Royal Academy of Music

25/08/2023

The Royal Academy of Music is a place where musicians can connect, create and collaborate.

Today we look forward to the release of our latest recording of Bach Partitas with Linn Records, reuniting the Academy Soloists Ensemble and students from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory in Canada with renowned conductor Trevor Pinnock.

Our Principal, producer Jonathan Freeman-Attwood commissioned Academy alum, Thomas Oehler to reimagine three of Bach's most celebrated keyboard Partitas for chamber orchestra. This new perspective of Bach’s keyboard writing will be released by Linn Records September 22.

👀 Listen to the Allemande from Bach’s Partita No.5 in G and pre-order here > https://bit.ly/3PaVnTv

22/08/2023

This summer our Academy Symphony Orchestra performed Gershwin's An American in Paris with the incredible Ryan Bancroft live in the Duke's Hall.

🎼 Watch the performance here >

George GershwinAn American in ParisPerformed by the Academy Symphony OrchestraRyan Bancroft - conductorRecorded live at the Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Mus...

21/08/2023

We're looking forward to seeing our alumni Sir Simon Rattle, Lucy Crowe, Allan Clayton, Brindley Sherratt and Iestyn Davies in action at the BBC Proms this week 🎹🎶

Good luck to all Academy staff, students and alumni performing in the festival!

18/08/2023

The next release in our Bicentenary Series on Linn Records, Soirée Parisienne by tenor Liam Bonthrone, is now available to purchase 🎼

🎧 Listen to a preview from the recording here:

Listen to Soirée parisienne by Liam Bonthrone, Benjamin Mead.

17/08/2023

Academy alum, AnnaLapwood spoke to BBC Radio 4 on playing Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with the London Mozart Players 🎼

🎧 Listen here >

A musician’s-eye view of classical music’s best-loved works.

15/08/2023

August's 'Object of the Month' is the manuscript of Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs, one of the main featured works of the Last Night of the Proms.

Henry Wood studied composition at the Academy from 1886 and founded the Proms in 1895.

🎼 Find out more about this piece and how Henry Wood changed the musical landscape of Britain > https://bit.ly/47t67Ux

14/08/2023

As we enter our third century, our aim is to shape the future of music by discovering and supporting talent wherever it exists 🎼

Sign up to our 2023 Open Days to discover more about the Academy.

Check out our latest tour of our beautiful building 👀👇🏼 https://bit.ly/3QDnUm6

Check out Royal Academy of Music's video.

10/08/2023

Our autumn season has arrived 🍂

🎟️ Discover what's on and book your tickets here > https://bit.ly/3NYgwyI

09/08/2023

As we enter our third century, our aim is to shape the future of music by discovering and supporting talent wherever it exists 🎼

Could this be you? Sign up to our 2023 Open Days to discover more about the Academy and whether it’s the right place for you > https://bit.ly/44YnESJ

07/08/2023

Congratulations to our alum Alim Beisembayev who stepped in for Benjamin Grosvenor at Prom 30: Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto last night 🎼

🎧 Listen to the concert here >

Live at the BBC Proms: John Wilson and Sinfonia of London perform Rachmaninov and Walton.

03/08/2023

In need of a Thursday pick me up? 🎼

Watch the Academy Symphony Orchestra perform Strauss's Tod und Verklärung with Sir Mark Elder here👇🏻

Richard StraussTod und VerklärungPerformed by Academy Symphony OrchestraSir Mark Elder - conductorRecorded live at the Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music, L...

02/08/2023

'A life in music will require a huge amount of work and sacrifice, but it is one of the greatest joys of my life.'

Revisit legendary composer and Visiting Professor of Composition James Newton Howard's inspiring speech at our 2023 Graduation here >

01/08/2023

We're looking forward to seeing our alumni Isata Kanneh-Mason, Lucy Crowe, Jâms Coleman and Benjamin Grosvenor in action at the BBC Proms this week 🎹🎶

Good luck to all Academy staff, students and alumni performing in the festival!

