Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) has received almost £370,000 in grants to help aspiring young musicians in the West Midlands receive tuition.
The award will support members of the RBC Junior Conservatoire over the next three years.
The grant has been awarded by two independent charities: nearly £250,000 from the Leverhulme Trust, which funds research and scholarship and also supports of scholars in their educational endeavour; and £120,000 from the Wolfson Foundation, which aims to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.
RBC Principal Stephen Maddock said: ‘The generosity of the Leverhulme Trust and Wolfson Foundation is going to have a profound impact on the lives of so many young musicians in the West Midlands. We share the belief and commitment that opportunities for musical education should be available to all young people, regardless of financial means. I’m excited to see the progress our Junior players can make over the next three years.’
The RBC Junior Conservatoire teaches more than 200 musicians aged 8–18 in classical, jazz and chamber music.In the 2024/25 academic year, nearly a third of them received a bursary towards tuition fees. Junior Conservatoire alumni include Lauren Zhang, BBC Young Music 2018, and Jeevan Braich, currently performing in the musical Starlight Express.
The Leverhulme Trust’s Grants Officer, Alison Rees, said: ‘The Trustees are delighted to support Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in providing training opportunities for young musicians. The Art Scholarship Training Opportunities for Under 18s grant scheme supports talented young people by alleviating the financial pressures that can prevent diversity in the arts.’
Speaking on behalf of the Wolfson Foundation, CEO Paul Ramsbottom added: ‘We are delighted to continue working in partnership with RBC through the Wolfson Music Awards. Our music education programme supports students with exceptional musical ability with a particular emphasis on those from less affluent backgrounds. We strongly believe that access to high-quality music education should be available to all.’
bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/music/juniors
