try Galliford Try plc is a British construction company based in Leicester, England. It was created through a merger in 2000 of two businesses: Try Group, founded in 1908 in London, and Galliford, founded in 1916. Formerly involved in house-buildi ...

were confirmed as principal contractor on a £46 million contract. In 2017 the conservatoire merged with the

Birmingham School of Acting Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), previously known as Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art (BSSTDA) and then as Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (BSSD) was a drama school located in Birmingham, England. It was founded in 19 ...

, which had been founded as a drama school in 1936, bringing music and drama teaching together into a single organisation. Alumni of the school include

Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a Scottish actor, once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and view ...

, Tom Lister,

Catherine Tyldesley Catherine Tyldesley (born 17 September 1983) is an English actress, comedian and model known for her roles as Iris Moss in the BBC drama ''Lilies'', Eva Price on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2011 to 2018 and Karen Norris in ...

Rachel Bright Rachel Bright is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Poppy Meadow in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. Career Bright was introduced as Poppy Meadow on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in two episodes on 11 and 13 January 2 ...

Barbara Keogh Barbara Keogh (21 April 1929 – 25 October 2005) was a British actress. Keogh is most noted for her work on television, particularly her role as Lilly Mattock on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life and career Keogh was born on 21 ...

Luke Mably Thomas Luke Mably is an English actor. Early life Mably was born in London, England. He attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. Career Mably portrayed White in the thriller ''Exam'' under the direction of Stuart Hazeldine. He had ...

, James Bradshaw, Stephen Laughton,

Jeffrey Holland Jeffrey Holland may refer to: *Jeffrey Holland (actor) (born 1946), English television actor *Jeffrey R. Holland (born 1940), American educator and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints *Jeffrey Scott Holland (born 1966), Americ ...

, David Holt,

Anna Brewster Anna Brewster is an English actress and model. Early life Anna Brewster is from Moseley, Birmingham. She attended St Bernard's RC School, Kings Heath Junior School and Queensbridge School in Moseley before studying for her A levels at Solih ...

Jimi Mistry Jimi Mistry (born 1 January 1973) is a retired British actor. He is known for appearing in numerous films such as '' East Is East'' (1999), '' The Guru'' (2002), ''Ella Enchanted'' (2004), '' The Truth About Love'' (2005), '' Blood Diamond'' (2 ...

Helen George Helen Elizabeth George (born 19 June 1984) is an English actress, best known for playing Trixie Franklin on the BBC drama series ''Call the Midwife''. In 2015, she participated in the thirteenth series of BBC One's '' Strictly Come Dancing''; ...

Ainsley Howard ''Mum & Dad'' is a 2008 British horror film by director Steven Sheil. Its premiere was on 22 August 2008 during the London FrightFest Film Festival. One day later it was shown during the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany. The film is the directorial ...

Nicholas Gledhill Nicholas Martin Gledhill (born 7 March 1975) is an Australian film, stage actor, voice artist, writer and choreographer Biography Gledhill was born in Sydney to parents Bobbie Gledhill and actor Arthur Dignam. He grew up in Glebe, New South Wa ...

and

Amanda Leigh Owen Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much b ...

, John Arthur,

Tony Bowers Tony Bowers (born 31 October 1952, England) is a musician based in Italy and Ireland who has worked with many bands, including Simply Red in the 1980s. Career Bowers debuted in the blues band, Blind Eye (1971–1972), as second guitarist, altho ...

Jeffrey Chiswick Jeffrey may refer to: * Jeffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * ''Jeffrey'' (1995 film), a 1995 film by Paul Rudnick, based on Rudnick's play of the same name * ''Jeffrey'' (2016 film), a 2016 Dominican Republic documentary film ...

James Duggan James Duggan (May 22, 1825 – March 27, 1899) was an Irish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Chicago from 1859 to 1869, officially resigning in 1880. Biography Early years James D ...

, Anthony Higgins,

Annie Hayes Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer T ...

