Performance Opportunities

RCM students receive opportunities for solo and communal music-making in prestigious venues with the most highly regarded guest artists.

Our orchestral concerts offer chances for solo performers, and are regularly conducted by the likes of Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Sir Roger Norrington. Our operas are directed by internationally renowned directors and designers, and are reviewed in the national and international press. Our many solo concerts and chamber series see singers, pianists and all our other instrumentalists per form every week in London’s most prestigious venues. Our jazz ensembles perform with distinguished guest artists in a variety of settings.

The following includes just some of the performing opportunities that RCM students had in 2008/9, and shows what you could be part of.

September 2008 to July 2009

RCM Chamber Music and Solo Performances
RCM singers and instrumentalists performed in our regular concert series at London’s most prestigious venues, including St Martin-in-the-Fields, the National Gallery, Steinway Hall, the Royal Academy of Arts, Cadogan Hall, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and St James’s Piccadilly.

8 and 10 October 2008

Sir Roger Norrington
Fresh from conducting the Last Night of the Proms, Sir Roger Norrington conducted the RCM Symphony Orchestra and current vocal student Philip Tebb in London and Cambridge in a programme of Schubert, Mahler and Brahms.

NOVEMBER 2008

1 November 2008

Trans
Trans at London’s Southbank Centre.

“The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly Trans... the brilliant young players of the Royal College of Music.” – Daily Telegraph

“Trans was stunningly played (and acted) by the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra” – The Times

11 to 14 November 2008

The RCM International Viol Festival II
Some of the world’s greatest gamba players congregated at the RCM for four days of concerts, lectures and masterclasses.

DECEMBER 2008

1 to 6 December 2008

La finta giardiniera
The RCM International Opera School presented four performances of Mozart’s sparkling early opera.

4 December 2008

RCM Sinfonietta
At Cadogan Hall, current piano student Kumi Matsuo performed the Ravel Piano Concerto for Left Hand.

JANUARY 2009

16 January 2009

FEBRUARY 2009

4 February 2009

The Sound of Perfume
Three RCM composers took home £1,000 prizes from this special event, after writing piano works exploring the evocative relationship between perfume and music.

14 and 15 February 2009

Chilingirian ChamberFest @ RCM
Resident RCM ensemble the Chilingirian Quartet led RCM chamber ensembles in a weekend of events dedicated to the music of Haydn.

MARCH 2009

Britten War Requiem
After a £5 million transformation, the RCM’s concert hall re-opened with a performance by massed RCM performers of this monumental work by RCM alumnus Benjamin Britten.

“Listening to these young musicians I know that the future of the performance of classical music is in very safe hands.” – Music Web International

City of Dreams
RCM chamber groups and soloists participated in the Philharmonia Orchestra’s celebration of Viennese music written between 1900 and 1935.

APRIL 2009

“This annual collaboration between the London Handel Festival and the RCM has again produced a riveting show.” – The Times

“The Royal College fielded a star team... This Alessandro was livelier, more engaging, and better sung than Covent Garden ’s Acis and Galatea the next day.” - Opera magazine

RCM Big Band and Jazz Ensemble
The RCM’s two major jazz ensembles entertained crowds in the Britten Theatre.

The Listening Gallery
RCM musicians per formed in live recitals at the V&A Museum , while recordings of RCM musicians could be heard by thousands of visitors to the galleries.

Film Music Showcase
Students on the RCM’s Composition for Screen course witnessed screenings of their most recent collaborations at a special gala concert.

MAY 2009

“This was a concert of which any orchestra could have been proud... the RCM’s young players directed by Robin O’Neill did a remarkable job.” – Tempo

RCM Percussion Showcase
David Hockings led star RCM percussionists in a varied programme of original works and special arrangements.

“A fantastic insight into the creativity and versatility of this section of the orchestra. The student players displayed high levels of skill and musicianship, and left the audience hoping for more of the same in the future.” – Music Web International

The Sound of Martinů
RCM wind players commemorated the 50th anniversary of Martinů’s death.

New Perspectives
New music specialist Tim Lines directed a programme of new works by RCM composers among works by Henze, Takemitsu and Boulez.

JUNE 2009

Esa-Pekka Salonen
The Finnish maestro conducted the RCM Symphony Orchestra in two performances of Mahler’s mighty 9th Symphony.

“The string ensemble achieved such a full-blooded, yet rounded integration the like of which I’ve not heard in London before... extraordinarily accomplished solo work from winds and brasses... Mahler has never been more visceral and all-encompassing. Salonen’s debut at the RCM will live long in the memory.” – Classical Source

Exhibition Road Music Day
RCM musicians entertained thousands of visitors to London ’s premier cultural quarter with a full day of events, climaxing with “The History of the Piano.”

Wigmore Hall String Showcase
RCM alumna Natalie Clein joined current students and special guests for world premières and Brahms’ String Sextet.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The RCM International Opera School invited former RSC director Ian Judge to direct four performances of the masterpiece by RCM alumnus Benjamin Britten.

“Ian Judge has brought a touch of raffish magic to Kensington... The look of it is top class; how does everything else add up? Extremely well, I’m delighted to report... Utterly magical” - What’s On Stage

RCM Sinfonietta
Trumpet student Robin Totterdell performed the Tomasi Trumpet Concerto, and the orchestral year came to a triumphant end with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

JULY 2009

Castleton Opera
Lorin Maazel invited a dozen RCM instrumentalists to spend a month at his ranch in West Virginia and to perform under his baton in a series of Britten operas and orchestral concerts.

“A sparkling production of Benjamin Britten's comic opera ‘Albert Herring’. The orchestral accompaniment, provided by musicians from London 's Royal College of Music, was spot-on throughout.” – The Washington Times

“A compelling Turn of the Screw... superb playing by students from London ’s Royal College of Music” – The Baltimore Sun

RCM Brass Ensemble with Zone One Brass
RCM students joined resident ensemble Zone One Brass for a celebration of brass music.

Historical Performance Day
Ashley Solomon led an intriguing day exploring performances of Boyce, Haydn and Bach on both modern and period instruments.