MMus Historical Performance

Our master’s course in historical performance provides an exciting environment for you to deepen your relationship with your craft, offering specialist training in a selection of musical styles, from Renaissance to the 19th century.

Whether you’re a singer or an instrumentalist, you’ll take part in one-to-one tuition and mentoring from some of the industry’s leading practitioners, along with tailored classes, workshops and masterclasses with renowned international artists.

You can specialise in any of these areas as part of your course:

• Brass
• Guitar
• Harp
• Piano
• Percussion
• Strings
• Voice
• Woodwind

Training with period instruments – which includes working with harpsichords and fortepianos from different eras – you’ll learn a variety of historical styles, gaining knowledge that forms a key part of a well-rounded, versatile musician’s portfolio of skills.

Our course is flexible, which allows you to tailor your programme of study to your preferences and career ambitions. If you’re a singer, you’ll take part in our language, movement and drama classes, while instrumentalists will participate in our specialist, advanced instrumental classes.

Having a historically informed approach to various musical styles is an essential skill for all artists working today. And while research and reflection will underpin the development of your creative artistry, you’ll also have opportunities to perform and collaborate outside of class, as well. You can take part in everything from solo recitals to ensemble performances across the College in our state-of-the art facilities.

• Your specialist training will be comprehensive and varied: you’ll get a mix of one-to-one lessons – which we call ‘principal study’ – along with performance classes, workshops, masterclasses and coaching.
  
• You’ll be guided by the expertise of Dr Simon Jones, acclaimed violinist who has performed and recorded internationally as an orchestral leader and chamber musician. Your course's tutors also include some of the world’s most influential and respected performers, such as Anneke Scott, Jeremy West, Ross Brown, Katy Bircher, Jonathan Manson and Rachel Podger. They offer you not only first-rate teaching, but mentorship and networking opportunities as well.
  
• You have the freedom to shape your core modules to match your skills and career goals. With some modules, the assessment formats have a certain degree of flexibility, as well, so you can test your learning in a manner that suits you .
  
• You’ll also get to work with the internationally renowned artists who visit the College as part of our public performance programme.
  
• We’re active locally, nationally and internationally – our close ties with a range of leading arts organisations open up opportunities for networking and mentoring, which are crucial to laying the groundwork for a career in music.
  
• Our course is structured to give you a high level of support as an individual learner, but it also offers you opportunities to collaborate with students on your course and those studying on our drama courses, allowing you to form creative partnerships that will last long after you graduate.
  
• Half of your second year will be focus on developing professional projects, which are linked to real-world experiences. Areas you can focus on include research, teaching, community music, collaborative creative practice, composition and digital artistry. As part of this, you’ll regularly meet with specialist mentors, helping you broaden your network of industry contacts.
  
• You’ll also create and curate your own performance projects, which allow you to conduct more detailed research into areas of musicology and performance.
  
• You can also study other aspects of musical artistry such as the Alexander Technique, doubling instruments and advanced training in historical chamber music.