Why study at the Academy?

We learn by doing. That’s why performing is a way of life at the Royal Academy of Music.

We invite the greatest names in the industry to work closely with our students on a wide range of projects, often finishing with a public performance.

There are over 500 events a year, and you can get involved in everything from intimate solo and chamber performances to orchestral concerts, operas, musicals and festivals.

Our busy diary of events provides many opportunities to gain ensemble experience and perform publicly, not only in the Academy itself, but in world-famous venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall.

Jazz students have also played at the EFG London Jazz Festival, and our Musical Theatre and Royal Academy Opera productions are fully staged and directed by well-known artists.

Whether you’re an instrumentalist, singer or composer with new music to bring to the world, there are myriad options to showcase your talent.

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'Every performance at the Academy feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You walk out on stage, surrounded by musicians who are not only the best friends imaginable, but exceptionally skilled, too. The concerts are consistently sold out, the conductors are always exceptional, and the atmosphere is electric every time.’

Rebecca, Trumpeter

Our orchestras and ensembles, from the Academy Symphony Orchestra and Baroque Soloists to the Jazz Big Band and contemporary Manson Ensemble, cover a huge breadth of repertoire. And you’ll be working with the very best in the business.

Our regular conductors and collaborators is a roll call of the world’s leading musicians. Simon Rattle, George Benjamin, Soweto Kinch and Lucy Crowe have recently worked with our students, to name just a few.

We invite members of the world’s top orchestras to lead sectional rehearsals, and students participate in SIDE-BY-SIDE schemes with orchestras including the London Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras and London Sinfonietta.

We also have two significant partnerships with the Czech Philharmonic and the new Knussen Chamber Orchestra, both of which are in residence every year, giving classes and masterclasses, holding mock auditions and offering SIDE-BY-SIDE performance opportunities.

The Academy's Orchestras and Ensembles include:

• Symphony Orchestra
• Chamber Orchestra
• Manson Ensemble (contemporary music)
• String Orchestra (first-year ensemble)
• Sainsbury Royal Academy Soloists
• Symphonic Wind Ensemble
• Symphonic Brass Ensemble
• Brass Soloists
• Baroque Soloists
• Big Band
• Musical Theatre Orchestra

Over 40 competitions take place each year at the Academy, covering most principal-study instruments and voices. The Academy’s prizes are greatly coveted and are adjudicated by distinguished visiting musicians. Many of our competitions are free for the public to attend, giving you further opportunities to perform for an audience.

Our competitions include:

• Historical Women Composers Prize – for duos and chamber ensembles
• Wilfrid Parry Prize – any complete Brahms sonata for strings and piano
• Harold Craxton Prize – any complete work for piano ensemble
• Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize – for music composed before 1828
• Sterndale Bennett Prize – for piano music composed between 1830 and 1860
• The Worshipful Company of Musicians Harriet Cohen Award – for keyboard works by Bach
• Ronald William White Prize – performance of a musical theatre song with dramatic content
• Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award – for voice and piano accompaniment
• Pavarotti Prize – open to second-year Royal Academy Opera students
• Strings Performance Prize Day – prizes for violin, viola, cello and double bass
• Buffet Crampon Clarinet Prize – for general excellence in clarinet playing
• Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary Prize – for any instrument or singer, by nomination
• Alumni Network: RAM Club Prize – for an instrument or singer, by nomination

Contact the Prizes Administrator by telephone on 020 7873 7308 or email prizes@ram.ac.uk for more information.

Our main performance spaces are:

• The Duke’s Hall, our flagship 319-seat concert venue
• The David Josefowitz Recital Hall, with seating for up to 108
• The Susie Sainsbury Theatre, a 309-seat venue with a stage and orchestra pit, suitable for a variety of large-scale performances including fully staged operas
• The Angela Burgess Recital Hall, a striking 94-seat rooftop space featuring astounding acoustics that are great for both recording and performing

Since they were opened in 2018, the Susie Sainsbury Theatre and Angela Burgess Recital Hall have won numerous awards for their innovative architecture and have seen many external performances take place within the Academy.

Students also benefit from:

• Outstanding teaching and practice studios and rehearsal and lecture rooms
• Further practice studios in our custom-built suite at Cross Keys Close, a short walk away
• Use of nearby St Mark’s Church
• Dedicated professional recording services
• Our well-equipped library
• The Academy Museum, which hosts regular research events and includes on-site instrument workshops

Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) is a licence to teach music in the context of a principal-study discipline. This course reflects practices in the state and public sectors, emphasising employability and relevance as key aims.

This is a practical course, informed and supported by pedagogical theory, which will give students an understanding of current national teaching practices, promote reflective teaching and align with national standards. This is a basic, all-encompassing foundation and a basis for growing skills and confidence.

The LRAM course is taken optionally. Read more on the about our courses page (under 'Musical Teaching Qualification').