Music

Music

We are still accepting applications for the BMus (Hons) Music (for the vocal, instrumental & composition pathways) and BMus (Hons) Jazz courses. Places are subject to availability. Please get in touch with our Admissions Team before submitting an application.

What kind of musician do you want to be? 

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-Evans, Director of Music

 Why study music at RWCMD? 

  • All our music courses focus on you and the musician you want to be; developing your skills as an individual, a collaborative artist and as a musician who will contribute to society.

  • We boast small class sizes and one-to-one teaching, providing our students with a bespoke education that is best suited to their needs.

  • We have our own arts centre on campus which presents 500 plus performances each year allowing you the opportunity witness world class performers on campus and to perform at live events yourself.

  • We are a multicultural institution, with students from 40 different countries. 

  • Our teaching staff are internationally renowned artists, collaborators and educators.

  • Creative collaboration across all our departments which draws together staff and students from across the college.

  • An iconic setting - the College's stunning architecture  includes an acoustically excellent chamber music recital hall, a beautiful courtyard theatre, state of the art studios and an impressive foyer space. 

  • Our audition process focuses on showing you at your best. 

  • The campus is located in the very centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, and is under two hours by train to central London.

  • Cardiff is the 'Most Cost-effective City' in the UK for Students, according to the Natwest Student Living Index 2022. 

  • Our campus hosts major events such as BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, World Stage Design, World Harp Congress and BBC Young Musician of the Year. 

  • We are the only Steinway Exclusive Conservatoire in the world and the College, and every acoustic piano at the College is a Steinway. All music students will now have access to a Steinway when they practice, when they are examined, and when they perform.

  • The College is the first UK conservatoire to achieve a gold standard level of quality assurance across Music, Drama and Under 18s in the recent international Musique, Music Quality Enhancement review. Reviewers were particularly impressed with the College's approach to the individual student experience, multidisciplinary collaboration, and overall ambition, citing RWCMD as a shining example of best practice across European conservatoires, and reflecting the College's exceptional people and unique community. 

Artist in Residence, composer and musician Errollyn Wallen working with brass students on her composition, Chrome.

‘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,’ said Errollyn. ‘It’s so inspiring to feel I’m a part of that and it’s already enriching my life in really great ways.'

Errollyn Wallen, Composer and RWCMD Artist in Residence

Hear what our students think about studying at RWCMD

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 Bonsell (BMus Student)