

Music
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.
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.
Explore our music courses
Expert tuition, a diverse range of classes and myriad opportunities to collaborate and perform – all of which takes place on our stunning campus in the dynamic capital city of Cardiff.

Undergraduate music courses at the College

Postgraduate music courses at the College
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

Brass

Composition and Creative Music Technology

Conducting

Guitar

Harp

Jazz

Opera

Piano

Percussion

Strings

Vocal

Woodwind
How to apply
Please note that, for all of our music degree courses, you will have to audition as part of your application.

How to apply

Audition guidance
Graduate success and career pathways
Our graduates go on to successful careers across the music industry – from orchestral performance and opera to composing for film, TV and games, or leading music education projects and ensembles. They work with leading organisations including Welsh National Opera, BBC NOW and the Royal Opera House.
Life at RWCMD

Accommodation

Student support

Living in Cardiff
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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Explore music

Brass

Composition and Creative Music Technology

Conducting

Guitar

Harp

Historical Performance

Jazz

Piano

Percussion

Strings

Vocal

Woodwind








