rwcmd · performance of messiaen’s et expecto. 12. 06 | royal welsh college of music & drama...

RWCMD“A POWERHOUSE OF INNOVATION ANDCOLLABORATION.”The Telegraph

rwcmd.ac.uk

FOCUS ON:Enterprising StudentsGraduate Destinations

COURSES IN:ActingMusic Performance &CompositionOperaJazzMusical TheatreDesign for Performance Stage Management &Technical TheatreArts Management

FIT FORWORKIn training for theinternational arts andcreative industries

CONTENTS

02THE DRAMA SCHOOLEXPERIENCE

04A WORLD OF MUSIC

06THE RICHARD BURTONCOMPANY

10ENTERPRISINGSTUDENTS

14HITTING NEW HIGHS IN OPERA

18CAPITAL TO CAPITAL

20JAZZ TIME

22WORLD STAGE DESIGN

24GRADUATEDESTINATIONS

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is part of theUniversity of South Wales Group and our awards arevalidated by the University.

Cover image: Actor, Alexander Vlahos (see page 37).

First published in June 2014.

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TRAINING ATRWCMDA Student’s View 38Cardiff: A Creative Capital 40

Music 44Actor Training 52Musical Theatre 54Design for Performance 56Stage Management 58Arts Management 60

Courses & Applications 61International Applications 62Accommodation & Support 62

A Working Rep CompanyOne of the huge benefits of studying within a working arts venueis that the environment directly mirrors the industry. In the finalstages of their training at RWCMD, actors join students from the College’s design for performance and stage managementcourses to form the Richard Burton Company – a repertorycompany that performs fifteen public productions each year, fromclassic plays to contemporary drama, new writing and musicaltheatre. This unique environment gives emerging artists a safeplatform to perfect their skills before entering the profession asskilled, confident and versatile performers.

Professional DirectorsThe students who make up the Richard Burton Company spend the whole of the final year of their course working withprofessional directors. One regular visitor is Bruce Guthrie, whowas Associate Director on Sam Mendes’ Richard III. Other recentvisiting directors have included George Perrin and James Grieve,Co-Artistic Directors at Paines Plough (‘the national theatre of new plays’) and Jimmy Fay, Artistic Director of the LyricTheatre Belfast. Pictured is Ned Bennett, Director of Pomona, which was commissioned as part of the College's first NEWseason, before transferring to The National Theatre and earningBennett a UK Theatre Award for Best Director.

Networking and Making ConnectionsRWCMD students get plenty of opportunities to meet the peoplewho will help them find work once they’re in the industry. Actingand Musical Theatre students take part in an annual showcaseperformance in Cardiff and London, to an invited audience ofagents, casting directors, producers and directors. The sameindustry professionals regularly visit the College to watchperformances by the Richard Burton Company, and take part inworkshops and masterclasses with students. In recent years, anumber of students have landed leading roles in majorproductions while still at College, including Anthony Boyle whowas cast as Scorpius Malfoy in the stage production of HarryPotter and The Cursed Child.

The Drama School ExperienceWith an environment that directly mirrors the industry,countless opportunities to work with professional theatrepractitioners, and a uniquely personal approach, RWCMD is one of the UK’s leading drama schools.

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Visiting ArtistsIn addition to regular interaction with visiting directors andcasting directors, students have opportunities to meet and workwith a host of other professionals and visiting artists. Recentvisitors have included Hollywood actors Michael Sheen andMathew Rhys (pictured left) as the College’s International Chairsin Drama. Rob Brydon, Ruth Jones, Lyndsey Marshal, Hugo Blickand Jo Joyner are among the many past students who haveshared their insight and experience as well as writers includingSimon Stephens, Paul Abbot, David S. Goyer, Amelia Bullmore and David Eldridge.

Commissioning New WritingIn recent years, the College has developed a reputation for its workin supporting new writing, allowing students to work closely withsome of the country’s most exciting emerging writers and youngdirectors. Since 2014, it has been running NEW – a hugely successfulannual festival of specially commissioned plays. Each year, four newplays have been produced in association with leading theatrecompanies including The Royal Court, Paines Plough, ShermanCymru and National Theatre Wales. The plays transfer to London’sGate Theatre after an opening week in Cardiff.

An Individual ApproachRWCMD accepts just 24 students each year on its undergraduateacting programme, and just half that number for the MA course.With fewer students than many of its competitors, this means thatthe College has a very personal approach, investing huge amountsof time in building every individual student’s skills so that theyare ready for the industry when they graduate. The close workingrelationship that the students have with their course tutors is oneof the reasons why the Acting course scored 100% for studentsatisfaction in the 2015 National Student Survey (as did theatredesign, with stage management at 85%).

“THE STUDENTS ARE WELL PREPAREDFOR THE INDUSTRY, HAVE FANTASTICFACILITIES AND ARE SUPPORTED BY A PASSIONATE, CREATIVE ANDKNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF.”Hannah Miller, Head of Casting, Royal Shakespeare Company

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A WORLD OF MUSICMusic careers don’t begin when astudent graduates – they begin on day one at the College. Training for amusic career at RWCMD is about muchmore than mastering an instrument –it is a totally immersive experience.

urrounded by talented, like-mindedmusicians of all disciplines, working in a world-class concert venue and beingconstantly exposed to a wide variety of musical influences, there are all sorts of opportunities for students at the College to start building their

future networks and opening up a whole range ofprofessional pathways.

The training is facilitated by some of the mostinspirational performers in the world, from one-to-oneteachers and ensemble coaches to guest conductorsand visiting international artists.

At the centre of the College’s musical activity is the Dora Stoutzker Hall, which is in constant use for group classes and coaching as well as rehearsals andperformances by the full range of student ensembles,including the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra.

A world-class chamber recital venue, it also hosts an impressive programme of concerts by leadinginternational artists, who bring exciting opportunitiesfor students to observe at close hand – and often takepart in masterclasses with – some of the most excitingperformers in the world.

This all adds up to an incredible once-in-a-lifetimeexperience, which no course syllabus document could ever begin to describe.

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“IT’S A MICROCOSM OF THEARTS WORLD UNDER ONEROOF AND, FOR A FEWYEARS, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO IT ALL.”Catrin Finch, international harpist and RWCMD Artist-in-Residence


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A masterclass with Louis Lortie, one ofthe artists in the Steinway InternationalPiano Series.

‘Make an Aria’ composers’ workshopwith Sir Harrison Birtwistle and MusicTheatre Wales.

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John Fisher, Jane Hodge FoundationInternational Chair in Opera, working withopera students.

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Rachel Podger rehearsing with theCollege’s early music ensemble, Badinerie.

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International harpist Catrin Finch is anArtist-in-Residence at RWCMD.

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A masterclass with Natalie Dessay.

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Legendary music producer Quincy Jonestalks to jazz students.

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A masterclass with Sergei Nakariakov,the Jane Hodge Foundation InternationalChair in Trumpet at RWCMD.

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Sarah Chang rehearses Barber's ViolinConcerto with RWCMD SymphonyOrchestra in the Dora Stoutzker Hall.

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Students observe The Emmerson Quartetin rehearsal for a rare UK performance.

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Students sit alongside members of theBBC National Orchestra of Wales in aperformance at St David’s Hall.

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Pascal Gallois conducts the RWCMDWind Ensemble in rehearsals for aperformance of Messiaen’s Et Expecto.

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THE RICHARD BURTONCOMPANYIn the final stages of their training, studentsfrom RWCMD’s acting, production anddesign courses work together as part of the Richard Burton Company – a repcompany that puts on fifteen shows in one year. Here, company members explainhow working in an environment thatmirrors the industry prepares them for life after the College.

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Actor Robin Willingham began the year in an epic Greek drama (as Oedipus inThebans), ends it in Noel Coward’sHayfever, and appeared in threecontemporary dramas in between. “Before we join the Richard BurtonCompany we've spent two fantastic years working on our piece of the jigsaw,refining it as best we can, but there'snothing like putting it all together andcompleting the puzzle!

Each show is a different mix of students –stage managers, actors, and designers.Learning how different people work often takes a little time, but you becomequicker at understanding people'smethods as you work with more people.

Final year shows require all the skills you’ll need in the industry, and the course has a constant demand andexpectation of professionalism. Byworking with professional directors, you’re already forging links into theindustry and learning about manydifferent ways of working. The NEWseason especially emulated a full workingexperience – having the writer in theroom working with us, transferring a show to a full professional venue, it was a fantastic preparation.”

Cameron Balfour is a stage manager –working on Rent has given him a taste for working in musical theatre when he graduates. “When you’re working with other studentsin the final year, you’ve got that bond. You know everyone as friends already butthere’s also that professional side. On Rent,I worked really closely with the designersand the scenic artists, which was brilliant.We came to that with a completelydifferent process than when we did thenew writing season in London. I wasAssistant Production Manager on thosefour shows. They were on a smaller scalebut with less people involved, so everyonehad more responsibility.

After working on Rent, I went on anexternal placement on the UK tour ofWicked, then I worked on it as AssistantStage Manager for my first professional job when the tour came to Cardiff for six weeks.

Going from College into a professionalenvironment, there’s always a bit ofapprehension because you have to workout how this new team of people like towork. But you’ve got all the base skills –problem-solving, organization,management – and you can apply thoseskills to whatever situation you’re in.(cont…)


Theatre designer Hattie Gent faced thechallenge of designing two very differentproductions – Spring Awakening and VS09– simultaneously as part of the NEW season. “I was a little bit daunted at the prospectof taking on two shows, especially twoshows that had to transfer to a theatre inLondon. Throughout the years, you’remostly designing for the spaces in College,so this was completely different. It is greatto work with directors and writers who arealready in the industry. The directors wereso different – one was very conceptual,and the other wanted something a lotmore real. It was a really good challenge to separate two completely new pieces of writing.

Designers working on final year showsusually have assistants, but as these weresmaller productions, I had to do everythingmyself – like sourcing props – so I got towork with the stage managers more thanusual. Through working on the shows, I’vecertainly learnt a lot about my workprocess and how things come together.”

Megan McDowall was the sound designerfor two contemporary plays – TheWonderful World of Dissocia and Tender.“We’re there from day one of theproduction schedule – in and out ofrehearsals for the first four weeks, then in with the whole stage management teamto fit up and tech the show.

Working on Dissocia was a challenge asthere was so much sound in the show –

there was always something going on. I’vejust started working on Tender – it’s in theCaird Studio, so it’s a smaller venue, andvery different to working in the RichardBurton Theatre.

Meeting a director for a first time, youdon’t know how they work or what theywant, so working on the shows is a reallysteep learning curve. It’s one of the mostimportant things that we do here, becausewhen I go out in the real world I’ve got solid experience of working in aprofessional environment. The Collegepushes you to work as hard as you can,and it is a really good reflection of how it will be outside.”

Ben Stimpson is a lighting designer who worked on Epsom Downs and Twelfth Night.“I wanted to work on a naturalistic showafter I’d done several stylised pieces, likeTwelfth Night and the contemporary opera,Flight. It’s quite hard to do naturalistic –you have to make it look like it really isdaylight.

In stage management we work on showsfrom day one of our course. The first andsecond years act as technicians on theRichard Burton Company shows. Workingon the shows is such good practice. You’regetting to know the kit, how things work in terms of scheduling and structure, andyou’re making connections and friends that will help you four or five years downthe line.”

Spring AwakeningThe Wonderful World of Dissocia

Epsom Downs


Sam Barnes is a composition student whoworked with the Richard Burton Companyon the music for The Wonderful World of Dissocia. “I was invited to work on The WonderfulWorld of Dissocia through my head ofdepartment, John Hardy, who asked if Iwould be interested in leading a team ofsound designers (Thomas Roberts and Sion Parke) to create the sound of Dissocia.There were numerous facets to the brief,from the 'in your face' musical theatre-typesongs and extravagant sound design cues,to the more subtle generative sonicambiences that we created for each scene.

The process was squeezed into just a few weeks, and we were welcomed intorehearsals to get the best understanding of the play possible. We were also kept inthe loop about what the other designerswere doing, and the director’s intentionsfor the production.

As a music student, I really enjoyedcollaborating with the drama students. We all have different approaches to ourwork, so it is always refreshing to get aninsight into the way others work. All of thebrilliant experiences I've gained throughCollege, through the staff, and throughcollaboration with other students, haveprovided me with a diverse and fruitfulportfolio of professional work.”

Twelfth Night

Rent

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EnterprisingStudentsEntrepreneurship is an essential quality for a successful career in the creativeindustries. Here, we talk to MA ArtsManagement student Toks Dada, about his journey from viola player to artsentrepreneur.

oks Dada is a very well-known face at RWCMD.Since he first arrived as a student in the stringsdepartment five years ago, he has gone fromundergraduate to postgraduate, musician toentrepreneur.

Today, he is very much a part of the College, basedin an office space where he is developing his new

music company Sinfonia Newydd (SN), as well as running theCollege’s REPCo (Repertoire by Entrepreneurial PerformersCompany) project, which encourages student entrepreneurship(Toks was a founder member). That’s not to mention studyingpart time for an MA in Arts Management and being a boardmember of Sinfonia Cymru, a young and innovative chamberorchestra.

So how did a budding musician become a multi-tasking artsentrepreneur? And how does he find enough hours in the day?

“When I started at RWCMD as an undergrad, I had my entirecareer mapped out,” explains Toks. “I knew I wanted to graduateand play in an orchestra. But my experiences at the College havemade me realise that my career lies in a different area of themusic industry.” (cont…)

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“In my second term, I was talking to acouple of composers in my year group and I realised that they needed a largerplatform to get their work performed. Before this, they were writing andperforming their work within their owngroup – it was quite a ‘closed’ thing. Sothey approached me and I said ‘Why don’twe organise it?’. Most of the other stringsplayers were friends of mine, so I got theminvolved, and Sinfonia Newydd was born –in its first guise as a contemporary musicensemble.”

Working with composers was just the start for Toks and SN. Folowing its firstpublic performance, it brought togetherstudents from across the College toproduce a series of events ranging frommusic/art collaborations with designers tocontemporary jazz/classical fusion.

While Toks was developing SN, otherstudents from the College were alsostarting to put on more of their ownevents. “By the end of my first year, BrianWeir, the Head of Student Experience andServices, approached me and said: ‘I cansee a need here for a mechanism in Collegeto support students to run their ownprojects’.”

