The Composition Faculty at the Royal College of Music focuses on both the creative and commercial aspects of being a composer. We aim to build and sustain your craft, be it composition for the concert hall, the opera house or for film, television and media. Composers are offered a wholly exceptional performance environment in which they have the opportunity to hear their compositions played by resident and visiting musicians, RCM orchestras, ensembles and fellow students of the highest technical and musical ability.

Individual lessons and visits from established composers provide an unrivalled opportunity for students to nurture and develop creative and technical skills as well as a distinctive compositional voice.

RCM composers have enjoyed positions on young composers’ schemes at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Society Composers Programme. Graduates have also achieved prestigious composer-in-residence positions at Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Glyndebourne Opera, the Handel House Museum and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. 

Composition for Screen

At masters level we offer Composition for Screen as a principal study option. This allows students to concentrate on developing the skills necessary for a demanding but rewarding profession. London is one of the busiest production centres in the world for the film, television and advertising industries. Studying Composition for Screen at the RCM will put you at the heart of a creative environment full of exciting potential.

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Performance opportunities

At the Royal College of Music you will have access to an exceptional performance environment, with the opportunity to hear your compositions played by resident and visiting musicians, RCM orchestras, ensembles and fellow students of the highest musical ability. You are also able to make use of the RCM Studios with its facilities including the new Dolby Atmos suite, our Digital Innovation Lab for electro-acoustic and screen composition, immersive sound technology and platforms including Panopto for virtual performance.

The Composition Faculty regularly collaborates with a range of artistic organisations in London and beyond. RCM composers have worked with the Tête à Tête opera company and Bill Bankes-Jones, the Royal Academy of Arts and in collaborations with the Explore Ensemble, Fidelio Trio, Head On Photo Festival in Australia, London Film School, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, as well as a digital collaboration with English National Ballet School.

Our alumni include many of the most successful composers working internationally across all areas of composition including concert music, sound art, music theatre, music education, film, tv and gaming.

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