The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and film in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Founded in 1847, it has become the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland with over 500 public performances each year. The current principal is American pianist and composer Jeffrey Sharkey. The patron is King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

History

The Royal Conservatoire has occupied its current purpose-built building on Renfrew Street in Glasgow since 1988. Its roots lie in several organisations. Officially founded in 1847 by Moses Provan as part of the Glasgow Athenaeum, from an earlier Educational Association grouping, music and arts were provided alongside courses in commercial skills, literature, languages, sciences and mathematics. Courses were open and affordable, including day classes for ladies, and the Athenaeum had a reading room, news room, library and social facilities. Apprentices could also be members. Rented accommodation was found in the Assembly Rooms, Ingram Street, with major lectures taking place in the City Halls. The chairman at its inaugural Grand Soiree in the City Halls in December 1847 was

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

when in his opening remarks he stated that he regarded the Glasgow Athenaeum as "an educational example and encouragement to the rest of Scotland". Its Dramatic Club was formed in 1886 a year before the institution moved to purpose-built premises, inclusive of a major concert hall/theatre, in St George's Place close to West Nile Street, designed by architect John Burnet.Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, 150th Celebration, by Grace Matchett and Frank Spedding, published in 1997 In 1888, the commercial teaching separated to form the ''Athenaeum Commercial College'', which, after several rebrandings and a merger, became the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal char ...

in 1964. The non-commercial teaching side became the ''Glasgow Athenaeum School of Music''. In 1893 additional premises linked through to

Buchanan Street Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. It forms the central stretch of Glasgow's famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops than the neighbouring streets: ...

and included a new Athenaeum Theatre facing Buchanan Street designed by architect Sir John James Burnet. In 1928 the premises were substantially extended with a gift from the philanthropist Daniel Macaulay Stevenson. In 1929 the school was renamed as the Scottish National Academy of Music to better reflect its scope and purpose. This major acquisition of space at the corner of St George's Place (later renamed Nelson Mandela Place) and Buchanan Street was the Liberal Club (now not required by that party), designed originally by architect Alexander Skirving and remodelled by architects Campbell Douglas and Paterson in 1907. Its principal from 1929 to 1941 was

William Gillies Whittaker William Gillies Whittaker (Newcastle upon Tyne, July 23, 1876 – Orkney Islands, July 5, 1944) was an English composer, pedagogue, conductor, musicologist, Bach scholar, publisher and writer. He spent his life promoting music. The Universit ...

. In 1944, it became the Royal Scottish Academy of Music. The Royal Scottish Academy of Music established a drama department called the ''Glasgow College of Dramatic Art'' during 1950. It became the first British

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 p ...

to contain a full, broadcast-specification television studio in 1962. In 1968 the Royal Scottish Academy of Music changed its name to the ''Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama'' (RSAMD) and introduced its first degree courses, which were validated by the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. During 1987–88 the academy moved to its present site some two hundred yards north in Renfrew Street at Hope Street, across from the Theatre Royal, the new building having been designed by architect Sir Leslie Martin with executive architects William Nimmo and Partners. In 1993 RSAMD became the first conservatoire in the United Kingdom to be granted its own degree-awarding powers. Research degrees undertaken at RSAMD are validated and awarded by the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. RSAMD is one of four member conservatories of the

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualificatio ...

Name change

From 1 September 2011, the RSAMD changed its name to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. They decided on the name change after a long consultation process that involved the principal John Wallace and the academy's board of directors, as well as past and present students and staff, arts & academic institutions, politicians, and the Royal Protocol Unit. The principal said the new name was necessary to cover all fields that the institute offers, as it no longer is simply a music and drama academy. Undergraduate courses in areas such as Digital Film & Television, Production Arts and Design, Production Technology and Management, Musical Theatre and Modern Ballet (in partnership with Scottish Ballet) have been added to the degrees the Royal Conservatoire offers. He felt it was best to choose a name that was representative of all disciplines offered.

International ranking

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has been consistently ranked among the best schools in the world in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)'s Performing Arts ranking since the latter was established in 2016. The Conservatoire has been in the top 10 five out of six years, reaching 3rd place in 2017 and 2021. In 2022, RCS ranked fifth in the world for Performing Arts Education.