And that was the start of REPCo, theCollege’s student-led enterprise initiative.“Brian was awarded a grant from theWelsh government to set up this groupthat was run by students. The originalREPCo board members were students like

me who were running their own projects –we would distribute money between arange of student-led projects, from operacompanies to orchestral societies.”

From those early days, REPCo graduallydeveloped. The College decided todedicate an entire week of the spring termto REPCo projects, giving students timeout from their usual rehearsal and studyschedules to experiment with their ownprojects, using College facilities.

Toks’ energy and enthusiasm for student-led projects has been infectious. Fastforward a few years and REPCo is nowsomething that every student at theCollege has heard of and that many want to get involved with.

When Toks graduated with a bachelor of music degree, the College awarded himone of five Prince of Wales Scholarships tostudy part time over two-years for theCollege’s MA in Arts Management. He wasalso offered a residency – and office spaceat the College – to develop SN as aprofessional company. At the same time,he was invited to chair the REPCo boardfor the next two years.

“I’m really pushing REPCo and trying to get as many students as possible involved,enabling others to do what I did. I’mchairing the weekly meetings, helping tooversee the annual budget that getsdistributed to student performances,

The College encourages student groupsto play external concerts and makeconnections in the wider arts industry.Here are SN playing new workscommissioned by the International Artes Mundi prize.

In recognition of his entrepreneurialskills, Toks was one of the first fiverecipients of the Prince of WalesScholarships, and is now studying for the MA in Arts Management.

Case Study: Opera’r Ddraig

Formed in 2010 by a group of studentswho wanted to perform their ownproduction of The Magic Flute, Opera’rDdraig (which means Dragon Opera) won the Wales Future Entrepreneur Award in the same year. It has staged five operas, giving not only singers, butinstrumentalists, directors, conductors,designers, stage managers and artsmanagers the opportunity to work on afully staged opera outside of the Collegeenvironment. As well as performances,Opera’r Ddraig runs workshops in thecommunity. Its patron is the internationalsoprano, Rebecca Evans.


and programming these performances.We’re now having REPCo activity for aweek every term, and there is so muchinterest from students in running their ownactivities. We’re even starting to do someexternal activity too – a successful pianoseries is now performing at venues such asthe Wales Millennium Centre. RWCMD isleading the way in educating its studentsabout the importance of creativeentrepreneurship. I myself am living proofof this.”

In the last few years, arts managementstudents are also getting to develop theirskills through REPCo. “Their internalplacement – which is part of the course – is working on a REPCo project, getting areal mix of experience. They are workingon project management, artistic direction,producing, marketing, outreach… ButREPCo is not just about the funding, or themanagement, it’s about the advice. Thoseweekly board meetings are like a kind ofgroup therapy for arts entrepreneurs! It’sbecoming a community of peoplesupporting each other in theirentrepreneurial endeavours.”

So with three major projects to juggle, how do they all work together? “I see whatREPCo does and what SN does as beingvery closely linked,” says Toks, “it’s allabout young people. SN is focusing onyoung composers. REPCo is focusing onyoung managers and arts entrepreneurs.When I go to meetings to pitch stuff aboutSN, I naturally find myself pitching aboutREPCo at the same time. And with the MAcourse, everything’s linking in quite nicely –I’m using REPCo as my internal placement.

There’s always something that I’m alreadydoing that I can use for my assignments,and I’m also getting advice from thelecturers that I can actually apply to a live project.”

“All the stuff I am learning gets put intopractice – it’s the best way to learn, just do it, mess it up, make a mistake, and learn from it. That’s the whole point ofsomething like REPCo – people can trythings out and make mistakes in a safeenvironment.”

“RWCMD IS LEADING THE WAY INEDUCATING ITS STUDENTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVEENTREPRENEURSHIP. I AM LIVINGPROOF OF THIS.”

Composers EmbraceEntrepreneurship

A successful career as a composermeans being versatile, finding outlets for your work and making professionalconnections.

Students at RWCMD are encouraged to work on as many varied professionalprojects as they can, and there havebeen collaborations with dance, operaand theatre companies, orchestras,television producers, film-makers andartists.

John Hardy is Head of ContemporaryMusic at RWCMD and an acclaimedcomposer with 30 years’ experience ofcreating music for TV, film radio, theatreand orchestral performance. He explainsthe department’s philosophy: “It’s aboutcreating opportunities for composersand sonic artists to attend rehearsals andperformances, recordings and film sets –to observe the processes of art takingshape, to build relationships withpractitioners, and to know how tofunction in professional creativeenvironments.”

Recent projects have seen studentcomposers involved in ‘Make an Aria’workshops with Music Theatre Wales,composing scores for BBC2’s Genius ofInvention season, working on the soundfor National Theatre Wales productions,collaborating with the BBC NationalOrchestra of Wales, and working withyoung people on an outreach project to make music for an award-winningshort film.

Students also run their own mini-festivalat RWCMD each year, showcasing theirwork through a range of performances,from immersive sound environments toformal chamber concerts.

Undergraduate composers Victoria Ashfield andBenjamin Talbott were sub-commissioned by theCollege’s Head of Contemporary Music, John Hardy, to work on the score for the acclaimed BBC/S4Cdetective drama Hinterland, which they premiered at BAFTA, Piccadilly.

Case Study: All That Malarkey

All That Malarkey started as a one-offcabaret event during REPCo week, puttogether by then composition studentDavid George Harrington. The groupthen evolved into an operatic cabaretact, which was a hit at the College’svenue at the Edinburgh Fringe(“Amazing… original, funny andgobsmackingly talented!”www.edfringe.com). Since then thegroup – led by David as Musical Directorand featuring four graduate vocalists –has been touring the UK playing gigs,festivals and private functions.


Hitting NewHighs in OperaRWCMD's two-year Masters in OperaPerformance has achieved phenomenalsuccess since its launch in 2010, with asteady stream of graduates going on tothe National Opera Studio and some ofthe UK's leading opera companies.

enor Trystan Llyr Griffiths has been offered a place at the prestigious National Opera Studio in Londonwhere he will continue his training after he completesthe MA in Opera Performance at RWCMD this summer.David Doidge will join Welsh National Opera as a full-time repetiteur at the end of his MA in Repetiteurshipat the College. The future for both of them in theworld of opera looks bright, although it is not a path

that either of them imagined they would take.

“My background’s not in opera at all,” explains Trystan, “it was justthe route my voice took me down. I did an undergraduate degree in music, theatre and media studies at Trinity College in Camarthen,and I’ve always sung in Eisteddfods, but I never went to musiccollege. I was a garage door fitter for three years before I started totrain in opera. I think I’m a bit unusual. Most people on the coursehave done performance degrees and know that opera is what theywant to do. For me, I’m still discovering it, slowly but surely.”

And although David’s background was in music – he did anundergraduate degree in piano performance at RWCMD – he initially had a different career path mapped out for himself. (cont…)

Trystan Llyr Griffiths asTamino in RWCMD’sproduction of The MagicFlute. Trystan’sperformance wasdescribed by Operamagazine as ‘promisinglyrobust..with a lovelyexpressiveness.’

Pianist David Doidge isstudying for an MA inRepetiteurship atRWCMD.

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“I loved playing the solo repertoire and Ihad always imagined a career as a concertpianist. At College, I started learning moreabout how the industry works and whatopportunities are out there. I startedaccompanying during my first year andfound I really enjoyed it.

Strong sight-reading skills made David a particularly talented accompanist and it wasn’t long before his potential wasnoticed by Angela Livingstone, RWCMD’sHead of Opera, who encouraged him toenrol on the College’s newly launchedMaster’s programme in repetiteurship.

“I got involved in playing for singinglessons and song classes and I gotexperience of the vast amount ofrepertoire that’s available across the vocal spectrum, from song repertoire to opera, in all the different languages,”explains David.

Through the College’s close relationshipwith Welsh National Opera (WNO), Davidfound opportunities to gain moreexperience outside College. “Initially I wasinvolved in some concerts and outreachwork with the choristers and some of thecompany principals at WNO. Since thenI’ve been in to coach singers and play thepiano for music and production rehearsals.”

Last year David coached for WNO’sDonizetti season and was the repetiteur forMadame Butterfly and for David Pountney’sacclaimed new production of Lulu, in whichhe appeared on stage.

The College’s partnership with WelshNational Opera brings benefits for theCollege’s singers too, as Trystan explains.“Everyone on the opera performancecourse has a mentor at WNO. Mine – HuwLlewelyn – is always there if I need advice,and he’s been in to watch some rehearsalsand give me feedback. It’s great to havesomeone in the profession keeping an eye on you.”

Both students are represented by BrynTerfel’s Cardiff-based Harlequin agencyand have worked alongside a roll call ofinternationally renowned artists. Trystan

has appeared with Terfel himself on hisS4C TV show, at Brynfest in London and at the Hay Festival, where they sang thePearl Fishers Duet. David is also due toappear with the internationally renownedbaritone at the Proms later this year.

“The reason I’ve been able to play withsome of these amazing artists is becauseI’ve been taught to play this sort ofrepertoire,” says David. “My playing hasdeveloped in a whole new way – I’velearned to think orchestrally, not just aboutthe piano. I think all pianists could learn alot from accompanists about how to playthe piano. Specialising in accompanimentand repetiteurship was the best thing Iever did because it’s led to so manyopportunities to perform, not just as anaccompanist but as a soloist too.”

“I FEEL REALLY WELL INTEGRATEDINTO THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD, NOT JUST HERE BUT IN LONDON TOO.”David Doidge

Singers andinstrumentalists fromRWCMD appeared in Mid Wales Opera’s touringproduction of Acis andGalatea with RachelPodger’s Brecon Baroque.The Guardian’s 4-starreview described theperformance as ‘a happycollaboration’.

Students work regularlywith master vocal coachJohn Fisher, the College’sJane Hodge FoundationInternational Chair inOpera, whose vastoperatic experienceincludes directorshipswith Welsh NationalOpera, La Scala, Milan andMetropolitan Opera. Otherregular visitors includesoprano Susan Bullockand baritone SimonKeenlyside, who is theCollege’s Jane HodgeFoundation InternationalChair in Voice at RWCMD.


“We’re really fortunate to be able to workseveral times a term with John Fisher, who is the College’s International Chair in Opera,” says Trystan, “and with othervisiting artists like Susan Bullock. DuringBBC Cardiff Singer of the World, the SongPrize was held at the College and I sang in a public masterclass with ChristophPrégardien, which was another greatexperience.”

While their postgraduate studies havebrought so many opportunities, both David and Trystan admit that their courses have been far from easy.

“One of the hardest things for me has been the amount of work involved,” saysTrystan, “I’ve been thrown into so manyprojects here. There are only 12 people onthe opera programme so everyone gets lots of opportunities. There’s also a strongsense of responsibility in the group –nobody wants to let anyone down. Theproduction schedules are really tough butthat’s good because it prepares you forwhat it’s like in the professional world.”

“The productions I’ve done so far have allbeen in English but now I’m working onCosi fan Tutte in Italian, I think it’s going totake me around double the amount of timeto prepare. I have to spend a lot of timereading it through and working on thepronunciation and phrasing before evenlooking at the music. I’ve had to makechanges to my lifestyle to fit around the

singing. In the past I used to play rugby inthe afternoon and sing at night but thatdoesn’t work if you want to maintain thequality of your voice. If you’re runningaround all day, the first thing that getstired is your voice. Now, if I’ve got aconcert on a Saturday night, I don’t play in the day.”

David admits that the course can beemotionally draining too. “We have to beable to wear our hearts on our sleeves, tobe adaptable emotionally so that we cangive our all to the music and really be in it.It can be draining.”

As their two-year postgraduate coursescome to an end, Trystan and David are set to extend their presence in the operaworld, so do they feel prepared forprofessional life?

“I’ve had an amazing six years at theCollege and I feel really well integrated into the professional world, not just herebut in London too,” says David. “It’s beenamazing to watch how the College hasbeen transformed since I started – not just the building and the new facilities butthe teachers and the professionals who arecoming in, and the number of graduatesgoing on to places like the National OperaStudio. I’ll be sad to leave but I think I’ll always have a close relationship with the College.”

Mezzo-soprano SamanthaPrice in RWCMD’sproduction of Carmen atthe prestigious St MagnusFestival. Samantha’s latestrole is Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro forEnglish National Opera,where she is a HarewoodYoung Artist. See‘Graduate Destinations’feature on page 24 formore opera successstories.

The College’s productionof Jonathan Dove’s Flightat Sherman Cymru.Recent performanceshave included bothcontemporary andtraditional operas.

Students on the College’stwo-year MA in OperaPerformance. There areonly twelve placesavailable each year.


Capitalto CapitalFreed from many of the pressures of living in a largemetropolis, students at RWCMD still find there are plenty of opportunities to make their presence felt in the world’s culture capital.

hile Cardiff offers the benefits of being smaller, more affordable andeasier to get around, as well as boasting all the culture you’d expect froma modern European capital, it’s just two hours away from central Londonby train and there’s a constant flow of students, teachers and visitingartists between the two cities. Students travel to London regularly for

performances, masterclasses, competitions and work placements, and with transportbeing so quick and easy, London-based industry professionals regularly visit RWCMD to teach, perform, give masterclasses and take a breath of fresh air.

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NEW: London and CardiffSince 2014, the College's NEW season has seen fournew plays performed in a week-long residency atLondon's Gate Theatre, offering another opportunityfor students to showcase their work to professionals in the capital.'

Musicians in LondonMusic students have performed at London venuesincluding St Martin-in-the-Fields, Regent Hall, QueenElizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College ofMusic and Buckingham Palace. Some of the College’ssingers and instrumentalists have also appeared, byinvitation, at London’s most exclusive private venues,where they have performed to audiences of influentialpatrons in the arts world.

Theatre Design on the South BankEach year, final year theatre designers, technicians andsonic artists relocate to the heart of cultural Londonfor a weekend-long exhibition at Bargehouse – aVictorian warehouse situated between the NationalTheatre and Tate Modern. The exhibition attracts over1000 visitors, including an invited audience of industryprofessionals.

Acting and Musical Theatre ShowcasesLondon-based agents, casting agents, directors and producers are invited to annual showcaseperformances. Musical theatre students perform in the West End, while actors head for the Royal Court off Sloane Square.