01/08/2023

Watch Academy Bicentenary Scholar, Junyan Chen perform Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor, featured in Gramophone's 'Video of the Day' >

Junyan Chen's plays an excerpt from Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor

28/07/2023

What are you most excited to see at our autumn season of events? 🍂

🎟️ Discover what's on and book your tickets here > https://bit.ly/3NYgwyI

26/07/2023

'You see a transcendental element of Bach’s music all over and throughout history.'

Academy alum, Plínio Fernandes spoke to Gramophone about his new Decca Gold album 🎼

Read more here >

The Brazilian guitarist also reveals details of his new Decca Gold album

25/07/2023

In 2017, while still studying at the Academy, Guy Withers founded Waterperry Opera Festival alongside Bertie Baigent 🎭

We caught up with the pair about their upcoming season and how they are bringing opera to new audiences.

Read more here👇🏻 https://bit.ly/3Otmbhu

21/07/2023

The next release in our Bicentenary Series on Linn Records , Soirée Parisienne by tenor Liam Bonthrone, is now available to pre-order.

🎧 Listen to a preview from the recording here:

Listen to Soirée parisienne by Liam Bonthrone, Benjamin Mead.

20/07/2023

📣🍂Online booking is now open for our autumn season of events

General telephone booking will open on Monday 11 September from 10am.

🎟️ Discover what's on and book your tickets here > https://bit.ly/3NYgwyI

19/07/2023

Tomorrow, 'Speaking Musically: Great Artists in Conversation at the Royal Academy of Music', will be released in hardback and as an e-book 📖

This book features interviews with eminent musical figures, offering insights into the changing professional and artistic world of the 20th and early-21st centuries.

Find out more here >

On Thursday 20 July, 'Speaking Musically: Great Artists in Conversation at the Royal Academy of Music', will be released in hardback and as an e-book.

18/07/2023

Isabella Gellis (Composition, 2022) completed both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Academy, finishing her studies last year 🎼

As part of our One Year On series, we caught up with her to find out about life since the Academy.

Read the full interview here👇🏻

As this has been the first year I’ve not been tied to an institution, it has admittedly taken some time to adjust. Luckily there has been some continuity. I’ve been writing a piano quintet that was commissioned while I was still studying. As a day job, I lead composition workshops in schools, wh...

14/07/2023

July's 'Object of the Month' 📜

In 1575, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd received a patent which allowed them to be the sole publishers and importers of music in England for the next 21 years. They are considered to be amongst the most influential English Renaissance composers.

Find out more here > https://bit.ly/3XUWCJh

14/07/2023

'A life in music will require a huge amount of work and sacrifice, but it is one of the greatest joys of my life.'

On Tuesday, legendary composer and Visiting Professor of Composition JamesNewtonHoward received an Honorary Degree (Hon DMus) at our 2023 Graduation ceremony.

🎓Watch his inspiring speech here >>

11/07/2023

Congratulations to all our honorands at this year's Graduation ceremony 🎓✨

As we enter our third century, we are proud to celebrate a range of artists who move music forward, including Academy alumni and associates who continue to shape the musical landscape.

Read more here > https://bit.ly/43lMj29

11/07/2023

In honour of our Graduation ceremony today, here is a portrait of Marion Paddenn in her Academy graduation dress and medals 🎓

She came to the Academy in 1925 and studied piano, elocution, French, dancing and deportment.

You can view our printed graduation and prize lists from 1876 onward here > https://bit.ly/3D9z7Tk

10/07/2023

Congratulations to our Musical Theatre students for their incredible performances of Carousel 🎠

06/07/2023

Good luck to our Musical Theatre Company on their performances of Carousel 🎠

This production will run until Sunday 9 July. Last remaining tickets are available here > https://bit.ly/3O3sWqi

📷 Craig Fuller

06/07/2023

Introducing our autumn term of performances 🍂

Audiences can immerse themselves in a broad range of music, including jazz, opera, musical theatre, chamber, symphonic music and new works, providing ample opportunity to experience music’s stars of today and tomorrow.

🎟️ Online booking will open to the public on Thursday 20 July.

