Global Traditional Music
At Royal Birmingham Conservatoire we provide extensive access to the folk music scene through national and international touring with our unique orchestra-sized folk ensemble.
Our ethos is to continue the processes of traditional music making in order to keep folk music alive and developing. We encourage new ideas and new approaches, alongside the study of traditional music from around the world.
Whilst everyone that studies at RBC can join The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, students wishing to specialise in the area of folk, “world” and traditional music can do so via the Global Traditional Music Performance principal study modules on the MMus, PgCert and PgDip courses.
Our Global Traditions concert series gives RBC students free access to the most inspiring artists working in traditional music today.
Study options
What is your folk music? You may be a fusion artist, a singer-songwriter, a folk fiddler or tabla player. We are here to help you develop and learn; we are not here to tell you what kind of folk musician you should be!
On the postgraduate instrumental performance courses (MMus, PgDip, PgCert), we invite instrumentalists and singers to specialise in Global Traditional Music Performance. This pathway is particularly suited to those musicians who are preparing to go into the professional world of traditional music, wherever that music is from. The course combines 1-1 tuition on your chosen instrument, with our core modules in career development, and of course the real-world experience of touring with the Folk Ensemble.
With guidance from our specialist tutors and your 1-1 teacher, you will develop your own individual skills, form groups with other students and learn to prepare performances to the highest possible level. You will also have access to guest artists who regularly come to RBC to play as part of our Global Traditions concert series.
If you are studying on one of our undergraduate courses you may choose to allocate some of your principal study tuition hours to an instrument or genre within the area of Global Traditional Music. This is subject to negotiation with your principal study tutors.
Conservatoire Folk Ensemble
All music students studying at RBC have the opportunity to join The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble. This unique ensemble was formed in 1997 by Joe Broughton and currently has 90 members.
Every year the ensemble tours the UK, and in recent years this has extended to France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The tour normally takes in theatres, arts centres and clubs, as well as festivals such as Green Man, Kendal Calling, Secret Garden Party, Cropredy, Towersey and Shrewsbury - to name just a few.
As well as offering unprecedented levels of performance and touring experience, The CFE has made many critically-acclaimed albums and been featured on national and international radio.
In weekly two-hour rehearsals the Folk Ensemble learns tunes and songs by ear and arranges them together as a group. This process serves as excellent ear-training as well as giving experience and insight into practical composition and arrangement. In addition to working on large ensemble pieces, the members of the ensemble are also encouraged to work in smaller groups and prepare their own material to showcase on the tour.
Global Traditions Concert series
Global Traditions is a concert series of folk music from around the world that was launched in 2021 and has already featured some of the highest profile artists working in folk music today.
International artists are welcomed into RBC to perform public concerts that all of our students have free access to. Often guest artists will work with students whilst at the Conservatoire, and there are also opportunities for Conservatoire Folk Ensemble members to perform support slots and even alongside guest artists.
Upcoming Concerts:
Ensemble participation
All students working in the area of Global Traditional Music are encouraged to join the Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, and students on the postgraduate specialism in Global Traditional Music Performance are expected to take a leading role in every aspect of the ensemble. For many musicians who don’t play western classical music, opportunities to play in a group that is the size of an orchestra are rare.
In the Conservatoire Folk Ensemble students have the opportunity to learn about all aspects of large ensemble playing, composing and arranging, as well as the practical aspects of tour and concert management. This is real hands-on experience, and an opportunity to make connections and network on the UK’s professional folk music scene.
Joe Broughton's Conservatoire Folk Ensemble Reunion
Audition requirements
All candidates are required to perform two contrasting pieces or equivalent. These will be appropriate to the instrument and area of music that you are working in and should showcase your skills and understanding of the genre. For example, the panel would expect a singer-songwriter to perform two original songs, whereas a percussionist may choose to demonstrate a number of techniques in order to highlight particular aspects of their playing.
There will also be a brief interview in which the panel will be interested to hear you talk about your artistic influences, your inspiration to be a musician, and your career objectives.
The audition process for Global Traditional Music Performance is flexible, so if you would like to discuss in more detail what you should prepare, please don’t hesitate to contact Joe Broughton.
Staff Spotlight
Director of The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, Joe Broughton is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator based in Birmingham, UK. As well as his own internationally renowned band The Urban Folk Quartet, Joe has played with everyone from Joss Stone to Fairport Convention.
His compositions have been performed at The Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre in London and his workshops in performance and ensemble playing are legendary amongst the teaching community. Joe has played on over 100 albums as a session musician as well as making more than 20 solo and band albums of his own. In the 2023 New Years Honours list, Joe was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to music.