Visiting ArtistsThere are visiting artists coming to the College towork with us all year round. Last week was a reallygood one – we had a Big Band concert led by GordonCampbell, who was the lead trombonist in the BBC BigBand. He was incredible, he knew everything there isto know about Big Band and he coached us for threedays before the concert. It’s great when you work with these musicians for a few days, as you can really

develop a relationship with them. Mark Bassey, thejazz trombonist, was also in recently. He really got to know us too, and he got a really good impression of the College. This term, there have also beenperformances from Zara McFarlane, Empirical and Huw Warren as part of RWCMD’s Collisions series.

Jazz TimeJazz Time is a session held every Friday evening in the College’s fantastic foyer space. It’s a completelystudent-led event with two sets each week and all of the slots filled by students. It’s free for the public to attend and it’s really popular – the following hasgrown and grown since it started. There is a guestartists slot about once a month – it’s an opportunityfor the students to play with professional jazzmusicians. We’ve recently had appearances from Dave Cliff, Tina May and Geoff Simkins. They come in to rehearse with the students beforehand and youlearn a great deal from working with these artists.Playing a gig with them is an amazing experience.

JAZZ TIMEFrom diverse influences and performance platformsto Cardiff’s thriving music scene, jazz pianist JamesClark talks about the many opportunities open tostudents specialising in jazz at RWCMD.

‘‘What’s unique about studying jazz atRWCMD is that there’s such a big focuson putting your own bands and projectstogether and developing your ownvoice, and there are so many

opportunities available to you. There’s a great qualityto people’s attitudes. Everyone is really supportive and open to new ideas – it’s a real family. Anotherthing that’s been important for me is that I’ve always had two or three one-to-onetutors, instead of just one. It meansyou’re always exposed to differentapproaches. These different influences,the openness and the opportunities to do your own thing make for anenvironment where you feel like you’re in charge of your own learning.

Jazz in CardiffThere’s a really diverse, interesting, supportive jazzscene in Cardiff. Dempsey’s is an amazing jazz club.I’ve seen some brilliant gigs there, like the Kit DownesQuintet. Dempsey’s are really supportive of thestudents, and they always reserve opportunities for usto play. There is also Café Jazz, where there are lots ofgreat gigs and opportunities to play. When WOMEX(the World Music Expo) came to Cardiff, there was aconcert in Café Jazz every night during the festival. Itwas completely crazy – there were three bands eachnight and a solo piano set, and students from theCollege played the first set every evening. On the lastday, my Big Band – The Lonely Hearts Rugby Clwb –was headlining. I also run a night at Café Jazz calledHackensack. It’s normally a band from the College,then a band that we invite to play. We approachmusicians from all over the UK to come and play in a double bill with us.

“…THERE’S SUCH A BIG FOCUS ON PUTTING YOUR OWN BANDS AND PROJECTS TOGETHER ANDDEVELOPING YOUR OWN VOICE.”


Festivals and ToursFriday Jazz Time has also developed into a three-dayfestival held at the College every spring, with aprogramme of big-name jazz artists. Last year, JamesTaylor Quartet and Norma Winstone were here, andthis year we’ve got Soweto Kinch Trio and the MartinSpeake Trio. There are loads of student performancestoo. My final recital will be part of this year’s festival so I’ll be assessed while I’m playing for a live audience.Having people there to relate to the music has a big impact on your playing. It’s a more naturalenvironment, and encourages you to put on a goodset of music, rather than just an assessable one. JazzTime also tours around Wales, with student bandssupporting UK bands. I was also involved in a JazzTime residency at the Hay Festival in my first year.

OutreachAs part of the course, we learn teaching skills and takepart in outreach work. It starts with Jazz Carols. Aspart of our studies, we have to look at arranging to abrief, so you can arrange a Christmas carol in a jazzstyle. It can be as wild or as wonderful as you like,with the aim that people will sing along. We go intoschools and do concerts, and often meet the studentsthat we’re going to teach later in the course. Then atthe start of the third year, you put together an idea for a workshop that you want to teach, looking at thecurriculum and what age range you want to work with.You put together a proposal, try things out, then goout to schools for a week to run the workshops. I thinkthat teaching like this alters the way you approach your own music. You think about your foundations and why you play music in the first place.

RWCMD JAZZ GRADUATES

Chris Hyson graduated in 2011, and was awarded aYamaha Parliamentary Jazz Scholarship. His debutsix-track EP Little Moon Man featured jazz pianistand Mercury Prize Nominee Kit Downes, and thepair collaborated on an album called Alive withClosed Eyes in 2013.

Dave Stapleton has become an important figure on the UK jazz scene. He works prolifically as acomposer and performer, as well as being the co-founder of Edition Records.

When music producer Quincy Jones visited theCollege, he was impressed by young drummer Ollie Howells and has acted as his mentor eversince. Ollie recently received a £30k Sky AcademyArts Scholarship to record his second album.

Pioneering jazz harpist Amanda Whiting hasworked as a session and recording musician withhigh profile artists including Jamie Cullum andDannii Minogue. Her trio, The Whiting on the Wall,formed at RWCMD while she was studying for a MA in Jazz.

For more graduate profiles, see feature on page 24.

Photos (clockwise from top left):Friday night is Jazz Time in the foyer space atRWCMD, where largeaudiences watch studentbands and guest artistsperforming.

Legendary trombonistGordon Campbell spentthree days at the Collegeworking and performingwith students.

There are lots ofperformanceopportunities for jazzstudents, both at theCollege and in venuesaround Cardiff.

’’

or ten days in September, Cardiff became the global hub for theatre designers, architectsand technicians as WSD2013arrived at RWCMD. The event –

a celebration of performance design –featured exhibitions, performances,workshops and talks, with visitors andpractitioners from over 52 countries.

The event was led by the College’s Director of Drama, Sean Crowley and Ian Evans, a senior lecturer in technicaltheatre and production. Their bid for the event to be held in Cardiff beat majorinternational cities, including Beijing.

Working alongside Sean was a team ofvolunteers who had travelled to Cardifffrom far and wide. In the weeks leading up to the festival, the corridors of RWCMDwere buzzing with more than 100 of theseblue t-shirt clad volunteers from Canada,USA, South Africa, Taiwan, Australia, andall over Europe.

The ‘Blue Army’ – as they came to beknown – also included the College’s owntheatre design and stage managementstudents, who were involved in the entireevent, from building exhibition stands,stage managing individual events andworking on sound and lighting toconstructing the sustainable theatre.

One of thevolunteers wasLuned Evans, a new theatredesign studentwho arrived afew weeksbefore the startof her BA (Hons)Theatre Designcourse.

“I arrived right at the start ofSeptember, and got busy straight awaypreparing boards and plinths for theexhibition, painting, sanding, drilling… itwas a great way to get to know so manynew people. We were in at the deep end.

When the festival started, I was part of the documenting team, photographingeverything that was going on. I got to goto loads of amazing performances andtalks by some really exciting designpractitioners. There were some very wellknown and respected names and I got totalk to them about their work – everyonewas so friendly and approachable.

I learnt so much and by the end, I feltfully immersed in the world of theatredesign. It made me even more excited tostart my course and gave me a totallynew perspective on how the professionals work. Before, I was mainly interested in set design but now I’ve seen how manydirections theatre design can take you in,I’m keeping an open mind.”

1. The Willow Theatre,purpose-built in thecourtyard of RWCMD forWSD2013. Designed byarchitect Tim Lai andtheatre designer BradSteinmetz from Ohio,USA, it was the winningentry in a competition todesign a temporarytheatre using sustainablematerials.

2. An exhibition of themost innovative designsfor performance fromaround the world,featuring originalcostumes, drawings,paintings, photographs,puppets and props, aswell as interactive exhibitsfrom lighting, video andsound designers.

3. Workshops ineverything from puppetmaking to lighting design,led by world experts.

4. Talks from leadinginternational practitionersacross the spectrum ofperformance designincluding Pamela Howard(pictured) and Oscar-nominated CostumeDesigner DeborahNadoolman Landis.

5. Performances from 52 countries, ranging fromColombian shadowtheatre animation tosound installation fromSingapore.

“…A VAST AND EXCITINGEVENT…”The Telegraph

World Stage Design As RWCMD hands the baton to Taiwan in 2017, we lookback on the ten-day festival of international performancedesign that was World Stage Design 2013, bringing morethan 12,000 visitors to the College and giving studentsthe opportunity to network with the world’s leadingdesigners and practitioners.

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By the time they graduate, many RWCMD students have afoothold in their industry as well as the knowledge, skills andconfidence to build and sustain a career. Here are just a few of the recent graduates who are making their mark in theprofessional world.


Catrin Stewart playsrecurring character JennyFlint in Doctor Who,appearing in PeterCapaldi’s first episode lastyear. She has a lead rolein Ruth Jones’ Sky 1comedy drama Stella. For her stage work, shereceived a prestigious Ian Charleston Awardnomination. The Observerdescribed her portrayal ofShakespeare’s Juliet forHeadlong Theatre as “oneof the most captivatingand touching I have seen.”

Helen Nash is a memberof the classical crossoverstring quartet Escala.Before joining the group,she already had a busycareer as a cellist andpianist includingperformances for RobbieWilliams, Olly Murs, Cher,Caro Emerald and AlfieBoe. On television, shehas played for StrictlyCome Dancing, The XFactor, The NationalTelevision Awards,Jonathan Ross, TheGraham Norton Showand more.


Tim Routledge is alighting designer andprogrammer for liveevents and television. He was the lead lightingprogrammer for theLondon 2012 Olympic andParalympic Ceremonies, in charge of the biggestlighting rig everconstructed in the UK. As a lighting designer, heworked on Gary Barlow’s2014 arena tour and hasworked with bandsincluding Muse, McFly,and the Stereophonics.Tim was AssociateLighting Designer for the Queen’s DiamondJubilee Concert, where he was involved in thememorable projectionmapping ontoBuckingham Palace. His television workincludes The Royal VarietyPerformance, The BAFTAFilm Awards and BigBrother.

Dave Danford is much in demand as apercussionist, with a busyschedule of solo recitals,orchestral concertoperformances, studiorecording sessions andmasterclasses. He hasperformed with artistsincluding Bryn Terfel,Evelyn Glennie and KarlJenkins. Dave also worksas a composer andproducer, and managestwo orchestras – BritishSinfonietta and the WelshSession Orchestra.


Graduates of theCollege’s Design forPerformance coursesmake up one fifth of theArt Department on thehistorical fantasy TVseries Da Vinci’s Demons,including AssociateDesigner, James North(third from left). Theseries, which marked the first collaborationbetween BBC Worldwideand America’s Starznetwork was filmed inWales and has beendistributed to over 120countries.

Katy Treharne was thealternate Christine inPhantom of the Operain the West End. Sheappeared in the premiereof musical Love Beyond,the UK premiere of DearWorld at the CharingCross Theatre and the first ever professionalproduction of IvorNovello’s Valley of Song atthe Finborough Theatre.Katy has also performedconcerts with Peter Karrie,John Owen-Jones, EarlCarpenter and theLiverpool PhilharmonicOrchestra.

Tom Rhys Harries starredin the film Hunky Doryalongside Minnie Driverwhile he was still atRWCMD. After graduation,he appeared in TorchSong Trilogy at London’sMenier Chocolate Factory,The History Boys atSheffield Crucible, JezButterworth’s award-winning play Mojo at theHarold Pinter Theatre andHotel for the NationalTheatre. He also appearedin World War Onetelevision drama Parade’sEnd, and in the sequel tothe film Ironclad.


Jonny Bruce emergedonto the UK jazz scene asa member of the DaveStapleton Quintet. He isbusy as a guest soloistand session player, bothlive and in the studio.Jonny has just released anEP with the Zen Hussies,and is also touring withgypsy swing group,Moscow Drug Club. He isabout to record a bigband album playing leadtrumpet in an all-star line-up with Swing MachineJazz Orchestra. Jonny ispictured at Jazz ClubSoho.

Hannah Stone wasappointed Harpist to HRH The Prince of Waleswhile studying as apostgraduate at RWCMD.She recently played theworld premiere of KarlJenkins’ St Asaph’s Dance,commissioned by theNorth Wales MusicFestival, and gave a recital for the Victor Salvi Foundation in Milan, Italy.

“RWCMD gave me the practicalexperience, work ethic andtechnical ability to sit anywherewithin a TV art department.” James North, Associate Designer, Da Vinci’s Demons


Christie Gerrard joinedthe Royal ShakespeareCompany as an AssistantStage Manager within fourmonths of graduating. She has worked onproductions in Stratford,London, Ohio and New York.

Nathan Stone is picturedat the Manic StreetPreachers’ studio inCardiff. Nathan hasworked on studiorecordings with musiciansincluding The Manics,Melanie C, The Pipettesand The Automatic.

“When I walked through thedoors at RWCMD, I knewinstantly that this was whereI wanted to be: it just gaveme the right feeling.” Reisha Adams, Soprano


Aysha Kala wasnominated for an Offie(Off West End Award) inthe Best Actress categoryfor her performance in thetitle role of Khadija is 18 atthe Finborough Theatre,written by Shamser Sinha,directed by Tim Stark. Shehas also been nominatedfor a coveted IanCharleston Award for herperformance in Much AdoAbout Nothing with theRoyal ShakespeareCompany. Aysha has alsoappeared in Channel 4’sShameless and the ITVsitcom Vicious with Sir IanMcKellen and Sir DerekJacobi. She is currentlyfilming the new Channel 4drama Indian Summers.

Reisha Adams made her professional debut,performing withGlyndebourne FestivalChorus. She continuedwith Glyndebourne onTour, covering the role ofLudovina in The YellowSofa, and performed asNaiad in Ariadne aufNaxos for GlyndebourneFestival Opera. She iscurrently continuing hertraining at the prestigiousNational Opera Studio.

Rhys Jarman won theLinbury Prize for theatredesign and has workedextensively as a designerin theatre, opera and TV.Recent projects includeOne Million for TangledFeet, Institute for GeckoTheatre Company, TheNutcracker for NuffieldTheatre Southampton and A Christmas Carol forCBeebies, recorded at theSheffield Crucible. He ispictured backstage at thesite specific productionLudd and Isis for the Royal Opera House.