, Paul Henry, Karl Johnson, Mike Kinsey,

Lloyd McGuire Lloyd McGuire (born 2 September 1947) is an English actor in film and television. Education Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, McGuire attended Bournville Grammar-Technical School for Boys. He began work as a Commercial Apprentice at the Austin ...

, Jeremy Nicholas,

Larry Rew Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence (given name), Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American arti ...

, John Rowe,

Michael Strobel Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

Lynne Verrall Lynne may refer to: *Lynne (surname) *Lynne (given name) *Lynne, Florida, an unincorporated community *Lynne, Wisconsin Lynne is a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 210 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated comm ...

, and

Brian Weston Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word mea ...

. On 24 September 2017 the conservatoire was granted Royal status by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

The conservatoire

In 2003, there were around 600 students enrolled in the Conservatoire's undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Subjects include solo performance, composition,

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, orchestral playing, music technology and jazz. Students on the four-year BMus(Hons) are encouraged to spend time studying in Europe or the USA. In their ''Junior Department'', training for children aged 8 to 18 years takes place weekly on Saturdays during the local school term. The museum has a notable collection of musical instruments.

Departments

*Brass *Chamber Music *Composition *Conducting (Choral) *Conducting (Orchestral) *Early music *Jazz *Keyboard *Music Technology *Percussion *Performing Ensembles *Strings *Vocal & Operatic *Woodwind

Performances

Conservatoire students perform regularly in the conservatoire's concert venues, and also nationally often at

Symphony Hall Birmingham Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Bi ...

and

Birmingham Town Hall Birmingham Town Hall is a concert hall and venue for popular assemblies opened in 1834 and situated in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The hall underwent a major renovation between 2002 and 2007. It no ...

and internationally under such conductors as

Sir Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...

, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla,

Paul Spicer Paul Spicer (born August 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former defensive end who is the defensive line coach for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State. He then played 12 seasons in ...

and

Jeffrey Skidmore Jeffrey Skidmore OBE (born 27 February 1951) is the conductor and artistic director of Ex Cathedra, a choir and early music ensemble based in Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. An active participant in musical education and a pionee ...

. The conservatoire collaborates with other schools of music, colleges, academies and

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

s worldwide, including participating in the

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

student and staff exchange programme.

Courses offered

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire offers training from pre-college level (Junior Conservatoire) to PhD. *

honours degrees Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the Undergraduate education, undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a high ...

** BMus (Hons) Performance ** BMus (Hons) Jazz ** BMus (Hons) Composition ** BMus (Hons) Music Technology *

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

** BSc (Hons) Music Technology * Graduate Diploma in Jazz * Postgraduate Certificate ** PgCert *

Postgraduate Diploma A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award postg ...

** PgDip (Music) ** PgDip (Musical Theatre) — to be delivered jointly with

* Advanced Postgraduate Diploma ** Advanced PgDip * Master of Music ** MMus *

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

** MPhil *

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

** PhD

People

Principals

(1886–1900) *

(1900–1934) * Allen Blackhall (1934–1945) * Christopher Edmunds (1945–1956) * (Management Committee) (1956–1957) * Sir

Steuart Wilson Sir James Steuart Wilson (21 July 1889 – 18 December 1966) was an English singer, known for tenor roles in oratorios and concerts in the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War he was an administrator for several organ ...

(1957–1960) * Gordon Clinton (1960–1973) * John Bishop (1973–1975) * Louis Carus (1975–1987) * Roy Wales (1987–1989) * Kevin Thompson (1989–1993) * George Caird (1993-2010) * David Saint (2010-2015) *

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julian ...

(2015–2020)

Staff

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has around 80 full-time members of staff that include active professional musicians, performers, composers, conductors and scholars. In addition, nearly 250 hspecialist tutors, musicians and scholars visit the conservatoire to give classes and guest lectures or to serve as visiting faculty members. Notable current and former staff and visiting guest artists include: *

Meyrick Alexander Meyrick Alexander (born 18 May 1952) is an English bassoonist. He is one of the UK's best known bassoonists and bassoon teachers. As a performer, Alexander was Principal Bassoon of the Philharmonia Orchestra for 30 years, and currently plays p ...

