University News Last updated 14 February
Friends,
Welcome to RBC This Week as we reach the mid-point of this academic year. This is my second ‘full circuit’ of the Conservatoire’s annual cycle of teaching, performance and assessment, and I am getting more used to the rhythm of our live events and student opportunities.
As ever, it is well-nigh impossible to get to everything that I would like to see and hear – never mind all the other great things happening across Birmingham – but I am doing my best! Last week, for instance: I attended an excellent lunchtime concert with a trumpet and piano then song recital; a beautiful evening of Handel arias and instrumental music; a stirring recital by Erwan Le Prado on the two very different organs in our Organ Studio; a masterclass with the great Canadian violinist James Ehnes; a brilliantly creative concert of five new works by Composition students, played by our Alternative Orchestra; and finally a really enjoyable concert by three large ensembles from our Junior department.
Next week, I am looking forward to a varied programme of French music played by our RBC Symphony Orchestra and a rare opportunity to hear a later masterpiece by Pierre Boulez, whose centenary we are celebrating this year. But alongside these larger events, our students are all involved in other performances and, in the case of the fourth-year Music students, their final projects. These offer a bewildering array of creative ideas; many are listed on our website for the curious and the adventurous!
There has been some welcome news to celebrate too. Our Acting alumna Nicola Coughlan has been nominated for a prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in Bridgerton, one of US TV’s leading prizes. Our former RBC Junior Jeevan Braich took home the award for Best Professional Newcomer at the What’s On Stage Awards in London, for his leading role as Rusty in the superb new production of Starlight Express. And to help encourage lots more Jeevans in future years, we have secured around £370,000 to help support our Junior department, which will help ensure that no young person misses out on these great training opportunities for a lack of financial support.
We are, of course, always keen to find new and increased funding for all our activities, whether by sponsoring events or by directly supporting students through targeted scholarships. If you would like to introduce us to someone who might be able to help with this, I hope you will reach out to me or to our Head of Development Terry Gibson. It’s not always easy to maintain the kind of world-class specialist training that we offer at RBC, but with so few affordable opportunities available for young actors and musicians in the Midlands, it’s essential that we continue to do so. And with your help anything is possible!
Stephen