Production Team at theNational Theatre: picturedfrom left are JamieSpirito, Dani Bish, AnnaHill, Matt Berry, MashaBaird, Chris Howells andRob Clarke on theLyttelton stage at theNational Theatre. They arejust a few of the RWCMDgraduates to haverecently worked inproduction roles at thetheatre. Anna Hill wasDeputy Stage Manager for the theatre’s 50thanniversary performance,working alongside a who’swho of British actorsincluding Judi Dench,Maggie Smith, HelenMirren, Ralph Fiennes andBenedict Cumberbatch.The event broadcast liveon BBC 2 and to cinemasacross the world.

Justina Gringyte won aplace at the prestigiousNational Opera Studioafter completing herstudies at RWCMD. Shewent on to join the JetteParker Young ArtistsProgramme at the RoyalOpera House in CoventGarden. Her roles at theRoyal Opera House haveincluded Flowermaiden in Wagner’s Parsifal andMaddalena in Rigoletto. In 2015, she played thetitle role in Carmen forEnglish National Opera.


Tom Cullen was named as one of ScreenInternational's Stars ofTomorrow, and won mostpromising newcomer atthe British IndependentFilm Awards for hisperformance in the filmWeekend. He played alead role in the HBO mini-series World Without End,and appeared in twofeature films: DesertDancer and Last Days onMars. He played LordAnthony Gillingham inDownton Abbey.

Matthew Williamslanded a contract as Co-Principal Trumpet with theBBC National Orchestra ofWales during the finalyear of his undergraduatestudies at RWCMD. Sincethen he has also appearedwith BBC PhilharmonicOrchestra, CBSO,Bournemouth SymphonyOrchestra, the RoyalAcademy of MusicConcert Orchestra underSir Mark Elder, and thePhilharmonia Orchestra.He is pictured here at BBC Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff.

“The College gave me an amazingtraining but it also equipped me with the tools to continueimproving and growing throughoutmy career.” Tom Cullen, Actor


Adam Cross works as amusician for the RoyalShakespeare Company,playing clarinet andsaxophone forproductions includingKing Lear, The Tempestand A Comedy of Errorsin both the Swan Theatreand the RoyalShakespeare Theatre. Hehas also played in specialconcerts for the company,and composed anddirected the music for aschools production basedon The Merchant ofVenice. Adam is also amember of the bandKlezmer Kollectiv, whichformed at RWCMD.

Clodagh Long is picturedon the set of TheCommitments at thePalace Theatre in Londonwhere she playsSharon/Cover Imelda. She was the recipient ofthe first Andrew LloydWebber FoundationScholarship at RWCMD in 2012.

“What makes the trainingso special is the College’sability to nurtureindividually, giving youconfidence in who you are as a person.” Clodagh Long, Musical Theatre Performer


Rosie Wyatt made herprofessional debut andwon critical acclaim at theEdinburgh Festival Fringein the world-premiere ofthe one-person playBunny for nabakovtheatre, which later touredto New York. She returnsto The Fringe this year innew play, Spine. Rosieplayed the female lead,Rachel Crabbe, in the UKand international tour ofOne Man, Two Guvnors forthe National Theatre. She is pictured at OxfordPlayhouse during a tour of the award-winning newplay Mogadishu.

Bryden String Quartet –Joanne Buckland, LydiaMarshall, Emma Brydenand Mark Blake – are allalumni of RWCMD.Between them, they haveperformed with RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra,Welsh National Opera,BBC PhilharmonicOrchestra, the BBCNational Orchestra ofWales and many more.Their TV work hasincluded Strictly ComeDancing, The X Factor andthe Brit Awards. Membersof the quartet have alsoperformed with artistsincluding Kanye West,Goldfrapp, KatherineJenkins and ShirleyBassey.

Tom Scutt won theLinbury Prize for TheatreDesign, and has designedproductions at the RSC,National Theatre, RoyalOpera House, Royal Court,Lyric Hammersmith andmany more. In 2015, hedesigned the set for theMTV Video Music Awardsin Los Angeles.


Stephanie Corley hasappeared in roles withleading UK operacompanies, includingDesdemona in Otellofor Dorset Opera andBirmingham OperaCompany, Musetta in LaBohème for the NationaleReisopera and ScottishOpera, plus Pamina in DieZauberflöte and Marzellinein Fidelio at theGlyndebourne Festival.After her performance inthe title role of OperaNorth’s The Merry Widow,The Times described heras ‘a revelation’.

Edward Rhys Harry wasone of the first graduatesof the College’s MA inChoral Conductingprogramme. He is MusicalDirector of London WelshMale Voice Choir, ReadingFestival Chorus, Côr BroOgwr (Bridgend), theLondon Welsh Choraleand The Harry Ensemble,which performs andpromotes British(particularly Welsh) choralmusic abroad. Edward isnow studying for a PhD atthe College, while workingas a freelance composer,arranger and conductor.

Jemma Bogan completedundergraduate andpostgraduate studies in Music at the Collegebefore returning to do a postgraduate course in Arts Management. She now works as theOrchestra PersonnelManager for the LondonSymphony Orchestra.


Max Humphries is apuppeteer and theatremaker. His work takesinspiration from theBunraku puppet school of Japan, the automata of 18th & 19th centuryEurope, and the dramatheory of Edward GordonCraig. He has producedwork for the RoyalNational Theatre, RoyalOpera House, RoyalBallet, Théâtre duChâtelet, Bristol Old Vic,the Royal Court and theLyric Hammersmith,among others. He ispuppeteer in residence at the Farnham Maltings.

Alexander Vlahos is anactor working in theatre,television and film. He has appeared in Merlin,Privates and Versailles forthe BBC, Fortune’s Fool atThe Old Vic, Emperor andGalilean at the NationalTheatre and Hamlet at the Sheffield Crucible. He played Malcolmalongside KennethBranagh’s Macbeth at theManchester InternationalFestival and on Broadwayin 2013. He is also theArtistic Director of UndebTheatre.

“What RWCMD doesbrilliantly is offer up avariety of different projectsthroughout your training toprepare you for the outsideworld.” Alexander Vlahos, Actor


I didn’t feel that nervous at allbefore I came here, because the international support was so good. I got phone calls andemails asking if there wasanything I needed to know orneeded help with. By the time I got here I felt as if I kneweveryone.

There is loads of supportavailable before and when you arrive. Whether you’recoming from overseas or fromthe UK, you can be sure of a

very warm Welsh welcome. On moving in days at the halls ofresidence, Students’ Union representatives are around to help and reassure new students – and their parents! And Freshers’Week is packed with loads of different activities so there’ssomething for everyone.

When my friends visit they always comment on how friendly it is and how everyone knows each other. They’re always shockedand surprised by it. As a musician, you play in chamber groups,and you also live in halls with other students, so you do meet lots of people. I have friends from every department.

The tutors are very approachable. You always see people justknocking the door and going in to chat to tutors. It’s a really nicefeeling when you are walking through the hall and a teacherwaves at you and recognises you. The friendliness really makes a difference.

I didn’t realise just how much was happening here until I arrived– you read it on the website and think ‘Oh that’s interesting’, butthen you get here and actually, something new is happeningevery day.

Everyone comes together to put on their own student socialevents. We’ve been trying to open up opportunities for all sortsof entertainment in the student bar. We’ve had music and actingperformances, and we’ve been using our own designers and stagemanagers to tech and design the events.

For the summer ball, we’ve got people from every single courseworking on it in some way. It means you meet more people andhave a respect for and understanding of what they do.

I’m surprised how much I’ve done in five years, there’s always anadventure to be had. I never expected in my first few weeks to be playing in a chamber group, and then meeting actors, playingon stage, going off on a train to London, having a visit fromPrince Charles.

Cardiff is small enough to walk everywhere but big enough soyou never run out of things to do. I’ve been here for five yearsnow and I’m still finding new and exciting things. There’ssomething for everyone.

You don’t need a car in Cardiff. In fact, it’s more difficult to getaround the city in a car. It’s a very pedestrian-friendly place andthere’s a great rail network.

I go to London a lot. Sometimes it’s only £5 to get there on theMegabus, and there are a lot of offers for students, like cheaptickets for theatre and perfomances.

Compared to London, Cardiff is so affordable. One of the factorsin me choosing to come to here, was that my dad and I found a chart comparing cost of living and Cardiff was one of thecheapest, but when I’ve gone to visit my friends in other unis, we definitely have the best accommodation and facilities.

The networking opportunities are unbelievable. There are top acts and artists coming in to perform and take part inmasterclasses. In my first year, I saw Murray Perahia play and he spoke to us afterwards. That really stuck with me as I’ve beenlistening to him my whole life, and to be able to speak to him was so motivational.

There is always something going on. You can’t walk throughCollege without getting excited or hearing new things. When the new buildings opened in 2011, it had such a massive impact on the students. There are so many more public performanceopportunities and the calibre has gone up and up each year. For me as a performer, to go from being in a small recital room to performing on the stage in a world-class concert hall is just amazing.

A Student’s View: Lauren LewakowskiLauren Lewakowski is from Colorado in the USA. She studiedpiano as an undergraduate at RWCMD before becoming President of the College’s Students’ Union.


“One of Britain’s leadingurban centres of the 21st century.”Lonely Planet

Cardiff by Numbers

Population: 348,500Student Population: 65,000Number of students at RWCMD: 725Hours by train to central London: 2 hours, 7 minSingle ticket to London by Megabus: £5.00Average daily transport costs: £0Room in Halls: £119.00per week

To walk across city on foot: 30minutes


Cardiff: A Creative CapitalWith its vibrant cultural scene and rapidly-growingcreative economy, Cardiff is a modern European capitaloffering plenty to engage students both artistically andprofessionally.

A young and vibrant capital city, Cardiff is home to the national arts companies ofWales, including a world-renowned operacompany, a national theatre company, anational orchestra and concert hall, and the iconic Wales Millennium Centre.

Creative industries are among the biggestand fastest growing sectors in Wales,employing 26,000 people at any one time.

Cardiff is one of the UK’s biggest centresfor TV and film production, with BBCWales responsible for flagship showsincluding Doctor Who, Sherlock andCasualty. And with Pinewood StudiosWales now open, the sector in Wales isreally beginning to make an impact on aglobal scale.

The Royal Welsh College of Music & Dramaplays a significant role within this widercultural infrastructure. It is one of the city’smost popular venues, attracting 60,000visitors a year to its own performances andevents. It also performs a vital role insupporting the wider creative sector inWales and beyond.

The College’s strong links with partnerorganisations can lead to opportunities for many of its students to gain hands-onexperience, and even professional workbefore graduating. The BBC NationalOrchestra of Wales and the orchestra ofWelsh National Opera both run placementschemes with the College, offering some of its best musicians the chance to learnfrom, and work side by side with, theprofessional players over a long termperiod. This kind of coaching canaccelerate the development of emergingplayers, as well as giving the orchestrasopportunities to identify students with thepotential to work with them professionally.

Students on other courses also find thatthey can draw on their College experiencesand networks when it comes to findingprofessional work after graduation. Onefifth of the art department on internationalseries Da Vinci’s Demons, filmed nearSwansea, is made up of former RWCMDstudents (see page 28).

One leading figure within the arts in Walesrecently described RWCMD graduates as“Quite simply the best there are – creative,hardworking, capable, adaptable andpassionate about their chosen careers.”

Vale of Glamorgan FestivalThis adventurous music festivalfeatures the recent work ofliving composers, includingmany world premieres.

BBC Cardiff Singer of the WorldEvery two years, finalists fromaround the world fight for thetitle of the world's greatestsinger.

Welsh PromsA line-up of world-classorchestras, soloists andconductors as well as freeperformances and fringe events at St David’s Hall.

Festival of VoiceA major new international arts festivalcelebrating Wales’ heritage as ‘TheLand of Song’ and representing allforms of vocal expression from operato rock, gospel and grime. Launched in 2016 with an all-star line up, FOVwill return in 2018.

Culture in Cardiff


Millennium Stadium Another iconic Cardiff landmark, theMillennium Stadium hosts world-classrugby, motorsport, football, concerts andmore. It’s most famous as a venue forthe Six Nations rugby tournament, withmatch fever taking over the city whenWales play at home.

BBC Drama VillageCardiff is the UK’s largest media centreoutside of London. The BBC DramaVillage in Cardiff Bay is home toCasualty, Doctor Who and the long-running Welsh language soap Pobl yCwm. Other series filmed here includeSherlock, Merlin, Upstairs Downstairsand Being Human.

Welsh National OperaThis award-winning opera company isbased at the Wales Millenium Centre –and has close links with the College.Every year WNO performs to over120,000 people across 10 citiesthroughout Wales and England. It is ledby David Pountney, one of the world’smost influential opera directors.

BBC National Orchestra of WalesAs one of the six BBC PerformingGroups, BBC NOW has a busy scheduleof recordings, broadcasts and concerts invenues across Wales and beyond.

Wales Millennium CentreThe Wales Millennium Centre is alandmark building in Cardiff Bay, thecity’s waterfront. Its programme includeseverything from world-class ballet andopera to West End musicals. The iconicbuilding is also home to Welsh NationalOpera and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ Hoddinott Hall.

St David’s HallThe National Concert Hall of Wales ishome to the annual Welsh Proms andthe BBC Cardiff Singer of the Worldcompetition. Its International ConcertSeries brings leading orchestras, soloistsand conductors from around the worldto perform in one of Europe’s mostacoustically outstanding concert halls.

National Theatre WalesThe company producesinnovative theatre in locationsacross Wales, fromShakespeare in an aircrafthangar to Michael Sheen’s 72-hour Passion play in his hometown of Port Talbot.

Pride CymruWales’ largest annual celebrationof equality and diversity brings acarnival-like atmosphere to thecity centre each summer, with acolourful parade culminating in amajor music festival at CoopersField in Bute Park.

Swn FestivalNME-award-winningcelebration of the thrivinglocal and international bandscene, across 20 venues.

A Thriving Arts SceneAs well as the big six above, thereare smaller venues and companieslike Sherman Cymru (theatre),Chapter (contemporary artscentre) and NoFit State (the UK’sleading large-scale contemporarycircus company).