- bassoonist * Stephen Barlow - conductor * Ed Bennett - composer; leader/conductor, decibel *

Mark Bebbington Mark Bebbington (born 17 January 1972) is a British concert pianist. He is a notable advocate of British music. Biography Mark Bebbington studied at the Royal College of Music with Kendall Taylor and Phyllis Sellick and later in Italy with Aldo ...

- pianist *

Nicola Benedetti Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is an Italian-British classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She w ...

- violinist * Christian Blackshaw - pianist *

Arno Bornkamp Arno Bornkamp en Córdoba - Argentina - 2010. Arno Bornkamp (Amsterdam, 1959) is a Dutch classical saxophonist, the professor of the Conservatory of Amsterdam, and is considered an influential soloist in the classical repertoire. Biography Arn ...

- saxophonist *

Margaret Cookhorn Margaret Cookhorn is a British classical contrabassoonist and bassoonist. She is Principal Contrabassoon and Bassoon with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, bassoonist with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and, notably, has pursu ...

- contrabassoonist *

Philip Cobb Signalman is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a member of Batman's rogues gallery. Publication history Signalman first appeared in ''Batman'' #112 (December 1957), and was created by Bill Fi ...

- trumpeter *

Rutland Boughton Rutland Boughton (23 January 187825 January 1960) was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music. He was also an influential communist activist within the Communist Party of Gre ...

- composer *

George Caird George Bradford Caird (17 July 1917 – 21 April 1984), known as G. B. Caird, was an English theologian, biblical scholar and Congregational church, Congregational minister. At the time of his death he was Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exeg ...

- oboist *

Jiafeng Chen Chen Jiafeng (born April 13, 1987) () is a Chinese violinist. He was the first prize winner in the 2003 International Competition for Young Violinists K. Lipinski and H. Wieniawski and the second prize winner in the 2008 International Yehudi Me ...

- violinist *

Jiaxin Cheng Jiaxin Cheng ( zh, c=程嘉欣, links=no, born 2 October 1974) is a Chinese-born cellist. Career Cheng graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China, in 1997. She was already giving performances with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra b ...

- cellist *

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

– conductor, harpsichordist *

Joe Cutler Joe Cutler (born London, 17 December 1968) is a British composer who grew up in Neasden and studied music at the Universities of Huddersfield and Durham, before receiving a Polish Government Scholarship to study at the Chopin Academy of Music i ...

- composer *

Nicholas Daniel Nicholas Daniel (born 9 January 1962) is a British oboe, oboist and conductor. In 2003 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Leicester International Music Festival. Education He was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School and the Purcell S ...

- oboist *

Danielle de Niese Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to wi ...

- soprano * Andrew Downes - composer *

Tony Dudley-Evans Tony Dudley-Evans is Jazz Adviser to the Jazzlines programme at Town Hall/Symphony Hall Birmingham and Programme Adviser to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. He now sees himself as a jazz promoter, but he was for many years a British linguist and expe ...

Henry Fairs Henry Fairs (born 1976) is an English organist. He is organist to the University of Birmingham and Head of Organ Studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire;. Since winning the Odense International Organ Competition, his concert career has taken him ...

- organist *

Catrin Finch Catrin Ana Finch is a Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London. ...

- harpist *

Margaret Fingerhut Margaret Fingerhut (born 30 March 1955) is a British Pianist, classical pianist. She is known for her innovative recital programmes and recordings in which she explores lesser known piano repertoire. The composer and reviewer Paul Corfield Go ...

- pianist *

Byron Fulcher Byron Fulcher (born 1970) is a British musician who is the principal trombone with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta. In addition, he is professor of trombone at the Royal College of Music. Early life and education Byron wa ...

- trombonist *

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstan ...

- flautist * James Gilchrist - tenor *

Rivka Golani Rivka Golani ( he, רבקה גולני , born 22 March 1946) is a world–renowned Israeli-born viola player. She has performed as soloist with many orchestras throughout the world including the Boston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Royal Conc ...

