Not long until we’re live with the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Sir James MacMillan for a dazzling concert featuring the conductor’s own music, Wynton Marsalis' Tuba Concerto, and Mussorgsky's vibrant Pictures at an Exhibition. Tune in from 7.30pm: www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6nw...

Thanks to @tomedney.bsky.social for sharing his research on Avril Coleridge-Taylor, painting a portrait of her life & music Fantastic to hear unpublished songs brought to life by @rcmlondon.bsky.social students (featuring exceptional piano parts) + learn about some exciting upcoming recordings

Just one month left to apply for the Young Double Reed Programme, an exciting opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts and learn from RCM professors! Open to: 11–18 year olds Standard: Grade 6+ Dates: Selected Sundays Jan-March 2026 Learn more and apply by 28 November: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/detai...

One month left to apply! BBC Radio 3, the National Centre for Early Music and the RCM’s next NGBE Development Day is on 11 January 2026, offering emerging professional ensembles the opportunity to be coached by RCM Professor Ashley Solomon. Learn more & apply by 24 November: bit.ly/RCM-NGBE

One week to go until the RCM Symphony Orchestra and Chorus take to the stage for a vibrant evening of music! RCM alumna Sofi Jeannin conducts Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Meg Blane, Poulenc’s joyful Gloria and Ravel’s much-loved Bolero 💃 30 & 31 October: bit.ly/chorusconcerts

Ever wanted to take a peek at the process behind the performance? Next week, go behind the scenes with the Marmen Quartet in a fascinating masterclass! Book your tickets now for what is sure to be an invigorating afternoon. 📅Tuesday 14 October, 2pm 📌Performance Hall, RCM 🎟️: bit.ly/marmenmaster...

Of course I was at the @rcmlondon.bsky.social for their #Boulez100 celebration with the Paris Conservatoire - wonderfully vivid performance of Dérive, loved the new piece by Hanze Liu

Did you see the supermoon this week? It reminded us of our production of Haydn’s 'Il mondo della luna' a few years ago… Why not come along to this term’s opera and immerse yourself in another magical world – The Cunning Little Vixen is on sale now! 🎟️: bit.ly/rcm_opera

Join us next Wednesday for an exciting collaborative concert celebrating the centenary of legendary French composer, Pierre Boulez. Musicians from the RCM and Conservatoire de Paris are busy rehearsing for this special project in Paris! 🇫🇷 Learn more and book: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/detai...

Ce matin, au Royal College of Music, musée d’instruments anciens et expositions Kurt Cobain, c'est le choc des époques ! #london

Join us next Wednesday for an exciting collaborative concert celebrating the centenary of legendary French composer, Pierre Boulez. Musicians from the RCM and Conservatoire de Paris are busy rehearsing for this special project in Paris! 🇫🇷 Learn more and book: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/detai...

Priority booking is now open for the RCM Opera Studio’s autumn production, The Cunning Little Vixen 🦊 Be moved by Janáček’s whimsical opera, drawing playful parallels between animal and human life. 24, 26, 28 & 29 November – RCM Friends book now: www.rcm.ac.uk/rcmopera

We’re delighted to announce two new appointments to the prestigious Vocal & Opera Faculty! Award-winning bass Jonathan Lemalu becomes Deputy Head of Vocal & Opera, and distinguished pianist, coach and conductor Mark Austin joins as Assistant Head of Vocal & Opera. bit.ly/RCM-VandO-appointments

Nirvana fans of the MTV Unplugged in New York album should check out the @rcmlondon.bsky.social exhibition about the recording. The guitar, the jumper and rare memorabilia are on display until November 18 in London.

Tell us your news! 📣 We love to hear from RCM staff, students and alumni – from performances to projects to publications. Send your updates to [email protected] by Friday 26 September, and you could feature in the autumn edition of Upbeat magazine. 📸 Chris Christodoulou

Meet the extraordinary musicians who will be Royal College of Music Fellows for the 2025/26 academic year - congratulations to all! 🎉 Find out more about them: bit.ly/RCM-Fellowsh...