Photos (from top left):


TRAINING AT RWCMD


VOCATIONALTRAINING – ‘THEINDUSTRY MODEL’Employability is at the heart of RWCMD’smission. With the aim of making thetransition into the ‘real world’ as seamlessas possible, the College’s trainingprogrammes are designed as far aspossible to replicate the conditions thatgraduates can expect to meet in theindustry. Many of the College’s teachersmaintain busy professional profiles,nationally and internationally, whichenables their students to benefit fromaccess to current arts networks andopportunities. These strong links betweenthe College and the professional worldensure that students are well informed andresponsive to the latest expectations anddemands of the industry. Leading figuresfrom all sectors of the industry havecommented on the high level of skills, as well as the maturity and adaptability of RWCMD graduates, and how wellprepared they are to take on professionalemployment by the time they graduate.

A PROFESSIONALENVIRONMENTAs well as being a leading conservatoire,RWCMD plays a prominent role within theprofessional arts scene in Wales andbeyond. Its world class venues hostperformances by leading internationalrecitalists, ensembles and touring theatrecompanies, as well as major events likeBBC Young Musician, BBC Cardiff Singer ofthe World, and World Stage Design. Withinthis environment, students work underprofessional conditions and are taught byprofessional musicians, conductors,accompanists, actors, directors, productionsupervisors and choreographers. Studentperformances including Richard BurtonCompany productions, orchestral concertsand chamber recitals form a core part ofthe venue’s artistic programming and arewell attended by public audiences.

MAKING LINKS One of the unique aspects of theexperience at RWCMD is related to thecombination of courses. With musiciansand actors working alongside stagemanagers, technical specialists anddesigners, the College is very self-sufficientin terms of its creative output, and thereare opportunities for students to getinvolved in all sorts of interestingcollaborations – from formal, large-scaledrama, opera and musical theatreproductions to student-led initiatives likeREPCo (see page 10). With studentstraining in the different disciplines underone roof, the environment directly mirrors

‘real world’ conditions and offers studentsan accurate experience of what workinglife will be like after graduation. It alsomeans that they can begin building up awider network of professional contacts,which can be invaluable in their futurecareers.

A PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCEMany of the courses feature placementswith professional organisations as a corepart of the training, and many students areinvolved in professional collaborationsduring their time at the College. Last year,the RWCMD Symphony Orchestraaccompanied Wales’ national dancecompany in performances at WalesMillennium Centre; brass and woodwindstudents performed in Welsh NationalOpera’s acclaimed production of Wagner’sLohengrin; and opera singers toured theUK in Acis and Galatea with Mid WalesOpera. The College’s jazz musiciansregularly tour to professional venues assupport acts for established artists in aventure funded by Arts Council Wales. This sort of experience puts students in an enviable position at the start of theircareers.

CONTEMPORARYARTS CENTRE Another distinctive feature of the trainingat RWCMD is that students are part of abusy arts centre with a programmespanning theatre, opera, jazz, classical andcontemporary music, festivals and family-friendly events, with ticket sales of morethan 60,000 a year. The College’simpressive foyer space houses a busy boxoffice and a café bar, which is a popularmeeting place for the Cardiff’s arts andbusiness communities – it’s not what youmight expect from a typical university orcollege. Training in one of the city’s mostpopular arts venues, students benefit fromplenty of opportunities for their work to beseen and heard. There are regular concertsand free weekly events including ChamberTuesdays and Jazz Fridays. Another benefitof training within a working venue is thatstudents are able to access part-time workas ushers and front of house staff.

CREATIVE CITYAs Wales’s capital city, Cardiff hosts adiverse and thriving cultural scene fromsmall independent companies to nationalorganisations and venues of world renown.The College has strong partnerships withBBC National Orchestra of Wales, WelshNational Opera, National Theatre Wales,BBC Wales and others, which contribute tothe training and create numerousopportunities for students to gain

professional experience. Being so closelylinked to this wider cultural community inWales, students at RWCMD often find thatit is easier to make contacts and accessopportunities outside the College than itmight be in a larger city.

INTERNATIONALOUTLOOKWith the College community including staffand students from more than 30 countries,as well as visiting artists and teachers fromall over the world, diversity and culturalexchange is hard-wired into the studentexperience at RWCMD. Recent events likeWorld Stage Design, the Lyon & HealyInternational Harp Festival and BBC CardiffSinger of the World have taken place atthe College, putting its students at thecentre of worldwide activity in these fields.This international outlook can add asignificant dimension to a graduate’semployment options, the arts being aglobal industry. For music students, thereare opportunities to spend time studying atone of the College’s partner conservatoiresacross Europe and beyond, and the Collegehas similar arrangements for receivingincoming students. International tours andcompetitions can also feature in thestudent experience – this year, 30 of theCollege’s brass students will travel to NovaScotia in Canada to take part in a week-long international tattoo.

EXCELLENCEIt’s a well-used word but what does itreally mean in practice? RWCMD PrincipalHilary Boulding sees excellence as a coreorganisational value. “It underpinseverything we set out to do,” she explains,“from the facilities we provide and theteachers we employ, to the professionalswe engage with, the specific choice ofinternational artists we invite to work withour students, and of course the quality westrive for in our performances. It’s alsoabout taking the time to consider whateach individual needs in order to achievetheir full potential. I think it’s also anobjective measure. It’s not just about ourown opinion but about getting feedbackfrom the outside world, and recognitionfrom the professions we’re feeding in to.You just need to look at our graduates,who are being employed by leadingprofessional companies in all fields acrossthe industry. That’s what excellence isabout.”


StudyingMusic atRWCMDSupported by individual tuitionfrom leading professionals, music students at RWCMD findthemselves at the heart of a diverseand collaborative environment with opportunities ranging fromchamber music, jazz ensembles,brass bands and choirs, to historicalperformance groups and a fullrange of orchestral activities.

INDIVIDUALLESSONSEach student has lessons, usually weekly,with their one-to-one teacher. TheCollege’s staff includes the leadingprofessional musicians working in Cardiffand the surrounding area, including manymembers of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera.

There are also around 200 visiting teachersfrom other parts of the UK and beyond.These include leading recitalists, chamberand jazz musicians, orchestral players,opera singers, composers and specialistteachers in many areas of professionaldevelopment. Current teaching lists and

individual profiles can be found on therelevant departmental pages of theCollege’s website.

“I’m extremely pleased by thestandards the students areachieving.”

John Anderson teaches oboe and is one of a growing number of musicians ofinternational renown to have joined theRWCMD staff in recent years as theCollege’s reputation has grown. “It’salways a pleasure for me to teach at the College,” says Anderson. “The newfacilities are impressive and I’m extremelypleased by the standards the students areachieving.”

ACCOMPANIMENTReflecting the College’s emphasis oncollaborative music-making, the training at RWCMD includes a significant allocationof time for instrumentalists and singers to work individually with professionalaccompanists, over and above theirindividual tuition time. This allows studentsthe opportunity to explore repertoire in aninformed way, and to develop a fullyintegrated, collaborative context for theirperformances. Each student works closelywith one of the College’s accompanistsover a number of years, enabling them todevelop the sort of artistic partnership thatis typical in the professional world.

COACHING ANDMENTORINGLearning to work collaboratively is acentral part of the training for all musiciansat RWCMD (see opposite page). Everyinstrumentalist is a member of at least onechamber ensemble and there is regulargroup coaching from specialists inensemble performance, including membersof resident ensemble, The Gould Piano Trio.The College also promotes a mentoringapproach with leading professionals sittingin, and playing with, student ensembles.Violinist Marcia Crayford led the acclaimedNash Ensemble for 25 years and is aregular visitor to the College. “Mentoringfrom within a group as one of the playersis, for me, the most rewarding andinteresting way of working with studentson a piece of chamber music,” she says.“They are learning by example howattention to detail and love for the musicresults in the performance coming to life.These things are much harder tocommunicate with the spoken word.”

Daniel Phillips, Jane HodgeFoundation International Chairin Violin at RWCMD


ENSEMBLEPERFORMANCEEnsemble performance plays aprominent role in the music training onoffer at RWCMD and forms an importantpart of the assessment forinstrumentalists and singers. Activitiesrange from piano trios, string quartets,brass quintets and wind octets, topercussion ensembles, period instrumentgroups, chamber choirs, jazz ensembles,brass bands and wind orchestra. Thereare endless opportunities for students togain experience of working with othermusicians and to develop a range ofcollaborative skills essential forprofessional life.

Right from the beginning of theirtraining, all instrumentalists and singersat the College are encouraged to exploreensemble repertoire and to work indifferent combinations. The academicyear starts with a two-week ‘immersionperiod’ during which students of allmusic disciplines focus on collaborativeperformance.

In the string department, new studentsspend most of this time working on trioand quartet repertoire. The College’sHead of String Performance, SimonJones, explains this approach. “The aimis that the new students immediatelystart to understand the importance andthe benefits of playing in an ensemble.

They learn technique, they learn aboutworking with and reacting to others – allskills that are essential to any musician. Ina small group, there’s nowhere to hide. It’sthe best training – good chamber musicperformers make the best orchestralplayers.”

For first year violinist Annie Pullar, it washer first real experience of playing in achamber group. “It completely takes youout of your comfort zone. Leading a stringquartet is so different from leading thesecond violin section in a youth orchestra.In a chamber group you are so exposed,there’s no room for error.”

Another first year, Abigail Askew, added,“Although I’ve been in a string quartet forthree years we never played any ‘serious’repertoire, mainly just arrangements ofpopular songs for weddings, so it wasreally great to get stuck in with therepertoire and become more familiar withchamber music.”

Elizabeth French is now in her fourth yearat RWCMD and has been involved in arange of chamber groups from duos, triosand quartets to piano quintets. “Working insmaller groups gives you the opportunityto really explore how a chamber ensemblefunctions, and really get to know acomposition inside out,” she says. “Apartfrom helping you develop technically interms of intonation, and musically withharmonic understanding, it can also help

you personally in understanding how tobe sensitive to other people’s ideas andthoughts. And you can create greatfriendships along the way.”

The College’s commitment toprofessional training in ensembleperformance leads to a wealth ofperformance opportunities for musicstudents across all disciplines. Coachingand mentoring is often focused aroundperformance opportunities, rangingfrom the annual Chamber MusicFestival – where student groups featurein a programme that includes recitals byinternational artists – to the popularChamber Tuesdays series which runsthroughout the year in the College’sstunning foyer space. Small ensemblesalso feature prominently in outreachprojects with students regularly goinginto schools and community settings todeliver workshops. The College also runsa performers ‘agency’, which can help tosecure bookings for student ensemblesat corporate events and privatefunctions.

Tom Taffinder plays horn in the quintet,New British Winds (see page 48). “You’dnever get this many opportunities if youweren’t playing in a group,” says Tom.“It’s like running a small business andthat prepares you for life after College.Playing in the quintet has opened up so many new doors.”

Student ensembles join theGould Trio, RWCMD’s ChamberEnsemble-in-Residence duringthe annual Chamber MusicFestival.

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ORCHESTRALTRAININGTraining in orchestral performance atRWCMD incorporates an exciting range ofopportunities and experiences. In additionto the symphony orchestra, whichperforms large-scale works at St David’sHall – the National Concert Hall of Wales –the chamber orchestra presentsprogrammes in the College’s DoraStoutzker Hall as well as providing supportin opera productions and opera galaperformances, while the concert orchestrafocuses on popular, lighter repertoire. Inaddition, a repertoire orchestra offersopportunities for students to encounter arange of standard works, while ‘side-by-side’ opportunities place studentperformers in professional orchestralsettings for special performances.

Recent highlights across the orchestralspectrum have included the chamberorchestra playing for the College’sproduction of The Magic Flute at ShermanCymru; Sarah Chang rehearsing SamuelBarber’s Violin Concerto with thesymphony orchestra in the Dora StoutzkerHall; student players performing withsections from the orchestra of WelshNational Opera during the company’sannual residency at the College; thesymphony orchestra performing Mahler,Ravel and Bartok at St David’s Hall, and theconcert orchestra performing musicaltheatre repertoire to popular acclaim.

ORCHESTRALPLACEMENTSCHEMESThe College has long-standingrelationships with two of the UK’s mostprolific professional orchestras – theorchestra of Welsh National Opera(WNO) and the BBC National Orchestraof Wales (BBC NOW) – which both run placement schemes for RWCMDmusicians. Placement students sitalongside professional musicians inrehearsals for the orchestra’s majorperformances – an invaluable experiencethat offers them practical insights intothe demands of playing in a professionalorchestra. Postgraduate studentsspecialising in orchestral performance areguaranteed a placement with at least oneof the orchestras, while undergraduatestudents in the brass, percussion, stringand woodwind departments can applyfor a place through a process thatreplicates a real-life audition for aprofessional trial or post.


PROFESSIONALSKILLSIn addition to the training in theirspecialist disciplines, all musicians get the opportunity to develop skills and takepart in vocational projects in areas ofteaching, outreach work and workshopleadership. Teaching is an important andrewarding part of the careers of manyprofessional musicians, and the demandfor inspirational teachers is as strong asever. In acknowledgement of this, all ofthe College’s music courses incorporateelements of training in this specialist area, ranging from key principles andapproaches to the consideration ofcurrent issues and theories in musiceducation, and of course opportunities to gain practical experience. Students also work together to design workshopstargeted at specific groups before goingout into educational settings or into thecommunity to deliver them. Manystudents are also involved with Live MusicNow! – a national scheme which providesopportunities for young professionalmusicians to perform to special audiences,ranging from older people to children withspecial educational needs.

In addition to teaching, there are optionsallowing students to develop professionalskills and gain practical experience inareas like composing and arranging,concert management and aspects of arts management.

The College also runs a series ofpresentations and discussions withleading arts professionals. These covervarious topics from CV writing and webdesign to audition and interviewtechniques, the practicalities of life as anorchestral musician, setting up a smallbusiness in the arts, making applicationsfor commissions and grants, andsustaining a diverse career.

MUSICSTUDYING ABROAD As part of the European Union’s Erasmus scheme, there are opportunities for musicstudents at RWCMD to spend a term studying at one of the College’s partnerconservatoires across Europe or beyond. This can be a valuable experience, notonly vocationally, but also on a social and cultural level.

Classical guitarist Anastasiya Kryvanosstudied in St Petersburg during her final year as an undergraduate musicianat RWCMD.“I am planning to do a Master’s degreeabroad after I finish studying at theCollege, and one of the places I wasinterested to go to was Rimsky-KorsakovSt Petersburg State Conservatoire inRussia. I went there during the springterm for seven weeks to study with theclassical guitar teacher Konstantin Ilgin,and to see whether the place and thetuition would suit me personally.