- violist * Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla - conductor *

Simon Halsey Simon Halsey, CBE (born 8 March 1958) is an English choral conductor. He is the chorus director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (CBSO Chorus), a position he has held since 1983, and has been chorus director of the London Symphony Chor ...

- conductor *

Stephen Hough Sir Stephen Andrew Gill Hough (; born 22 November 1961) is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer. He became an Australian citizen in 2005 and thus has dual nationality (his father was born in Australia in 1926). Biography Houg ...

- pianist *

Leonidas Kavakos Leonidas Kavakos ( el, Λεωνίδας Καβάκος; born 30 October 1967) is a Greek violinist and conductor. As a violinist, he has won prizes at several international violin competitions, including the Sibelius, Paganini, Naumburg, and In ...

- violinist *

Sheku Kanneh-Mason Sheku Kanneh-Mason (born 4 April 1999) is a British cellist who won the 2016 BBC Young Musician award. He was the first Black musician to win the competition since its launch in 1978. He played at the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle ...

- cellist * Miloš Karadaglić - guitarist * Jonathan Kelly - oboe *

Hans Koller Antonio Hans Cyrill Koller (12 February 1921 in Vienna – 21 December 2003 in Vienna) was an Austrian jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader. Koller attended the University of Vienna from 1936 to 1939 and served in the armed forces from 1940 to 1 ...

- pianist; composer; bandleader *

Stephen Kovacevich Stephen Kovacevich (born October 17, 1940) is an American classical pianist and conductor. He is particularly celebrated for his recordings of works by Beethoven, Bartók and Schubert, and is known for technical skill, clarity of playing and an ...

Justin Lavender Justin Lavender (born 4 June 1951) is an operatic tenor, a professor of vocal studies at the Royal College of Music and co-founder and Musical Director of Arcadian Opera. He was educated at Bedford Modern School, Queen Mary University of London, ...

- vocal * Robert Levin - harpsichord/fortepiano *

Tasmin Little Tasmin Little (born 13 May 1965) is an English classical violinist. She is a concerto soloist and also performs as a recitalist and chamber musician. She has released numerous albums, winning the Critics Award at the Classic Brit Awards in 2011 ...

- violinist *

- cellist *

Louis Lortie Louis Lortie, OC, CQ (born 27 April 1959) is a Canadian ( Québécois) pianist. Education Born in Montreal, Lortie made his debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the age of thirteen and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra three years l ...

- pianist *

Rupert Marshall-Luck Rupert Marshall-Luck (born Rupert Luck) is a British violinist and musicologist. After reading Music at Cambridge University, he was awarded a postgraduate scholarship to continue his studies with the eminent pedagogue Simon Fischer and thereafte ...

- violinist * Philip Martin - pianist *

Denis Matthews Denis Matthews (27 February 191925 December 1988) was an English pianist and musicologist whose performing career flourished after the war, during the 1950s and into the 1960s. He later turned increasingly to broadcasting, writing and teaching. ...

- pianist *

Melinda Maxwell Melinda Maxwell (born 1953 in London) is an English oboist and composer. She is principal oboist of the ensemble Endymion (ensemble), Endymion and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and a regularly principal of the London Sinfonietta. She h ...

- oboist *

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

- composer * Amos Miller - trombonist *

Daniel Moult Daniel Moult (born 1973) is a concert organist, educator and animateur, ensemble player and presenter of films about music. Education Daniel Moult was born in Manchester. He attended Manchester Grammar School and St John's College, Oxford, wher ...

- organist *

Tai Murray Tai Murray (born ) is an American violinist. According to Murray, she became interested in the violin when her parents "put a pencil case with a toy violin in my hand when I was five". Born in Chicago, Illinois, Murray made her concert debut with t ...

- violinist *

Pascal Nemirovski Pascal Nemirovski (born 1962) is a French pianist. In 1981, he was admitted to the Juilliard School on full scholarship (Steinway & Sons, Steinway & Freundlich Fund) and studied with Nadia Reisenberg, pupil of Josef Hofmann and Adele Marcus, pup ...