We wish all scholars well for the term ahead 🍂

This #FlashbackFriday listen to RCM flautist Samantha Rowe perform Brett Dean's effervescent work for solo flute, 'Demons' 🫧 Learn more about the piece and watch the full performance on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/aOaqyNmgql8

Tra le fiamme, the latest recording on Channel Classics, brings together the RCM's innovative new 3D printed instruments with rare originals from the RCM Collection, performed by alumni and leading professors from our Historical Performance Faculty! Discover the recording: bit.ly/RCM-Tralefia...

Last week #RCMSparks kicked off the Springboard Young Composers Course with a special rehearsal visit at the Royal Albert Hall and a trip to the RCM Museum's Kurt Cobain Unplugged exhibition. Well done to the new students for creating amazing work inspired by music from the BBC Proms! 🎶

We’re thrilled to welcome three outstanding new professors to the Strings Faculty! 🎶 Joining our faculty are principal harp of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Elizabeth Bass, award-winning harpist Oliver Wass, and internationally acclaimed violinist Esther Yoo. Read more➡️ bit.ly/RCM-Stringsp...

RCM singers take centre stage at the BBC Proms this week! Tonight, alumna Ava Dodd joins Visiting Professors Brindley Sherratt and Nicky Spence in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth. Then on Sunday, look out for alumni Laurence Kilsby and Elizabeth Watts in Bliss’ cantata The Beatitudes.

Can you name that character? 🐺🦆🐦 Hear Prokofiev’s iconic Peter and the Wolf, brought to life by RCM musicians in this intimate arrangement. Watch the full performance on YouTube, led by RCM conductor Sam Scheer & narrated by the wonderful Lucy Hollins: youtu.be/25Jt_Dklkzs

#RCMSparks is delighted to once again be partnering with GALSI (Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments) to offer an exciting two-day course at the RCM! 📅28–29 October 🎟️Pay What You Can – Free places also available Learn more and apply: bit.ly/galsi2025

Meet the two wonderful vocal studies professors joining the Royal College of Music this autumn! We look forward to welcoming sopranos Mary Nelson and Sarah Tynan to the Vocal and Opera Faculty, adding their expertise to our world-class teaching staff. Find out more about them: bit.ly/RCM-vocal

Missed out on the RCM Opera Studio’s spring production of Le nozze di Figaro? You are in luck – the production will be streamed worldwide this Friday on OperaVision! Don’t miss out on a fantastic performance of Mozart’s beloved opera. Watch from 6pm: operavision.eu/performance/...

How can singing change the lives of new mothers? Read The Guardian to find out how research led by Royal College of Music Professor @rosielperkins.bsky.social is making a difference in Australia ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Look out for RCM alumni Louise Alder and Huw Montague Rendall in The Marriage of Figaro at the Proms tomorrow! This weekend, Hugh Cutting performs in Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, and don’t miss a world premiere by Hannah Kendall. Read more about our alumni at the BBC Proms⬇️ bit.ly/RCM-BBCProms

Using performance nerves as your superpower! 💪 In her inspiring horn masterclass earlier this year, hear Sarah Willis' wise words with RCM musician Jack Bradley-Buxton on using nervousness to benefit your musicality. Have you ever felt that being nervous helped you perform better? #FlashbackFriday

Celebrating Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 150th anniversary! Hear the RCM alumnus' spirited Novelleten for string orchestra, performed by talented young musicians of the RCM Junior Department earlier this year. Read more about his legacy and life at the RCM: bit.ly/3V0UJtT #FlashbackFriday

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born OTD 150 years ago. Here's his rather lovely Clarinet Quintet: youtu.be/YhkxzmDbVN8?...

Celebrating Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 150th anniversary! Hear the RCM alumnus' spirited Novelleten for string orchestra, performed by talented young musicians of the RCM Junior Department earlier this year. Read more about his legacy and life at the RCM: bit.ly/3V0UJtT #FlashbackFriday

Looking for exciting concerts and performances in London? Look no further – booking is now open for our Autumn Season of events! With chamber music, family events, orchestral concerts and masterclasses, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Book now: www.rcm.ac.uk/events

Enjoy some peaceful Purcell this #FlashbackFriday 🧚 Performed by the RCM Baroque Orchestra, hear the delightful Rondeau from Henry Purcell’s Suite from The Fairy Queen. Learn more about the RCM Historical Performance Faculty: www.rcm.ac.uk/hp/

Priority booking is now open for our Autumn Season! If you are an RCM Friend, take advantage of the seven-day priority booking period and secure your seats for rousing concerts and events this autumn. Want to become an RCM Friend? Learn how at www.rcm.ac.uk/support/frie...