I found the experience enormouslyhelpful and interesting. I enjoyed thebeautiful city and benefitted a lot fromattending the lessons and the academiclectures. This experience gave me achance to weigh up all the advantagesand disadvantages of studying there andhelped me to make important decisionsabout my future.”

At the beginning of her final year ofundergraduate studies, Sophie Lynchtravelled to Helsinki in Finland to studyfor one term at The Sibelius Academy. “I wanted to spend some time abroad to find new sources of inspiration – newexperiences and landscapes tend to be a very good creative trigger for me. Itwas great to be surrounded by newpeople from different countries, whowere writing and playing completelydifferent music to what I was used to.Being in a completely unfamiliarenvironment, meeting new people andfacing new challenges also helped tobuild my confidence and prepare me for the world after College.

My interest is in music technology andThe Sibelius Academy offered a range of modules in both the creative andtechnological sides of the subject. It wasone of the best things I have ever done. I met lots of interesting people, learnednew skills, learned a lot about myself, and even took a dip in the arctic ocean!”

THE COMPLETEMUSICIANPart of the process of maturing as amusician involves developing a deeperunderstanding of issues surroundinghow music works, how it is put togetherand how a composer might haveconceived their work, as well as aspectsof the psychology of performance andthe maintenance of well-being andhealthy practice. The core training formusicians at the College covers keyareas of general musicianship includingaural, music theory, harmony andanalysis. A full range of academic andcontextual study options includesspecialist tuition in writing and research.

Issues of stylistic performance are exploredthrough special study modules, whichextend into the consideration ofcontemporary repertoire as well as musicfrom the past. Regular performance classesalso focus on stylistic performance as wellas dealing with aspects of performancepsychology. Another integral part of thetraining deals with issues affecting thehealth and well-being of musicians, and the College provides introductory classesas well as ongoing support in this area.


1. Backstage with the RWCMDSymphony Orchestra at St David’s Hall.Recent brass graduates have wonappointments and trials with leadingorchestras around the UK.

2. The RWCMD Chamber Orchestrarehearses in the Dora Stoutzker Hall.The world-class recital hall is in constantuse for classes and coaching as well asrehearsals and performances by studentensembles. It also hosts an impressiveprogramme of concerts by leadinginternational artists.

3. RWCMD takes delivery of the biggestever shipment of new pianos from theSteinway factory in Hamburg, making it the UK’s first and largest all-Steinwayconservatoire.

4. Composers promote their workduring the annual Atmospheresfestival at RWCMD. The College also hands over its facilitiesto students for one week each term torun their own festival encompassing a broad spectrum of innovativeperformances and collaborations (seefeature on page 10).

5. Harps take over the College duringthe Lyon & Healy International Harp Festival.Other festivals involving studentsperforming alongside international artists include the annual chamber music festival held in the autumn, and a summer jazz festival.

6. A one-to-one lesson withinternationally renowned guitarist, John Mills. Teachers at the College include leadingrecitalists, chamber musicians, orchestralplayers, composers and accompanists.

7. Finalists in the Ian Stoutzker Prize.Students can compete for a number of prizes for solo and chamber musicperformance.

8. New British Winds – one of theCollege’s prize-winning chamberensembles. Working in an ensemble providesopportunities for students to explorenew repertoire and enhance theiremployment prospects (see page 45).

9. The Royal Welsh College SymphonyOrchestra accompanies National Dance Company Wales at WalesMillennium Centre.Professional collaborations are animportant feature of the musical trainingat RWCMD. Singers and instrumentalistsalso performed in Mid Wales Opera’srecent touring production of Acis andGalatea.

10. One of six percussionists involved in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’sextravagant masterpiece Et Exspecto.There is a vast range of performanceopportunities on offer to students of all music disciplines.

11. A chamber music performance in the College’s stunning foyer space.A popular programme of freeperformances in the foyer includesChamber Tuesdays, Jazz Time and Folk in the Foyer sessions.

12. A Schools Opera production in the Richard Burton Theatre. All musicians get opportunities to takepart in vocational projects involvingoutreach work, teaching and workshopleadership.

rwcmd.ac.uk

MUSIC COURSESAt undergraduate level, RWCMD offers a four-year BMusprogramme for instrumentalists, singers and composers, and a BMus Jazz programme. At postgraduate and Master’s level, there is advanced training in music performance, jazz or composition aswell as a range of specialist programmes in orchestral performance,opera performance, historical performance, collaborative piano and repetiteurship. Students who want to enter the profession as conductors can specialise in orchestral, choral or brass bandconducting. Across all courses and all music disciplines, there is an emphasis on providing students with diverse opportunities and experiences that will extend the range of professional optionsopen to them after graduation.

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Specialist MusicProgrammes

Originally from China, pianist Chen Mengstudied for a piano performance degree at RWCMD before deciding to specialise in collaborative piano at Master’s level.“As a pianist, I was interested in chambermusic. In China, there is still a very strongfocus on solo performance. At RWCMD,there are some fantastic teachers whospecialise in accompaniment and I havebeen influenced by many incrediblemusicians. I have had chance to performwith my chamber trio, and with differentsoloists. I have enjoyed working withsingers too – there are particular thingsyou have to think about in terms oflanguage and texture so it gives you adeeper understanding of the music. In my future career as a professionalperformer and a teacher, I think I will have many more choices thanks to thisexperience.”

Clarinettist Katie Steel studied as anundergraduate at RWCMD before decidingto stay on to gain more experience as apostgraduate on the College’s a two-yearprogramme in orchestral performance.“After finishing my undergraduate degreein clarinet performance at RWCMD I felt,like many musicians, that I needed theextra time to improve my technique andgain more experience, especially inorchestral performance. I chose to studyover two years rather than one because I just want to soak up as much as I possiblycan from my teachers, and frommasterclasses and so on before I enter the profession for good.

I decided to stay on at RWCMD for theorchestral performance course because

Some people decide to embark on performance-basedpostgraduate training after studying in another field.Even for people who may already have four years’experience of conservatoire training, spending an extrayear or two gaining experience as a postgraduate is a popular option in preparation for a lifelong career.Here, we meet some of the students who are looking to develop their careers in specific areas of the musicprofession through the specialist programmes on offerat postgraduate level at RWCMD.

Postgraduate conductor, Tianyi Lu


you are guaranteed a placement in aprofessional orchestra. In fact, you get totake part in placement schemes with BBCNational Orchestra of Wales and WelshNational Opera. Getting that first-handexperience of being part of a such anestablished orchestra is so much moreeffective than just watching rehearsals –you really get to understand howeverything fits together and what it’s liketo play with musicians who know eachother so well. And it’s given me theexperience I needed of working withdifferent conductors, in completelydifferent ways.

It’s also been great to see that the playershave lives outside of their work, and thatthere’s a strong element of fun in the job.They’ve given me lots of advice generallyon entering the profession – how thingswould work if you were a freelancer or ifyou were brought in as an extra player. I hope after my studies that I’ll be in agood position to get extra work becausethey know me and they’ve been listeningto me play.

In College, you get to work on twoorchestral projects each term and you’reassessed on these performances, and amock audition at the end of the secondyear. The highlight for me so far wasplaying principal clarinet in the Mahler IIconcert at St David’s Hall. Unlike the othermusic performance courses, there’s no finalrecital – it’s very focused on the orchestralexperience. There’s still plenty of time toget involved in other things at Collegethough – I play in a clarinet quartet and weget access to coaching and opportunitiesto put on concerts. I’m also working with a piano accompaniment student for theirrecital, and I’m entering competitions as a soloist. I’m still getting a broadexperience, but with the extraopportunities in the orchestral field.

I’ve been able to continue teaching to helpfund my studies, and like a lot of studentsfrom the College, I also have part timework at Wales Millennium Centre, which isgreat because I’m working in an artsenvironment.”

Originally New Zealand, Tianyi Lucompleted her first Master’s degree inconducting in Melbourne, Australia beforecoming to the UK to continue her studieson RWCMD’s two-year orchestralconducting programme. “Conducting is a lifelong study and I knew I wanted to come to the UK to continue my learning but I didn’t want to live in abusy city like London – I wanted to besomewhere I could think, and have timeand space to develop my skills. I am reallyhappy at RWCMD. My teacher, DavidJones, is fantastic. He is very supportive

and has developed my technique a lot over the past year.

The opportunity to work with themusicians here is a real joy – there are such talented people from all over theworld. At the moment I’m rehearsing withfull orchestra for my first recital – which is from Britten’s Four Sea Interludes. Theplayers are brilliant and so attentive –it’s sounding great and I’m really lookingforward to it.

I want to spend as much time as possibleon the podium while I’m here, so I’mgetting involved in lots of different things,from brass ensembles to baroque groups.One of the great things about the Collegeis that we get one week each term whenwe can organise our own ensembles andget more opportunities to conduct. Peoplehere are very enthusiastic and keen to get involved. Last term, in collaborationwith another conductor, we put together a concert of Mahler’s Des KnabenWunderhorn for chamber orchestra in the Dora Stoutzker Hall.

“The opportunity to work with the musicians here is a real joy – there are suchtalented people from all over the world.”

It’s a very practical, hands-on course but I can also attend lectures onentrepreneurship and what the industry islike, or classes in specialist areas like choralconducting, and early music. I have been to a few of Rachel Podger’s classes, whichwere amazing.

Cardiff is a great city to live in – it’s not too expensive or too busy but there’s a lotgoing on. While I’ve been here, I’ve alsobeen able to get to masterclasses in Berlinand St Petersburg, and I often go to watchrehearsals and things in London, which isonly two hours by train. I think this is theperfect base for me to explore and grow as a musician.”

After graduating with a degree in Musicand Commerce in her native Australia,Victoria Pilley spent five years working inadministrative roles in the arts beforemaking the life-changing decision toreturn to college to pursue a career as achoral conductor.“After deciding that it was conducting andchoral music that I really loved, I had beenplanning to go to the USA for further studybut then I met Simon Halsey during achoral conducting summer school inAustralia and he suggested I look at thecourse at RWCMD. I can honestly say thatcoming here was the best decision I evermade – I’ve had experiences that I never

would have dreamed of. The teaching here is second to none and we’ve hadmasterclasses with great people fromaround the world. You have a differentoutlook after a few years of working – Ithink you really appreciate it and you knowthese experiences are hard to come by.

The course here is a great mix - not justsacred repertoire but secular works forsmall ensembles, and chamber ensembles,and symphonic works across differentgenres. I’ve had hands-on experience as achorus master working weekly with traineeprofessional singers in the College Choir,and I’ve worked with a large chorus on bigprojects like Verdi Requiem and Mahler II.

I feel totally respected and trusted to dothese things. Having been in the workforcefor a few years before coming here, Iwanted to be treated like a professional. At the same time, that feeling of beingsupported and cared for is really special.Everyone here knows who you are –even the Principal knows my name.”

See feature on page 14 for interviews withstudents specialising in opera performanceand repetiteurship.

International harpistCatrin Finch is studyingcomposition as apostgraduate student atRWCMD in order to openup new career paths.

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ActorTrainingWith only a small number of places on offer each year, competition for entry toRWCMD’s acting courses is intense. Then the hard work really begins. Students can be involved in vocal, movement and actingskills classes and other projects five days a week from 9am to 6pm. Publicperformances in the final year bring evenlonger working hours. It’s not for the fainthearted but for those with the talent,stamina and commitment, the prospects can be extraordinary.

RWCMD GRADUATE,ACTOR AND WRITER KAT PEARCEQ. How has your training helped in yourcareer so far?By the end of my course, I was doingthings I never thought I could. I waspushed and challenged in every play I wasin. You get so many different directors withdifferent methods and styles, so you haveto adapt, but the core training in the firstand second years makes that easy to do,because it’s already in your bones. Irecently played a 15-year-old in Port at the National Theatre and a new armyrecruit in the BBC series, Our Girl butwhether it’s moving like a teenager ormaking sure everyone can hear the textthrough a really harsh accent, you find that the skills are already there.

Q. What was it like working at the National Theatre?Of course I was nervous, but when I gotinto the rehearsal room I felt like ‘Oh, I cando this’ and I still had that feeling all theway through till the end. I kept thinking‘Oh my god, Juliet Stevenson, Rory Kinnearand Ben Whishaw have all been on thisstage…’ and now I was up there too. Andthat was OK. I could do it. The Collegereally gives you the tools to do anything in a rehearsal room.

“The three years at RWCMDwere three of the best years ofmy life. I miss it every day. Itwent too fast, but I feel like Igot the most I could out of it.”

Q. When did you start writing?At RWCMD you’re trained to be asrounded as possible. It’s not a writingcourse but then it’s not a singing course ora physical theatre course either – you getthe chance to experience it all. They give

you the opportunity to have a go, and ifthere’s a talent there, they encourage you.They read my drafts, found opportunitiesfor me to write speeches for otherstudents, introduced me to people in the industry who could offer moreopportunities. I would never have pursuedif it hadn’t been for the constantencouragement from my tutors.

Q. What sort of contacts did you makethrough RWCMD? In my second year, I took part in aworkshop at College with Shameless writer,Paul Abbott (pictured below). After that,he gave me a scholarship and invited meto join his studio in Manchester so I didn’thave to work during the vacations, I couldwrite instead. Having Paul Abbott’s nameattached to mine opened so many doors.I’m currently working alongside theplaywright Simon Stephens at the LyricHammersmith. I first met him when I wasplaying the lead in his play Harper Reganin my final year at College, then I got therole in Port, which is another of his plays.The connections you make at College are crucial.


COURSEHIGHLIGHTSPublic PerformancesAs part of the Richard Burton Company,students are cast in up to five differentproductions in their final year, workingunder professional conditions.

Actors’ ShowcaseEach student has two minutes to performfor an audience of leading agents andcasting directors in special showcaseevents at the College and at London’sRoyal Court Theatre.

Masterclass SeriesOpportunities to network with leadingprofessionals and get expert advice oneverything from audition technique toworking with agents.

Creative ProjectsStudents develop and produce their ownwork for performance.

Acting Through SongSecond year students put their vocal andmovement skills into practice in a musicaltheatre workshop performance.

Acting for ScreenFilming on location with a professionalcrew, students learn the specificrequirements of film and TV work.

Radio ActingStudio-based training in the fundamentaltechniques required for radio. The three-year course includes the rehearsal andproduction of a full-length radio dramaunder professional conditions.

