From Community to Concert Platform

Thursday 7 November 2013

We are delighted to announce that the RCM has received a major commitment from the Georg and Emily von Opel Foundation to support the teaching of string instruments at the Royal College of Music.

The donation will support RCM Sparks Juniors, which offers intensive training for 40 local children who have demonstrated potential and would not otherwise be able to afford music tuition. As well as this work at grassroots level, which inspires children to take up a musical instrument, Mr and Mrs von Opel are supporting the training of elite RCM string students. Their donation is enabling annual residencies in the String Faculty for cellist Johannes Goritzki and violinist Alina Ibragimova (pictured), who will be presenting a series of inspirational masterclasses.

Mr von Opel commented: “As a keen violinist who has benefitted from the inspiring tuition of an RCM professor, I am delighted that this donation will underpin the depth and breadth of stringed instrument activities at the RCM. I hope it will have a transformational effect on the lives of the next generation of world-class musicians, as well as those being encouraged to try for the first time.”