THE PRINCE OF WALES WILL VISIT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC TO OFFICIALLY UNVEIL THE NEW CAMPUS
THURSDAY, 2ND DECEMBER 2021
The Prince of Wales, President of the Royal College of Music (RCM), will officially unveil the new Royal College of Music campus created by More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music development.
On arrival, His Royal Highness will be greeted by Lord Guy Black, RCM Chairman, Professor Colin Lawson CBE, RCM Director. The RCM Brass Ensemble will play fanfare as The Prince proceeds into the Courtyard Café, accompanied by Lord Black, for the official ceremony. Lord Black will invite His Royal Highness to say a few words and cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the RCM More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of Music build. The Prince will then watch a short performance by Amy Gille, Tagore medal winner 2021, of Syrinx by Debussy. His Royal Highness will meet guests including building project team members, RCM supporters and SU president. The Prince will then proceed into the gallery to meet students who have performed in the brass fanfare. There will then be a performance in the museum by Apolline Khou of piece n.1 from “Twelve short pieces” by English composer Samuel Wesley (1766-1837). His Royal Highness will be invited to sign the visitors’ book before departing.
His Royal Highness last visited the Royal College of Music in March 2020.
The RCM’s More Music development
The RCM’s More Music development was funded by a £40 million philanthropic campaign, of which HRH The Prince of Wales was Patron. The landmark redevelopment has almost doubled the footprint of the iconic South Kensington site, enhancing opportunities for students and visitors alike. Additions to the campus include the creation of two new performance spaces, a brand-new home for the Royal College of Music Museum, practice rooms for students and a new courtyard and café for students, staff and visitors to enjoy. Each of these additions contributes to an environment in which students can create, research and perform for generations to come.
The More Music development has provided for an expanded scholarship programme to support the most talented students, regardless of means; improved research and digital capabilities; provided innovative academic initiatives; and offers more opportunities to widen access to classical music through a flourishing community engagement programme.
About the Royal College of Music
Founded in 1882, the Royal College of Music (RCM) is a world leading music conservatoire with a prestigious history and contemporary outlook. Since its foundation by The Prince of Wales, later Edward Vll, the college has been linked with the Royal Family. Its Patron is currently Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has been President since 1993.
RCM’s 900 undergraduate and postgraduate students come from over 55 countries and are taught in a dynamic environment, leaving the RCM to become the outstanding performers, conductors and composers of the future.
For the sixth consecutive year, the RCM was ranked as the top institution in the UK for Performing Arts in the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2021, and top in Europe for the second year running. In a recent Higher Education Statistics Agency survey (2021), of the RCM alumni who graduated in 2019, 86% of survey respondents had moved into employment or further study 15 months after graduating.
Among their over 9,500 alumni are composers and performers such as Sir Hubert Parry, Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Lord Lloyd Webber, Rebecca Clarke, Anna Meredith, Clemency Burton-Hill, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Sarah Connolly, Gerald Finley, Sophie Bevan, Louise Alder, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Sir Thomas Allen. Recent honorary doctorates include Sir Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Bryn Terfel, Steve Reich and Maxim Vengerov (Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin).