Stage CombatEnergetic classes in fencing and unarmedcombat lead to higher level examinationsof the Academy of Performance Combat.

AN AMERICANPERSPECTIVEOriginally from West Texas, AlanWinner trained at RWCMD beforereturning to the US to continue hiscareer as a performer and director.Would he choose RWCMD again?

“The training atRWCMD reallystretches you. I learned so much about mycapabilities, whichled to so manywonderful andunexpectedopportunities. Before I went toRWCMD, I wouldn’t have believed I could write at all, let alone somethingpeople would enjoy. Now, it’s becomeone of the most rewarding aspects ofmy career. I would absolutely make the same choice again – the Collegeopened my eyes to what was possible.”

My Career Highlights

• Performing my one-man short Polly and Samat RWCMD and later at the Edinburgh FringeFestival

• Spending a year singing in the multi-awardwinning choir Only Men Aloud!

• Appearing in Trevor Nunn’s production of Gone With The Wind in the West End

• Playing the Pirate King in an all-male productionof The Pirates of Penzance, which won an Offie(Off West End) Award for Best Production

• Co-writing an original cabaret, The Boy WhoLoved Bassey, with Ben Cameron (Wicked,Footloose, Broadway Sessions), performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC

• Two years as the Artistic Director of The HiveTheatre Company in New York City

ACTING

ACTING COURSESRWCMD offers a three-year BA (Hons) inActing and a one-year MA in Acting forStage, Screen and Radio (see next page).

Entry is by audition. For information aboutapplying for entry to the College’s actingcourses, see page 61.

Eric Kofi Abrefa received criticalacclaim for his performance in TheAmen Corner at the National Theatredirected by Rufus Norris. On TV, heappeared in Stan Lee’s Lucky Man on

Sky One with James Nesbitt, and is currently filmingfor series two of the Channel 4/AMC drama Humans.

Emily Barber won a Best NewcomerAward at the Manchester TheatreAwards in 2015 for her performance inBilly Liar at The Royal Exchange. Sheappeared alongside David Suchet in

the acclaimed production of The Importance of BeingEarnest at London’s Vaudeville Theatre and asInnogen in Cymbeline at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Annes Elwy starred in the 2015 Welshlanguage film Yr Ymadawiad (ThePassing) with fellow graduate DyfanDwyfor, and in the S4C TV drama Lan a Lawr. On stage, she played

the lead in Anna Jordan’s award-winning play YEN at Manchester Royal Exchange and the Royal CourtTheatre.

Jacob Ifan landed a lead role in BBC One’s new prime time policedrama, Cuffs while in his final year at RWCMD in 2015. He is currentlyfilming series 3 of BBC One/S4C

detective drama Y Gwyll (Hinterland).

Sophie Melville graduated in 2013. She won a Stage Award for ActingExcellence at the Edinburgh FestivalFringe for her performance in GaryOwen’s one-woman play Iphigenia

in Splott, which transferred to the National Theatre in 2016.

Mimi Ndweni won The Spotlight prize for acting in 2013. Her stage roles have included Tiger Lily in Wendy and Peter Pan and Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew for the

Royal Shakespeare Company.

Arthur Hughes was BBC CarletonHobbs Radio Award Winner in 2013,joining the BBC Radio Drama Companyshortly after graduating. On stage, heplayed the lead in Jack Thorne’s

acclaimed play The Solid Life of Sugar Water forGraeae Theatre Company, which transferred to theNational Theatre in 2016.

Thalissa Teixeira graduated in 2014.Stage appearances include roles in The Broken Heart and The Changelingat Shakespeare’s Globe. She made her TV debut in the BBC One series

Musketeers in 2016.

Joanna Vanderham landed a lead role in Sky One drama The Runawayduring her final year at RWCMD. On BBC TV, she has starred in TheParadise, Banished, The Go Between

and others. She played Desdemona in Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2015 and isplaying Lady Anne in Rupert Goold’s Richard IIIat The Almeida in 2016.

For more graduate profiles, see page 24.

RECENT GRADUATESHere are just a handful of the actors whohave graduated in the last five years andare now making their mark on stage andscreen…


to play parts you’d never play in thetheatre or on TV because of how youlook. I’ve played big burly blokes, blackand Asian characters, 13-year-olds and35-year-olds. I’ve been in more than 50 radio plays now, and I play a regularcharacter, Dan Hebden Lloyd, in TheArchers on Radio 4.

“It’s a very special place. So many individual passionscome together to make such a creative atmosphere.”

Tell us about the MA Acting course…On the MA course, you get to rehearse and perform on a fully functional film set,in radio studios, and of course on stage inthe Richard Burton Theatre and the RoyalCourt Theatre in London. There are alsocrucial workshops and masterclasses onthe correct usage and propermaintenance of your body and voice,which is an essential basis for a career onthe stage, film, TV or radio. And theCollege provides detailed knowledge ofthe industry and how to go about forgingyourself a place within it. At the end ofthe course, everyone’s experience isunique to them – for one student it mightbe developing the strength of their voicethat is important, while for another it maybe their screen acting technique, buteverything you learn there continues toinform your work and your career.

Why RWCMD?It’s a very special place. So manyindividual passions come together tomake such a creative atmosphere, andvery high standards of work. Walkingthrough the College you will see setdesigners and costume designerscreating stunning pieces, you will hearcellos being tuned, opera singerswarming up their voices, actors goingover their lines in the corridors. Beingsurrounded by people with boundlesspositivity, creativity and passion is what I loved most about RWCMD.

What do you love most about being an actor?Apart from all the pretending? I love thatevery single job is different – not only thecharacters you play but the other actorsyou are working with, the writers anddirectors, the style of the work. Even ifyou are doing a 12-month run, eachaudience and performance is stilldifferent. Not knowing what’s around thecorner can sometimes be daunting but Iabsolutely relish that aspect too.

Masters of MusicalTheatre Building on the success of theCollege's well established acting andvocal programmes, the one-year, fulltime MA Musical Theatre programmehas quickly become one of RWCMD'sflagship courses, attracting attentionand support from some of thebiggest names in the Musical Theatreindustry. The course puts students atthe centre of the College's creativelydiverse community, working in closecollaboration with the music,production and design departments.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Richard Burton Theatre,directed by West End and Broadway Director, ShaunKerrison

Stephen Sondheim’s Company

MA IN ACTING FORSTAGE, SCREENAND RADIOWill Howard trained as an actor atRWCMD after graduating from ExeterUniversity with a BA in Drama. TheCollege helped him forge a place forhimself in a diverse and competitiveindustry.

When did you decide you wanted to be an actor?I took a long time to admit to myself that I wanted to act professionally. It was like, if I didn’t actually say I wanted to be anactor, then I couldn’t fail at it. My year at RWCMD gave me a much betterunderstanding of how to turn acting intothe career I wanted it to be. As well as allthe practical training (voice, movement,stage combat, microphone technique etc.),it made me realise the importance ofworking hard, turning up on time, being agenerally decent person – no one’s goingto hire someone they don’t like.

“My year at RWCMD gave me amuch better understanding ofhow to turn acting into thecareer I wanted it to be.”

Tell us about your career so far…While I was at RWCMD, I was put forwardfor a prestigious BBC competition, whichled to a contract with ‘the Rep’ (the BBCRadio Drama Company). In radio, you get

Will Howard as lead in Alfie at RWCMD in 2012

Merrily We Roll Along, Richard Burton Theatre


MUSICAL THEATRE

2016 saw students performing in a newshow based on the vast catalogue of song-writing partners George Stiles and AnthonyDrewe. The legendary duo attended theCardiff premiere of Anything Can Happen!which was created and directed by theirlong term associate, Simon Grieff.Broadwayworld.com described it as‘Practically Perfect.’

RENT AT RWCMDThe MA Musical Theatre courseculminates in a fully staged production.Rent was directed by Sam Mendes’protégé Bruce Guthrie andchoreographed by Billy Elliot’s resident choreographer, Lee Proud.

Tom Sankey played lead role, Mark. “I cannot begin to describe howfundamental the experience was inhelping shape me as an actor. Having the opportunity to work with such anamazing director, we left the processhaving learned more than I would haveever hoped. From Tango to tabledancing, I gained so much experiencefrom working with choreographer LeeProud, who made sure that everyonelooked totally professional andemployable. To have already been seenin such a fantastic production has been amassive asset while I’ve been auditioningfor professional roles.”

The show was attended by influentialfigures from the Musical Theatre industryincluding David Grindrod (CastingDirector for Phantom, Jesus ChristSuperstar, Joseph, and Starlight Express),Trevor Jackson (Executive Producer and Casting Director for CameronMackintosh), and Bert Fink, Senior VicePresident of Rogers & HammersteinEurope.

“They brought the work tolife with a fearlessness and a passion that was truly inspiring.” Bert Fink, Rogers & Hammerstein

SCHOLARSHIPSLord Andrew Lloyd Webber, pictured below in RWCMD’s Dora StoutzkerHall, is a Fellow of the College. Each year, the Andrew Lloyd WebberFoundation provides a full scholarship for one student on the MA MusicalTheatre course. 2014 recipient Luke McCall made his professional debut inthe West End production of Les Misérables shortly after graduating.

Rent Director, Bruce Guthrie

In rehearsals with Choreographer, Lee Proud

MA students in rehearsal for Rent

RWCMD production of Rent

THE MUSICAL THEATRECOURSEThe MA in Musical Theatre course at RWCMD runs from September to July and there are only 12 places available each year.

Entry to the course is by audition and applicantsmust be able to demonstrate skills in acting, singing and dance.

For more information about applying for entry to the MA in Musical Theatre, see page 61.

Melissa Bayern played The Witch inStephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods forher final performance at RWCMD. Just afew weeks later, she was able to makeher professional debut in the same roleat Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.

Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods

Stiles and Drewe’s Anything Can Happen!


Design forPerformanceRWCMD’s track record and credentialsin the field of theatre design areimpressive. Students find themselvesnot only at the centre of the College’sown creative community, but also of a dynamic international performancedesign community.


COURSEHIGHLIGHTS• Students receive training in a widerange of technical skills includingtechnical drawing, model making andcostume construction.

• There are opportunities for designerswithin the College’s wide-rangingperformance programme, whichincludes opera, musical theatre and awide range of drama.

• Team-working skills are tested asstudents get to grips with large-scalepaper sculptures during the first fewweeks of their course.

• A first year ‘costume as performance’project featuring costumes createdfrom ‘found’ and recycled materials.

• An annual, large-scale, site-specificpuppetry performance is one of thehighlights of the RWCMD calendar.

• The College’s Linbury Gallery is theperfect setting for an annual graduateexhibition, and for regular displays ofthe students’ work in scenic art,costume, props and sculpture.

INTERNATIONALREPUTATIONUnder the inspirational leadership of Sean Crowley, RWCMD has become aworld leader in education and training for performance design. Winning the bid to host World Stage Design 2013consolidated its growing internationalreputation (see page 22). The College hasalso been closely involved for many yearswith the Prague Quadrennial, anothermajor international scenography eventheld every four years.

THE LINBURY PRIZERWCMD has a phenomenal record ofsuccess in this high-profile competition foremerging theatre designers. The biennialprize offers twelve finalists the chance towork with some of the UK’s leadingtheatre, opera and dance companies.Their work is then featured in anexhibition at the National Theatre. Fourwinners are then chosen, each receiving acash prize and a professional commissionto design a production for a majorcompany. In the last ten years, RWCMDhas fielded eight winners and numerousfinalists who have gone on to successfulcareers with the Royal ShakespeareCompany, The Royal Court, Royal Ballet,Royal Opera House, National Theatre,Welsh National Opera and many more.

THEATRE DESIGNBEING A SETDESIGNER

Colin Richmondgraduated fromRWCMD in 2003and was a LinburyPrize finalist. His recent workincludes set andcostume design forWendy and PeterPan at the Royal

Shakespeare Company. The followingextracts are based on an interview forThe Guardian on Creative Careers.

On his early years…As a child, I went to see Starlight Express,and I came home and made a modelversion of the set from memory. I also remember trying to recreateGotham City when I was about eight.

On RWCMD…It’s a hardcore three years of hardly anydays off. It begins with sculpture workand developing the imagination andbuilding up good skills. We had apuppetry project to do, which we alsoperformed in to understand the otherside of the process. The second and thirdyears are when you specialise in costumeor set design.

On his first job…I got it through a College contact. I wasan assistant to Bob Crowley, the designerof Mary Poppins and The History Boys.Getting a break through someone youknow is common in this line of work,although getting one job does notautomatically lead to another. You have

to keep creating worlds, get ideas anddesigns on paper even if you've not gotwork. You have to keep emailing and youhave to be relentless in knowing who isdoing what and where.

“Good communication skills are vital for a setdesigner.”

On personality…Good communication skills are vital for a set designer. You are always feedingback to the director and need to be able to articulate ideas and have strongpeople skills.

On job satisfaction…The schedules are exhausting but you've got to keep doing more becauseit doesn't pay well. At the end, when it all comes into fruition it makes everypart of the process worthwhile.

CARDIFF’SCREATIVEINDUSTRIESAs a thriving centre for the creativeindustries, Cardiff offers plenty ofopportunities for students to gainexperience with professional companiesin and around the city. Flagship TVdramas including Doctor Who, Casualty,Sherlock, Upstairs Downstairs and BeingHuman are filmed at the BBC DramaVillage in Cardiff Bay, and on locationaround the city. Companies likes BayProductions and Cardiff TheatricalServices provide specialist services in setconstruction, scenic art and prop makingto the opera, theatre, film and TVindustries, with clients including the Royal Opera House, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.

THEATRE DESIGNCOURSESThe College’s BA (Hons) in Design forPerformance offers students a broad rangeof training and experience in design andrealisation for performance. At Master’slevel, students can choose to specialise inperformance design (set and costume); setdesign; costume design; costumeconstruction; puppetry; lighting design;sound design; or scenic art andconstruction for stage and screen. TheMaster’s programme offers flexiblepathways, including options for peoplewho are already working in a related field.After a year of full time study at theCollege, Master’s students receive supportand mentoring from tutors to complete apiece of work based on their professionalemployment within the industry. Forinformation about applying for entry to the Design for Performance courses,(see page 61).