Facilities

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has a range of facilities, including several performance spaces: the Ledger Room, Stevenson Hall, the Chandler Studio Theatre, the New Athenaeum Theatre, and the Alexander Gibson Opera Studio (built in 1998, the first purpose-built opera school in Britain). There are around 65 private practice rooms for music students, each equipped with a piano with stool, music stand and chairs. These include 11 rooms reserved solely for pianists, several rooms for use by the Traditional Music department, and 8 rehearsal and coaching rooms. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland also houses several professional recording studios, including a new studio in the Opera School for the use of large ensembles. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland also has an automated flying system in its main performing venue, the New Athenaeum Theatre, meaning it has become the first educational establishment in the UK to offer Stage Automation Training as part of the curriculum. In 2010, RCS opened its second campus near

Cowcaddens Cowcaddens ( sco, Coucaddens, gd, Coille Challtainn)
...

, now known as the "Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks". This building was designed by

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

. It opened predominantly to house the Modern Ballet and Production courses, as the Renfrew Street campus was struggling to accommodate the combination of new courses and higher intake levels. In 2014, a £2 million extension to this second campus was built, creating even more rehearsal spaces and improved facilities for the students. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's extensive archive of historical papers and ephemera charts both its own institutional history and the wider performance history of Scotland.

Schools

School of Music

*Brass *Chamber Music *Composition *Conducting *Education (Bachelors/PGDE) *Guitar and Harp *Historically Informed Performance Practice (Masters) *Jazz *Keyboard *Opera (Masters) *Piano Accompaniment *Piano for Dance (Masters) *Repetiteurship *Scottish Music *Strings *Timpani and Percussion *Traditional Music *Traditional Music – Piping *Vocal Studies *Woodwind

School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film

*Acting *Classical and Contemporary Text (Masters and Master of Fine Arts) *Contemporary Performance Practice *Filmmaking *Performance in British Sign Language and English *Production Arts and Design *Production Technology and Management *Musical Theatre *Musical Theatre Performance (Masters) *Musical Theatre Directing (PGDip/Masters) *Modern Ballet

Junior Conservatoire

*Junior Conservatoire of Music *Junior Conservatoire of Drama *Junior Conservatoire of Production *Junior Conservatoire of Film *Junior Conservatoire of Dance

Alumni

* Michael Angelis * James Fullarton Arnott *

Stephen Ashfield Stephen Ashfield is an Olivier Award-winning Scottish actor. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and since graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London, he has enjoyed a successful stage care ...

* Ani Batikian * Maureen Beattie * Fiona Bell * Cora Bissett * Iain Blair * Christine Bottomley * Billy Boyd * Kenny Boyle * Betsy Brandt * Alison Brie *

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...

* Isobel Buchanan *

Stuart Cassells Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a Celtic rock band from Scotland. Formed in 2002, they became popular internationally in 2007 after winning the BBC talent show ''When Will I Be Famous?'' The band's lineup features three highland bagpipers and trad ...

Karen Cargill Karen Cargill is a Scottish operatic mezzo-soprano singer. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera and at the Edinburgh International Festival. Early life Cargill was born in Arbroath, Scotland. Her father was a plumber and her mother worke ...

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Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' The Full Monty'' (1997), '' The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), '' Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' ...

Scott Cleverdon Scott Cleverdon (born 31 July 1969) is a Scottish actor best known as the angel Pyriel in the film '' The Prophecy 3: The Ascent''. He has also done significant voice acting. He was born and brought up in Edinburgh, attending Broughton High S ...

Carrie Cracknell Carrie Cracknell (born 1980) is a British theatre director. She was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London from 2007–2012. She was Associate Director at both the Young Vic (2012–2013) and the Royal Court (2013–2014). Background ...

Tom Conti Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1979 for his performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' and was nominated for the Academy A ...

* Nicholas Cowell * Damian Cruden * Alan Cumming * Tony Curran *

Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series '' Lost'', for which he received a Pri ...

* Louise Delamere *

Kate Dickie Kate Dickie (born 1971) is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is known for her television roles as Lex in the BBC series ''Tinsel Town'' (2000–2001) and Lysa Arryn in the HBO series ''Game of ...

* Laura Donnelly *

Patrick Doyle Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as '' Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Ham ...

* Christopher Duncan *

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...

Valerie Edmond Valerie Edmond (born 1969) is a Scottish actress. Her first notable role was in '' The Sunshine Boys'' at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, directed by Maureen Lipman, soon after she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Lipm ...

* Emun Elliott * Tom Ellis (actor) * Lynn Ferguson * Emma Fielding * Gregor Fisher * James Fleet * Laura Fraser * Ncuti Gatwa * Alexander Gibson * Michelle Gomez * Stella Gonet *

Hannah Gordon Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon
Film reference website (born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish actress and presenter ...

