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A woman wearing a black shirt with white patterns holding a chalumeau

UKRI funding awarded to pioneering historical instrument project at the Royal College of Music

Wednesday 24 June 2026

Senior Academic Tutor Dr Ingrid Pearson has been awarded a £100,000 research grant by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to explore how cutting-edge technology can transform our understanding of historical musical instruments, through an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Curiosity Award. 

The project seeks to create a rigorous methodology for the use of additive manufacturing (including 3D printing) in producing playable replicas of historical woodwind instruments for performance, recording and public engagement. The project will focus on the two-keyed chalumeau, developed in the 1680s and the first Western art music single-reed instrument. The research will help recalibrate relationships between musicians and collections of historical instruments, generating further insights into the attributes and value of cultural heritage. 

Dr Ingrid Pearson, Senior Academic Tutor at the Royal College of Music (RCM), commented: ‘I am delighted that my collaborative project has been successful in securing funding from the highly competitive AHRC Curiosity Award scheme. The research embodies the “Albertopolis” vision of uniting arts and science in a common purpose, with consequential major impact.’ 

The research synthesises RCM expertise, resources and networks with the Open University, 3D Music Instruments and Cambridge Woodwind Makers, facilitating collaboration across multiple disciplines. By developing more a rigorous methodology for recreating historical instruments, the project benefits musical practitioners and scholars, instrument makers, historians, curators, acousticians as well as museums, private collectors and individuals. 

Located in South Kensington, the RCM was founded as part of the Albertopolis, a unique cultural area created by Prince Albert in the 1850s to unite science, culture and learning. Surrounded by internationally renowned attractions such as the Science Museum and Natural History Museum and local institutions including the Royal College of Art, Institut Français and Imperial College London, this dynamic location offers countless opportunities for the RCM to collaborate across disciplines. 

Find out more about the Royal College of Music’s innovative research.