RCM Museum Staff Explore Possibility of New Acquisitions

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Royal College of Music Museum Curator Gabriele Rossi Rognoni and Conservator Susana Caldeira have visited a private collection outside London to view a number of historical keyboard instruments, some of which were in playable condition.

One of the exciting phases in redeveloping the RCM Museum is the opportunity to re-examine the existing collections and explore the possibility of acquiring new items. New instruments can help tell fresh stories, support historical performances and enhance the RCM’s resource for research. Every acquisition needs to be carefully matched to the needs and priorities of the Museum, and on this occasion no acquisitions were made.  

Over the past few months RCM Conservator Susana, along with a group of skilled volunteers, have also been examining more than 1,000 musical instruments in the RCM Collections. They have been reviewing their condition, conservation needs and suitability for display in the new Museum. An exciting part of this process is reviewing which instruments could be playable in the future. While always adhering to strict rules of conservation, we look forward to perhaps being able to hear a selection of them once again.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has recently awarded a grant of £3,634,418 to fund the redevelopment of the RCM Museum. Find out more about their plans.