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The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is Wales’ national conservatoire. With our specialist music training and diverse performance pathways, you can enhance your skills in an inclusive, welcoming environment that will encourage you to really push the boundaries of your creativity.

When you study our conservatoire music courses, the focus is on you and the musician you want to be. We'll help you to develop your talent as an individual, as a collaborative artist and as a musician who will contribute to society.

Captions for this video are available in English and Welsh.

Why choose RWCMD for your conservatoire music training?

  • Benefit from small class sizes with one-to-one teaching, giving you a bespoke music education tailored to your needs.
  • Build your professional network through our strong partnerships with leading organisations such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera - offering placements and industry connections that are essential for thriving in the music industry.
  • Learn from practising artists, with teaching staff who are internationally renowned artists, collaborators and educators across our music programmes.
  • Join a global multicultural community, studying alongside students from over 40 different countries.
  • Showcase your strengths through an audition process designed to show you at your best.
  • Live and study in the heart of Cardiff, the thriving capital city of Wales, just under two hours by train from central London.
  • Benefit from affordable student living, with Cardiff previously named the second most cost-effective city for students, according to the NatWest Student Living Index.
  • Be part of a world-class arts campus hosting major events such as BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, World Stage Design, World Harp Congress and BBC Young Musician of the Year.
  • Practise and perform at the only Steinway exclusive conservatoire in the world, where every acoustic piano is a Steinway. As a student on our music programmes, you’ll have access to a Steinway when you practise, when you’re examined and when you perform.
  • Train at an internationally recognised institution - the first conservatoire in the UK to achieve a gold standard level of quality assurance across the Music, Drama and Under 18 categories in the recent international MusiQuE, Music Quality Enhancement review. Reviewers were particularly impressed with our approach to the individual student experience, multidisciplinary collaboration and overall ambition. It cited RWCMD as a shining example of best practice across European conservatoires, reflecting our exceptional people and unique community.

Performance and collaboration opportunities at RWCMD

  • We are a working arts centre and Wales's largest producing house, presenting over 500 performances each year. You’ll perform in live events and experience world-class artists on stage, right here on campus. Our public events programme ranges from chamber music and operas to jazz gigs and musical theatre productions.
  • As part of our BMus, MMus, MA and Postgraduate Diplomas, you'll take part in creative collaborations across all our departments. Drawing together staff and students from across the College, these collaborations offer you hands-on experience of working across different creative disciplines.
  • You’ll train in award-winning spaces designed for performance and collaboration. Our campus includes an acoustically excellent chamber music recital hall, a beautiful courtyard theatre, state-of the-art studios and an impressive foyer space.
  • Every term, international soloists visit the College as part of our public performance programme. You’ll get a chance to take part in masterclasses, where they’ll offer advice on life as a musician and help you take your skills to the next level.

Our departments and areas of study

'What is so central to life at the RWCMD is the idea that the music that we make is not just what you play, it's about who you are and what you bring to it.'
Elizabeth BonsellBMus Student
‘The College feels like a place of true investigation into what the future of music will be like, in all its forms, asking the important questions of our time about music and drama.'
Errollyn WallenComposer and RWCMD Artist in Residence
'If you have the talent, the dedication, if you have the motivation to be the best musician you can possibly be, you’re welcome here. We believe in you from the moment you arrive.'
Tim Rhys-EvansDirector of Music

Ready to begin your conservatoire journey?

Join a community of passionate, talented musicians at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Whether you’re preparing for a career in the creative industries or looking to shape the future of music education, your path starts here.

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Brass

Gain unparalleled training experience, alongside performance and collaboration opportunities with your fellow students and some of the world’s best brass musicians.
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Composition and Creative Music Technology

Develop a confident and distinctive personal voice through specialist training covering the full range of compositional techniques and approaches,
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Conducting

Our postgraduate programme in conducting allows musicians to specialise in either orchestral, choral or brass band conducting, to develop your conducting style, technique and leadership strategies.
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Guitar

Awaken your musical creativity and curiosity to become a versatile guitarist with a powerful artistic identity and the skills to thrive in today’s professional world.
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Harp

With world-class training and a wide variety of opportunities to perform, you’ll gain all the skills you need to flourish as a professional harpist.
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Historical Performance

A historically informed approach to differing musical styles is an essential prerequisite for all musicians entering the profession today. Students at RWCMD benefit from tuition and mentoring which promotes and develops a practical understanding of performance styles from Renaissance to 19th century through a comprehensive, world-class programme of study.
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Jazz

Immerse yourself in tailored, professional training with some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians. You’ll study in small groups with unrivalled opportunities to perform and become part of a thriving jazz scene.
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Piano

Delve into a rigorous curriculum that offers a mastery of keyboard technique, performance opportunities and the practical skills to succeed in today’s music industry.
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Percussion

Push your boundaries with expert-led, intensive training in solo, orchestral and ensemble playing that evokes a spirit of creativity and collaboration. The central ethos of the department is team spirit, unity and collaboration, working alongside the teachers as fellow professionals.
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Strings

Take advantage of a wide variety of opportunities to perform, collaborate and experiment – all in a supportive learning environment that builds your professional skills and imaginative approach, to prepare you for a career in the music industry.
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Vocal

Work with industry-leading performers and vocal coaches to become the best singer you can be, while learning all the skills you need to thrive in the professional world.
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Woodwind

Train under the guidance of distinguished professional musicians from the UK’s leading orchestras – all in a supportive environment that fosters your creativity, innovation and collaboration to help you become the best musician you can be.
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Opera

Storytelling through music and drama is at the heart of this intensive, personalised training, shaped by hands-on industry experience and guided by eminent teachers, performers and practitioners from the international world of opera.
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