- pianist * Liam Noble - pianist; composer; bandleader *

Craig Ogden Craig Ogden is an Australian classical guitarist whose albums have topped the UK classical charts. He is Principal Lecturer in Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK. Ogden began playing guitar at the age of seven, and ...

- guitarist *

Edwin Roxburgh Edwin Roxburgh (born 1937) is an English composer, conductor and oboist. Roxburgh was born in Liverpool. After playing oboe in the National Youth Orchestra, he won a double scholarship to study composition with Herbert Howells and oboe with T ...

- composer; conductor; oboist * Howard Skempton - composer; accordionist *

- conductor,

Ex Cathedra Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...

Dmitry Sitkovetsky Dmitry Yulianovich Sitkovetsky (russian: Дмитрий Юлианович Ситковецкий; born September 27, 1954) is a Soviet-Russian born classical violinist, conductor and arranger, most notably of an arrangement for strings of J. S. ...

- violinist; conductor *

- conductor *

Mike Stevens (saxophonist) Michael William Stevens (born 26 January 1957) is an English musician. He is best known as Take That's musical director. Biography Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Stevens began music lessons on the clarinet and piano and was encouraged by his ...

- musical director *

Simon de Souza Simon de Souza (born c.1964) is a French horn teacher in the United Kingdom. He has been a tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire since 2004; and Wells Cathedral School since the 1990s. He also taught at the Purcell School and the junior depa ...

- horn *

Errollyn Wallen Errollyn Wallen (born April 10, 1958) is a Belize-born British composer. Life Errollyn Wallen moved to London with her family when she was two. While her parents moved to New York, she and her three siblings (one of whom is the trumpeter By ...

- composer * Michael Wolters - composer *

Jian Wang (cellist) Jian Wang ( zh, 王健 ; born 1968 in Xi'an, China) is a Chinese cellist. Jian Wang began to study the cello with his father when he was four. While a student at the Shanghai Conservatoire, he was featured in the celebrated documentary film From ...

- cellist * Mary Wiegold's Songbook - vocalist * Sarah Willis - horn *

Barry Wordsworth Barry Wordsworth (born 20 February 1948, Worcester Park, Surrey, U.K.) is a British conductor. Wordsworth is Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet and has had a long relationship with company. He was first appointed as Assistant Cond ...

- conductor *

Di Xiao Di Xiao () is a classical piano soloist originally from China, named in the top 10 up and coming Chinese pianists by International Piano Magazine in 2009.Nancy Pellegrini: ”On The Rise", "International Piano Magazine", No 62, March/April 2009 ...

- pianist *

Ivan Yanakov (pianist) Ivan Yanakov (''Иван Янъков'' in Bulgarian) is a Bulgarian-born pianist and conductor. He has performed on four continents, with a repertoire ranging from the Baroque era to contemporary. Ivan Yanakov is a classical pianist and conduc ...

- pianist *

Xuefei Yang Xuefei Yang (; born March 15, 1977) is a People's Republic of China, Chinese classical guitarist. Early years Yang was born in Beijing in 1977, and began playing the guitar when she was seven. Three years later, she started studying under Chen ...

- guitarist *

Lauren Zhang Lauren Zhang (born in December 2001) is an American-born pianist who won the BBC's Young Musician Contest in May 2018. In 2010, Zhang moved with her parents to Birmingham, United Kingdom, where she studied music at the junior department of Roy ...

- pianist

Fellows

Gildas Quartet The Gildas Quartet is a British string quartet. History The Gildas Quartet formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2011. They have studied with Oliver Wille, Robin Ireland, and Catherine Manson, and have also benefited from masterclasse ...

- Junior Fellows

Alumni

Ben Lee Benjamin Michael Lee (born 11 September 1978) is an Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but he focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appe ...

- jazz mandolin player *

Richard van Allan Richard Van Allan CBE (28 May 1935 – 4 December 2008) was a versatile British operatic bass singer who had a lengthy career. He sang varied repertoire at Covent Garden and English National Opera, as well as at numerous important houses worldw ...

