RCM ensembles

A double bass player smiling in an orchestral rehearsal
In addition to performing in their own groups, Royal College of Music students regularly perform together in our fantastic range of ensembles, which are highly regarded by audiences and critics alike.

Some ensemble projects are built around short, intense rehearsal periods that mirror professional conditions and offer valuable real-world experience. Others benefit from extended periods of expert sectional training, offering scope for reflection and deeper artistic development. RCM ensembles regularly work with some of the world's greatest conductors, choral directors, bandleaders and opera directors, many of whom have commented on the excellent musicianship, dedication and passion of our students.

You can watch performances by a range of RCM ensembles on our YouTube channel and you can view our current events in the Explore section of our website.

Orchestras

The RCM runs orchestras of different sizes, representing a variety of specialisms. Between them, the RCM Symphony Orchestra, RCM Philharmonic, RCM Opera Orchestra, RCM Baroque Orchestra, RCM String Orchestra and RCM Wind Orchestra give our students ample opportunity to explore a variety of repertoire and benefit from a range of orchestral experiences. Recent visiting artists include Sir Antonio Pappano, Sakari Oramo, Martyn Brabbins, Jessica Cottis, Rafael Payare, Jac van Steen,Vasily Petrenko, Kevin John Edusei and Joana Carneiro.

A man, wearing smart black attire, smiling at the audience, standing in the conductor's podium, with the orchestra sitting in their seats holding their instruments.

Sir Antonio Pappano

A man, wearing a black blazar and black shirt, standing in the podium, waving to the audience, with a group of students standing and holding their instruments, behind him.

The late Sir Andrew Davis

A male conductor, wearing a hair wrap, wearing a dark blue shirt, conducting a group of students performing in a jazz orchestra on a stage.

Winston Rollins

A man, wearing a dark shirt and glasses, conducting an orchestra rehearsal with students performing in a well lit concert hall.

Ben Palmer

A male conductor, wearing smart black attire, standing next to the conductor's podium smiling at the audience, with musicians standing behind him.

Håkan Hardenberger

A women, with brown hair tied back, wearing formal attire and smiling, with her arms out, standing in the conductor's podium, with students, wearing formal attire, standing next to her and smiling.

Jessica Cottis

A man, wearing formal attire, conducting an orchestra with his hands, with students performing on their instruments, also wearing formal attire.

Sakari Oramo

A man, wearing formal attire, smiling and facing the audience, standing outside the conductor's podium, with students standing next to and behind him, smiling and holding their instruments.

Vasily Petrenko

A black man wearing formal attire, conducting an orchestra, with students performing on their instruments, also wearing formal attire

Wayne Marshall

A women, with brown hair, moving her hands, with students sitting in front of her in an orchestra setting, performing on their instruments.

Joana Carneiro

Our orchestras play a significant role in performing life at the RCM. In addition to regular events, such as our Orchestral Masterworks series, they provide several highlight concerts every year and orchestral performances are often streamed around the world via the RCM YouTube channel. Outside the RCM, our orchestras are regularly invited to perform across London at prestigious venues including London's Southbank Centre.

Choirs

Every musician at the RCM has the opportunity to sing with the RCM Chorus in a public performance. The ensemble routinely performs large repertoire with the RCM Symphony Orchestra, often under the stewardship of world-famous orchestral conductors.

The RCM Chamber Choir performs regularly at the College, as well as in venues around London and beyond. The ensemble represents a fantastic opportunity for singers in the Vocal & Opera Faculty to develop their choral skills to a very high level, including performing Stravinsky's Les Noces at the Royal Festival Hall with Vasily Petrenko. Choral singers also join the RCM Baroque Orchestra for an annual performance of Bach cantatas at the RCM and often in external concerts, too.

Jazz ensembles

The RCM Jazz Orchestra enjoy regular slots in the College’s annual programme of events, playing to sell-out crowds. Both ensembles receive invitations to perform at a range of high-profile venues across London, including Ronnie Scott’s and at the London Jazz Festival.

Saxophone section of the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Trombone section of the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Percussionist in the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Flutes in the woodwind section of the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Flugelhorn soloist in the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Guitarist in the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Tuba player in the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Singers perform with the RCM Jazz Orchestra

Faculty ensembles

Our faculties run a number of smaller ensembles, which allow students to explore specific repertoire and benefit from specialist coaching.

The RCM Brass Ensemble and RCM Wind Ensemble both perform regularly at the College and beyond. The RCM Brass Ensemble also provides music at graduation ceremonies and other formal events.

Alongside our RCM Percussion Ensemble, our percussion quartet PERC’M features in our regular percussion concerts and annual Percussion Festival, and often tours both in the UK and abroad.

RCM New Perspectives, our flagship new music group directed by Timothy Lines, performs new and recent works by RCM composers and eminent names in contemporary music, including our composers in residence. In recent years, these have included Chaya Czernowin, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Steve Reich.

Opera

The RCM Opera Studio is recognised worldwide for its high performance standards. We present three fully staged operatic productions a year, along with regular opera scenes and special projects. Some of the world's most acclaimed directors, designers and choreographers join us for these productions, providing a professional experience within a supportive environment. Every opera is usually double cast to maximise the number of students who can benefit from this vital experience.

Recent performances have included operas by Ravel, Respighi, Humperdinck and Offenbach with directors including Jeremy Sams, Stephen Barlow and Liam Steele, while a performance of Handel’s Rodelinda was made exclusively for film. We also present biennial fully staged productions of mini-operas written by RCM student composers. Operas are available to view on the RCM YouTube channel, and on operavision.eu including Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro directed by Sir Thomas Allen. 

Find out more about RCM Opera Studio

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