Our production of Mozart’s timeless masterpiece, The Marriage of Figaro, will be streaming worldwide on OperaVision later this month! 🎥 Stream free from 29 August - available for 6 months. Find out more: bit.ly/RCM-OperaVis...

We’re delighted to announce that Dr Sarah K Whitfield (@sarahinthepark.bsky.social) has been appointed Reader in Musical Theatre at the Royal College of Music and has also been appointed Head of Doctoral Programmes. Read more about Sarah’s achievements: bit.ly/RCM-Sarah-Wh...

What an ending! 🌟 Today's #FlashbackFriday is Mendelssohn's Octet at @wigmore-hall.org.uk, as part of our RCM Strings Showcase. What a fantastic feeling to be in the room for this thrilling finale – watch the full performance now on our YouTube channel. #MendelssohnOctet #WigmoreHall

A huge well done to everyone who took part in the #RCMSparks Launch Pad course this week! The Nirvana interpretations created in the sessions were reflective, epic, and truly inspiring. Everyone took it to the next level – legends in the making 🎸 #Nirvana #CreativeLegends

Announcing our Autumn Season! 🍂 Join us at the Royal College of Music for a rousing season of concerts and events, with something for all musical tastes to enjoy. Booking opens on 13 August, or 6 August for priority bookers. Browse all events now: www.rcm.ac.uk/events/

A fascinating few days hosting the inaugural Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium at the RCM, where over 75 international speakers came together to explore music’s vital role in supporting parents’ wellbeing. Find out more about the RCM’s research: bit.ly/RCM-Symposium

Royal College of Music auditions are coming to Australia! 🌏 We're thrilled to announce Sydney as our newest audition location, joining a global network of audition locations including London, the USA, and countries across Asia. Find out more: bit.ly/RCM-Sydney

‘Here I am, living my dream!’ Did you catch RCM alumnus Nicholas McCarthy performing Ravel at the #bbcproms? Read about the successes of our alumni, students and staff in #RCMUpbeat magazine, plus our Proms roundup and all the latest news: bit.ly/RCMCommunity 📸 Chris Christodoulou

We're proud to see our alumni thriving in their careers after graduating! New data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency has revealed that 93% of RCM 2023 graduates who completed the survey were in high-skilled employment 15 months after finishing their studies.

Electronics and echoes... ⚡ Hear RCM saxophonist Meg Glover perform Jonathan Harvey's ingenious Ricercare una Melodia. The piece uses a tape-delay system to create a five-part canon from a single melody line – listen out for the harmonies it creates! #FlashbackFriday

A very happy birthday to the extraordinary Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who turns 100 today. Anita survived Auschwitz, where she played cello in the camp orchestra.

Looking forward to unplugging from everyday life at the BBC Proms this season? Why not stay unplugged a little longer with a visit to our Kurt Cobain exhibition, just across the road from the @royalalberthall.bsky.social. Book your tickets: bit.ly/RCM-Cobainex... #BBCProms

Ever wondered about the impact one choice has made on your life? When Dani Howard composed The Butterfly Effect about her time at the Royal College of Music, she was reflecting on just that! 🦋 Read how Dani enjoyed ‘some of the best years of her life’ at the RCM 👉 bit.ly/DaniHoward

On 22–23 July, the RCM will host the inaugural Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium, bringing together over 75 international speakers to explore how music can support parents’ wellbeing. Find out how the RCM’s work has already made a difference: bit.ly/RCM-Musicand...

The BBC Proms begin this week! Keep an eye out for RCM students, staff and alumni throughout the season. This weekend alone, alumnus Nicholas McCarthy makes his Proms debut while the First Night features new music by composition professor Errollyn Wallen and a performance by alumnus Gerald Finley.