- opera singer *

Nicola Coughlan Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–presen ...

- actress *

Fred Thelonius Baker Fred Thelonious Baker (born 4 June 1960) is an English guitarist and jazz bass guitarist from Tibshelf, Derbyshire. He is known for playing in Phil Miller's Canterbury scene band In Cahoots. Baker played the guitar until his mid-teens, at whi ...

- guitarist, bassist *

Dave Cliff Dave Cliff (born 25 June 1944) is a British jazz guitarist. Career Cliff was born in Hexham, Northumberland. In 1967, he moved to Leeds and gained a diploma in jazz studies from Leeds College of Music while studying with bassist Peter Ind an ...

- jazz guitarist * Krzysztof Czerwiński - organist; conductor *

- organist *

Brian Ferneyhough Brian John Peter Ferneyhough (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer. Ferneyhough is typically considered the central figure of the New Complexity movement. Ferneyhough has taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and ...

- composer *

Mark Gasser Mark Gasser (born 6 July 1972) is a British concert pianist. Career Gasser was born in Sheffield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1972 to Austrian and Scottish parents. He studied with John Humphreys at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, ...

- pianist *

Duncan Honeybourne Duncan Honeybourne (born 27 October 1977) is an English pianist, teacher and lecturer. Biography Honeybourne was born at Weymouth, Dorset. He began his studies at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, where he won the senior piano priz ...

- pianist *

Albert Ketèlbey Albert William Ketèlbey (; born Ketelbey; 9 August 1875 – 26 November 1959) was an English composer, conductor and pianist, best known for his short pieces of light orchestral music. He was born in Birmingham and moved to Lon ...

- composer, conductor *

Jim Moray Jim Moray (born 1981) is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Recording artist While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded ''I Am Jim Moray'' EP. During ...

- singer, producer * Laura Mvula - singer *

Michael Rayner Michael Rayner (6 December 1932 – 13 July 2015)Mackie, David. "Obituaries: Michael Rayner", ''Gilbert and Sullivan News'', Vol. V, No. 9, Autumn/Winter 2015, pp. 17–18, The Gilbert and Sullivan Society was an English opera singer, best kno ...

- opera singer *

Jean Rigby Jean Rigby (born 22 December 1954) is an English opera and concert singer. A mezzo-soprano, she is a long-time principal with the English National Opera. Biography Born in Fleetwood, Lancashire, Rigby studied at the Birmingham School of Music and ...

- opera singer *

Rhydian Roberts Rhydian James Roberts (born 14 February 1983), also known mononymously as Rhydian, is a Welsh baritone singer, television presenter and musical theatre actor. He made his name by finishing second in series 4 of ''The X Factor'', and has since ...

- singer *

Michael Seal Michael Seal (born 3 May 1970) is a British orchestral conductor and classical violinist. Since 2011 he has served as the Associate Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), having served previously as the orchestra's Assistan ...

- violinist, conductor,

CBSO The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...

* Mike Stevens - musical director, producer * Ian Venables - composer *

Segun Akinola Segun Akinola (born 1993) is an English composer for television and documentaries. He took over from Murray Gold as the director and composer of the music for ''Doctor Who'' from "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" in 2018 until "The Power of the Doct ...

- composer

Venues

* The Bradshaw Hall, formerly known as The Concert Hall, 500 seats * Recital Hall, 150 seats * Organ Studio, 100 seats * Eastside Jazz Club, 80 seats * Experimental Music Lab

References

Bibliography

* * *Morley, Christopher. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 2017, Elliott & Thompson

External links

* *
The history of Birmingham Conservatoire

History & Origins Of Birmingham City University
{{Authority control Education in Birmingham, West Midlands Music schools in England

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Culture in Birmingham, West Midlands Musical instrument museums Educational institutions established in 1886 1886 establishments in England

History

The conservatoire

Departments

Performances

Courses offered

People

Principals

Staff

Fellows

Alumni

Venues

See also

References

Bibliography

External links