* Kevin Guthrie * John Hannah * David Hayman * Ivan Heng * Jeremy Herrin * Sam Heughan * Aneirin Hughes * Tunji Kasim * Bryan Kelly *

Louise Kemény Louise Kemény is a British-Austrian opera singer and concert soprano. Early life and education Kemény was born and grew up in West London, attending local comprehensive and grammar schools before studying English Literature at University Co ...

Pauline Knowles Pauline Knowles (16 December 1967 – 17 October 2018) was a Scottish actress and singer known for her work in theatre. Early life Pauline Knowles was born on 16 December 1967 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the 12th of 13 children. She attended Hol ...

* Anne Kristen * Colin Lamont * Gary Lamont *

Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of ''Bleak House'', as Gordon Urquhart in the film '' Local Hero'', as Retired DI Steve McAndre ...

Katie Leung Katie Leung (born 8 August 1987; ) is a Scottish actress. Initially famous for playing Cho Chang, the titular character's first love interest in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, she is also known for her roles as Caitlyn in the animated se ...

* Phyllis Logan * Angela Lonsdale * Jack Lowden * Calum MacCrimmon * Finlay MacDonald * Shauna Macdonald * Richard Madden *

Rik Makarem Tarik Makarem (born 18 January 1982), is an English actor most famous for playing Nikhil Sharma in ''Emmerdale''. Classically trained he is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. He won a Laurence Olivier Bursary in 2004 ...

Lauren Marcus Lauren Marcus (born November 27, 1985) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Early life and education Marcus was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, and attended New Trier High School for three years before relocating to Garrison, NY, ...

Mary Marquis Mary Elizabeth Marquis is a former leading interviewer and presenter on BBC Scotland from the mid-1960s, and became the face of the network's evening news programme ''Reporting Scotland'' until 1988, including the whole of the 1970s '' Nationwi ...

* Angus MacPhail * James McAvoy * Colin McCredie * Ian McDiarmid * Greg McHugh * David McVicar * Anthony Michaels-Moore * Siobhan Miller * Colin Morgan * Catriona Morison * Paul Leonard-Morgan * Findlay Napier * Daniela Nardini * Gray O'Brien * Kevin O'Loughlin * Ian Parker * Bill Paterson * Shernaz Patel *

Margaret Preece Margaret Preece is an English operatic soprano. She trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. Originally from Solihull, she has worked with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North a ...

Nicholas Ralph Nicholas Ralph is a Scottish actor. He plays James Herriot in the Channel 5 and PBS ''Masterpiece A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, espe ...

* Jenna Reid * Ian Richardson *

Natalie J. Robb Natalie Joy Robb (born 3 December 1974) is a Scottish actress and singer. She played the roles of Trish McDonald in the Scottish Television soap opera ''Take the High Road'' (1990–1999) and Jude Carlyle in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' (2001� ...

* Anne Sharp * Sean Shibe * Alexandra Silber * Elaine C Smith *

Emily Smith Emily Smith may refer to: *Emily Smith (author), English children's author *Emily Smith (gymnast) (born 1986), Canadian trampolinist *Emily Smith (singer) (born 1981), Scottish folk singer *Emily Smith (field hockey) (born 1992), Australian field h ...

* Robyn Stapleton * Dawn Steele * Andrew Stevenson * Svetlina Stoyanova *

David Tennant David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...

*Brian Vernel *Dougie Vipond *Jonathan Watson *Ruby Wax *Matthew Whiteside *Gareth Williams (composer), Gareth Williams *Krysty Wilson-Cairns *Julie Wilson Nimmo *Greg Wise *Jayne Wisener

Principals

*William G. Whittaker 1929 to 1941 *Ernest Bullock 1941 to 1952 *Henry Havergal 1953 to 1969 *Kenneth Barritt 1969 to 1976 *David Lumsden (musician), David Lumsden 1976 to 1982 *Philip Ledger 1982 to 2001 *John Wallace 2002 to 2014 *Jeffrey Sharkey 2014 to Present

References

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate wins 2017 Linbury Prize for stage design

Scottish Higher Education Archives

External links

* {{authority control Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Music schools in Scotland Education in Glasgow Drama schools in the United Kingdom Musical instrument museums Culture in Glasgow Organisations based in Glasgow with royal patronage, Conservatoire of Scotland Arts organisations based in Scotland Educational institutions established in 1845 1845 establishments in Scotland Drama schools in Scotland