A headshot of Professor Colin Lawson, a white man with white hair, smiling at the camera.

Editorial Spring 2024

Welcome to Upbeat!

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A warm welcome to the spring edition of Upbeat magazine.

As we near the end of a term in which Green Week was a highlight, I’m pleased that the Royal College of Music has again been ranked no 1 in the People & Planet University League Table for universities with fewer than 5,000 students.

International level research and innovation are defining elements of life at the Royal College of Music, which is ranked the top UK conservatoire offering music as a single subject in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Some ten percent of our students are involved in research, and in this edition of Upbeat we celebrate their achievements. We also highlight innovations including the new Performance Laboratory and the Museum’s 3D printed instruments, which are showcased by RCM musicians in a new video created for Upbeat.

Our thriving community of researchers is engaged in a diverse range of projects spanning composition, musicology, music education, material culture, performance and performance science. We find out about two networks set up by Professor Rosie Perkins and Dr Neta Spiro as they lead the way in the field of music and wellbeing, as well as Dr Sarah Whitfield’s research into under-represented musicians. And as a significant Stanford anniversary approaches at the end of March we explore the life and legacy of one of the College’s founding professors.

As always, we share the outstanding achievements of our community, especially our students past and present who continue to excel across the globe, and we remember those connected with the RCM who are sadly no longer with us. 

Please continue to send us information about your recent projects and collaborations – we love to receive your news! Do send your updates for the next issue to news@rcm.ac.uk by Friday 10 May 2024.

And, finally, do keep a watch over the coming weeks for announcements of forthcoming public events in the Summer Term. I hope you’ll be able to join us either in person or for one of our live streamed performances.

Professor Colin Lawson CBE FRCM, Director

Colin Lawson

Professor Colin Lawson is the Director of the Royal College of Music.

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