University News Last updated 17 January
Principal Stephen Maddock shares forthcoming events and his visit to Goa, India, last month, as part of the extraordinary Serendipity Arts Festival.
Friends,
I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year, and that, like our students, you have begun the year full of energy and positivity. They have many exciting things ahead of them this term, and they look forward to sharing the more public-facing activities with as many people as possible in our RBC venues and across the city.
Our new Highlights brochure, and of course the website, provide lots of information about the dizzying variety of events coming up, from classic plays by Brian Friel and Pam Gems, to Britten’s Albert Herring, to French Season concerts by our Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir, and rarely heard masterpieces by Francis Poulenc and Pierre Boulez. There are also lots of exciting and innovative events planned as culminations of the final projects that all our final-year BMus students create to showcase their own creative enthusiasms.
There was also plenty of creative variety on show in Goa last month (December 2024), as part of the extraordinary Serendipity Arts Festival. I was lucky enough to spend a week in Panjim as part of a small Birmingham arts delegation that took in more than 100 events ranging from live theatre, dance and music performances to visual arts, talks and lots of culinary arts events.
We are delighted to be bringing this festival – India’s largest and most diverse – to Birmingham in May 2026 – its first edition outside Goa. We are hard at work planning ten days of events – most of which will be free to attend – across the city’s major venues (including RBC) and public spaces. Look out for a small taster festival this May, as we experiment with some of the ways in which this massive and prestigious event can be reimagined for our city’s unique arts scene and heritage.
In the meantime, our staff will be hard at work in the coming weeks recruiting our 2025 student intake. We have been holding auditions in China for musicians, in the USA for actors, and hundreds more here in Birmingham. As ever, we are showing potential students not just our brilliant facilities and teaching staff but also describing the uniquely warm and supportive environment here for all students.
This remains a competitive field – especially for Home students given the continued erosion of music and drama teaching, and opportunities in state schools – but we know (because our students tell us this!) that Birmingham is the right choice for a wide range of different students, and our results and employability statistics continue to show the great progress our students make while here, and the connection into their future careers that often begin here.
I look forward to welcoming you to RBC in 2025 – as often as you can find time to join us!