Discover what's on here > https://bit.ly/3JNlcWS

05/07/2023

Have you discovered 200 PIECES? 👀

To celebrate our Bicentenary year, we invited 200 composers to create a new library of contemporary works for solo instrument and voice 🎼

Don't forget you can listen for free on our website > https://bit.ly/3NZURHt

03/07/2023

Alumni Spotlight 📣✨

Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong is an actress, singer and theatre-maker. Since training on the Academy’s Musical Theatre course, Cassiopeia has gone on to perform on the West End stage, co-found new theatre company Speaks of Rivers and write her debut play Shuck ‘n’ Jive.

We spoke to Cassiopeia to find out more about her eclectic career. Read more here > https://bit.ly/3Xy3jRx

30/06/2023

As part of our Community First Strings Experience, we welcomed young participants from Corpus Christi Catholic School to take a tour of the Academy, visit our Collections as well as hear our students play 🎼

Find out more about our Widening Participation department > https://bit.ly/46rMD1T

📷 Charlotte Levy

29/06/2023

Congratulations to pianist Aidan Mikdad, winner of the 2023 Bicentenary Prize 🏆

The final round in this prestigious competition took place at Wigmore Hall on 28 June in front of a live audience and a panel of eminent judges; composer, Academy alumna and Visiting Professor Eleanor Alberga OBE; critically-acclaimed trumpeter Alison Balsom OBE and renowned pianist Imogen Cooper DBE.

James Nash and Drake Gritton were awarded second prize and third prize respectively, and the accompanist prize went to Leon Ruiyang Chen.

Read more here >

Aidan Mikdad wins the 2023 Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary Prize

28/06/2023

Journey with us to the 19th century for our production of Carousel brought to life by our Musical Theatre Company.

The score features songs such as 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and 'June is Busting Out All Over'.

🎟️ Don't miss out and book now > https://bit.ly/46r0qpp

Carousel barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan fall in love, but their romance comes at a price. To provide for Julie and their unborn child, Billy participates in a robbery that goes tragically wrong, but Billy gets a second chance to make things right.

27/06/2023

‘I never would’ve written these songs without my classical training’ 🚀

Read Academy alum, Sir Elton John 's full interview with Classic FM here >

We met Sir Elton at his old alma mater to talk music education, his ‘mystical’ song-writing process and how the Royal Academy of Music has changed since 1958...

26/06/2023

Good luck to all of our students participating in our Seen and Heard Festival 🎼

Returning for its third year, this series of concerts celebrates diversity in classical music; sharing the excitement and beauty of music by underrepresented composers.

Book your tickets here >

Returning for its third year, this series of concerts celebrates diversity in classical music. Students from different departments unite, sharing the excitement and beauty of old and new music by underrepresented composers.

26/06/2023

Congratulations to our alumni Elton John, Jacob Collier and Max Richter who gave incredible performances at Glastonbury Festivals ☀️

As well as a special mention to all of our Academy alumni and friends who were involved with the festival ✨

23/06/2023

Have you explored 200 PIECES? 👀

To celebrate our Bicentenary year, we invited 200 composers to write 200 new works for solo instrument or voice.

Browse the library, complete with composer biographies and links to scores > https://www.ram.ac.uk/200-pieces

23/06/2023

‘These workshops have offered me the most valuable experience in practical time working with an orchestra. It has taught me to love conducting even more!’

Just one more week to go until applications close for our Glover-Edwards conducting programme 🎼

Find out more here > https://bit.ly/3Xlce8G

21/06/2023

Yesterday we were joined by alumnus and sought-after musician Timothy Ridout - Violist, who led a dynamic masterclass for our students 🎻

We look forward to welcoming Timothy back to the Academy when he begins his new role as Visiting Professor of Music in September.

20/06/2023

This month's object from our collections explores Yehudi Menuhin's passion for yoga.

Having begun his career as a child prodigy, violinist Yehudi Menuhin was suffering from chronic back pain by his mid-thirties. It was during a chance visit to the osteopath that he picked up a book about yoga and was intrigued.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Discover June's 'Object of the Month' >