Colin Richmond’s designs for ‘Tink’ in Wendy andPeter Pan for the Royal Shakespeare Company


Stage Management andTechnical TheatreUnlike many of the training optionson offer to people who want towork in the backstage professions,RWCMD’s courses combineextensive training in core technicalskills, sound and lighting design,and the full range of stagemanagement skills. As a result ofthis holistic approach, the numberof RWCMD graduates to be foundworking in key roles in the liveperformance and events industriesthroughout the UK and worldwide is impressive.

PRODUCTIONWORKThe College’s in-house artistic programmeincluding drama, opera, musical theatre,orchestral concerts, festivals and outdoorevents, offers opportunities for students to gain practical experience in a range oftechnical and production roles. RWCMD is also a hosting venue for visitingcompanies, performances and events,which can offer further opportunities forstudents to build their portfolios andexpand their professional networks. Stagemanagement students collaborate on theannual Stage Electrics exhibition held atthe College, and have been heavilyinvolved in the production of majorinternational events including World StageDesign 2013.

EDINBURGH FRINGEEach summer, a team of stage managersand technicians from RWCMD take on themanagement of Venue 13, the College’sprofessional venue at the EdinburghFestival Fringe. Over a period of threeweeks the team provides full productionsupport for 150 performances includingtheatre, contemporary dance and physicaltheatre from Wales and the rest of theworld. This immersive experience can addsignificantly to students’ professionalportfolios.

WORKPLACEMENTSAs part of the training at RWCMD, thereare opportunities for students to undertakeprofessional placements with externalcompanies in the UK or further afield.Recent placements have included

The National Theatre, National TheatreWales, The Almeida, Donmar Warehouse,Royal Court and Chichester FestivalTheatre.

COURSESIn addition to a three-year BA (Hons)degree course, the College offers anintensive one-year training programme forpeople with more experience who want to move in to working as stage managers,production managers or event managers inthe theatre or live events industries. Peoplewith a degree in any subject can apply,although the College also considersapplications from people who have beenworking in the theatre, event orentertainment industries without formaltraining. The course, which leads to aMaster’s degree, can give people the skillsand experience they need to take theircareer to the next level. After a year of full time study, students find relevantprofessional employment, which forms the basis of a final piece of coursework.

FACILITIES ANDEQUIPMENTThe state-of-the-art, industry-standardequipment at RWCMD includes Grand MAand ETC lighting desks, Martin and Vari-Lite moving head lighting, GDS StageManagement Systems, Yamaha and Rolanddigital sound desks, d&b, Axis and Martinspeaker systems. There is also a vast rangeof industry-related software available atthe College including AutoCAD, WYSIWYG,QLab and Isadora (video mapping). TheRichard Burton Theatre and Dora StoutzkerHall are equipped with single purchaseflying systems as well as Nomadcomputerised flying systems.


CAREER PROFILESAnthony Field is Company Manager forthe current UK touring production ofWicked. He's staged cabarets in theCaribbean, worked with Kevin Spacey atLondon’s Old Vic, and been involved inthe opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics. “My interest in the industry came from a love of theatre, and the experience onoffer at RWCMD was vast. It includeddifferent technical aspects, electronics,staging, sound – we got to work withlighting designers and productionmanagers. The scope was huge and youcould focus on anything you liked. I wasoffered the best facilities and links inindustry to help me discover what Iwanted to do. When I arrived at College, I wanted to be a lighting designer, butwithin a couple of years I realised it wasmore stage management that I wanted toget into. Then there’s all the differentgenres within that, from theatre to TV,radio, and events. I thought the course atRWCMD was definitely the best in termsof producing all-round graduates whocould step into – and have the choice of –a world of different work opportunities.”

Lighting technician and designer DaniBish was nominated for an Offie (OffWest End) Award the year after shegraduated. She has also worked in thelighting team at The National Theatre,where she first worked as a placementstudent during her final year at RWCMD.“My time at the College helped me realisewhat it was I wanted to do, and theconfidence to really push for it. The coursegave me the skills and confidence to stepinto the industry and now I’m still working

with some of the directors and designers I met through College and through mywork placements. My experience at theCollege opened up opportunities that Iwould never have imagined before.”

Before enrolling on the College’s MA in Stage Management course, BryonyPeach did a degree in Humanities withPhilosophy with the Open University while training to be a trapeze artist. She discovered stage management afterher career as an aerial performer wasthwarted by injury. “After a fantastic time at RWCMD, my firstexternal placement was at The Watermill,where I joined the stage managementteam for the musical Thoroughly ModernMillie – an enormous show in a tinytheatre. From there I went to the otherextreme at the National as one of theASMs on The Light Princess.

“I work with fellow RWCMDgraduates on every job and it really gets you noticed.”

Since then I’ve made giant inflatableElephantoms appear like magic, cookedand served The Big Meal in Bath six timesa night, deputy stage managed an operain a 200-year-old stone cloister, and amcurrently dodging rain showers atRegent’s Park. Doing the MA was the bestdecision I ever made, I had a wonderfultime in College and now make my living as a stage manager. I work with fellowRWCMD graduates on every job and itreally gets you noticed.”

Emily Legg worked in the sounddepartment at London’s Young Victheatre under fellow graduate DominicBilkey, before taking up her currentposition as Deputy Head of Sound at the Royal Court Theatre. “Sound was always a bit of a hobby for me ever since school but it was myexperience at RWCMD that reallyconfirmed that I could turn it into a career.Working in sound is extremely technicalbut it still allows me to be creative, whichis what I enjoy most about it. The coursegave me the foundations to build mycareer on, but I could not have achievedwhat I have without the huge amount ofsupport and pastoral care from all of mytutors, and the support networks availableto students at the College.”

During his time at RWCMD, Rich Raynerbuilt up a portfolio of technicalexperience in the events industry. “I was attracted to RWCMD because itwas the only place that seemed to offer adecent hands-on course with some greatopportunities to actually get out there andwork with the people in the industry. Myfinal placement was with a leadingcompany delivering temporary power forconcerts, touring and major public events.They turned out to be my employer for six years after leaving College and myexperiences with them included TheQueen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Olympics in Beijing and London, andfestivals including Glastonbury and V. I have now set up my own event servicescompany, and I continue to use a wholerange of transferable skills that I gainedduring my time at RWCMD in so manyareas ranging from time management toset building and people management.”

STAGE MANAGEMENT


Leading the Way in Arts ManagementMA in Arts Management Course Leader Karen Pimbley explains howRWCMD is leading the way in developing future leaders for the arts.

the real world. To assess their understandingand skills in education and communityinvolvement, they work as a team todevelop a practical proposal for an originalproject. It really tests their skills inteamworking, leadership andentrepreneurship.”

“It’s all about work-basedlearning and creative tasks thatreflect real-life scenarios.”

“Here at the College, the students have the opportunity to gain experience ofvarious roles within the venues, box office,marketing and production teams. These in-house placements have also includedworking in the College’s Edinburgh Fringevenue, helping to organise a Jazz Timeresidency at the Hay Festival, and assistingwith the production of the new writingseason. That experience forms a core part ofthe training – and the basis for assessment.”

“The career outcomes reflect the diversity ofthe course – some graduates have gone intospecialist fundraising or marketing roleswithin large organisations, others have setup their own projects. Many are freelanceproject managers or creative producers.Although the practical tasks and placementsfocus on arts settings, the skills we teachcan be applied in a range of settings withinthe wider cultural and creative industries, orin the charity sector, even in business.”

THE ARTSMANAGEMENTCOURSEEntry to the MA in Arts Management is inSeptember each year. Students can chooseto study on a full time basis for one year, or on a flexible, part-time basis for up to five years. The programme can also betailored to suit the needs of individualstudents according to their needs andexperience, with relevant modules availablefor Accreditation of Prior ExperientialLearning (APEL).

For information on applying for entry to the MA in Arts Managementprogramme, see page 61.

PROFESSIONALPLACEMENTSThanks to its unique position as theNational Conservatoire of Wales, theCollege has been able to establishpartnerships with the wide range ofprofessional organisations in Cardiffand beyond.

For the whole of the summer term,students work on external professionalplacements with organisationsincluding Arts Council of Wales, BBCNational Orchestra of Wales, HijinxTheatre Company, Sinfonia Cymru andNo Fit State Circus (below).

“Arts Management is a broad term but the‘catch-all’ course title reflects our students’diverse backgrounds, the flexibility of thetraining we provide, the many variedcareer outcomes, and the transferablenature of the skills we teach.”

“Many of our students have focussed onthe performance or creative side asundergraduates and are aiming for careersas creative producers or orchestralmanagers. Some of them have experienceof working in the arts and are looking to filla ‘skills gap’ to help progress their careersor move in a new direction. Others arelooking for a complete career change. The course structure is flexible enough toaccommodate the goals of a broad rangeof students.”

“Our aim is to produce graduates whohave the potential to demonstrate realleadership in the creative sector. Thetraining provides them with a range ofpractical skills and experience that willenable them to rise to the challenges ofincreasing access and participation,harnessing new technologies and workingin a global context. Not to mention theissue of income generation.”

“The fact is that most jobs now require you to be multi-skilled, and to have at leastsome fundraising experience, especially insmall organisations. Even if it’s educationand outreach that you’re really interestedin, you are likely to need someunderstanding of fundraising and theability to work with donors and sponsors ifyou want to deliver projects successfully.”

In 2013, when she was appointed to leadthe College’s training for arts managers,Karen set about restructuring the coursealong the same lines as the College’s othertraining programmes – placing core skills,practical experience, professionalcollaborations and employability at thecentre of the training.

“We don’t do essays; it’s all about work-based learning and creative tasks thatreflect real-life scenarios. For example, toassess the students’ understanding andskills in fundraising, they have to present toa panel of decision-makers from businessesthat are involved in sponsoring projects in

2 Years(1-Year optionin some cases)

2 Years

Courses & ApplicationsACTINGBA (Hons) Acting 3 Years

MA Acting for Stage, 1 YearScreen & Radio

Both courses start in September each year.Entry is by an audition process followingapplication. Applications must besubmitted via www.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCAS Conservatoires). Thedeadline for applications to the BA (Hons)course is 15th January. For the MA course,the deadline is 31st March. Course detailsand audition guidance is available on theacting course pages of the College’swebsite. There is a registration fee of £24for using the UCAS Conservatoires service,and audition fee of £47 (also payablethrough UCAS Conservatoires). The latesttuition fees are published on the College’swebsite (rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/acting

ARTS MANAGEMENTMA Arts Full Time, 1 YearManagement Part Time, 2-5 Years

The course starts in September each year. Applications must be submitted viawww.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCASConservatoires). Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview. The Collegewill consider applications for entry inSeptember for as long as there are placesavailable. Course details are available onthe arts management course pages of theCollege’s website. There is a registrationfee of £24 for using the UCASConservatoires service. The latest tuitionfees are published on the College’s website(rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/artsman

MUSICAL THEATREMA Musical Theatre 1 Year

The course starts in September each year.Entry is by an audition process followingapplication. Applications must besubmitted via www.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCAS Conservatoires). Thedeadline for applications is the 31st March.Course details and audition guidance isavailable on the musical theatre pages ofthe College’s website. There is aregistration fee of £24 for using the UCASConservatoires service, and audition fee of £47 (also payable through UCASConservatoires). The latest tuition fees arepublished on the College’s website(rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/musicaltheatre

MUSICBMus (Hons) Music 4 Years

BMus (Hons) Jazz 4 Years

MMus or PGDip:Brass Band ConductingChoral ConductingCompositionHistorical PerformanceMusic PerformanceOrchestral ConductingOrchestral PerformanceCollaborative PianoRepetiteurship

MA:JazzOpera Performance

All courses start in September each year.Entry is by an audition process followingapplication. Composition applicants will beasked to attend an interview. Applicationsmust be submitted via www.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCAS Conservatoires). Thedeadline for applications is 1st October.Course details and audition/interviewguidance is available on the relevantcourse pages of the College’s website.There is a registration fee of £24 for usingthe UCAS Conservatoires service, andaudition fee of £63 (one instrument) or£84 (two instruments) (also payablethrough UCAS Conservatoires). Theaudition fee for late applications, receivedafter the 1st October, is £68. The latesttuition fees are published on the College’swebsite (rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/music

MUSIC RESEARCHDEGREESMPHil/PhD 3 Years or

5 Years

Doctoral studies at RWCMD focusspecifically on research relating toperformance or composition.

Contact the College directly to discussyour ideas further, and receive help andadvice in writing a research proposal –[email protected]. The latest tuitionfees are published on the College’s website(rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/mphil

DESIGN FORPERFORMANCEBA (Hons) Design for 3 YearsPerformance

MA Design for Performance 1 Year*

MA students choose from: PerformanceDesign, Set Design, Costume Design,Costume Construction, Puppetry, LightingDesign, Sound Design, or Scenic Art andConstruction for Stage and Screen

*Plus work-based component

Both courses start in September each year.Entry is by an interview process followingapplication. Applications for the BA (Hons)course must be submitted via www.ucas.com(The University & Colleges AdmissionsService) and the deadline for applications isthe 15th January. There is a registration of £13to use the UCAS service, or £24 if you areapplying to more than one course, college oruniversity. For the MA course, applicationsmust be submitted via www.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCAS Conservatoires) andthe deadline for applications is the 30th April.There is a registration fee of £24 for usingthe UCAS Conservatoires service. Coursedetails and interview guidance is available onthe Design for Performance course pages ofthe College’s website. The latest tuition feesare published on the College’s website(rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/designforperformance

STAGEMANAGEMENTBA (Hons) Stage Management 3 Years

MA Stage & Event Management 1 Year*

*Plus work-based component

Both courses start in September each year.Entry is by an interview process followingapplication. Applications for the BA (Hons)course must be submitted via www.ucas.com(The University & Colleges AdmissionsService) and the deadline for applications isthe 15th January. There is a registration feeof £13 to use the UCAS service, or £24 if youare applying to more than one course,college or university. For the MA course,applications must be submitted viawww.ucas.com/conservatoires (UCASConservatoires) and the deadline forapplications is the 30th April. Course detailsand interview guidance is available on thecourse pages of the College’s website. Thelatest tuition fees are published on theCollege’s website (rwcmd.ac.uk/fees).

rwcmd.ac.uk/stageman



ENGLISHLANGUAGEREQUIREMENTSApplicants whose first language is notEnglish will need the IELTS Englishlanguage qualification – IELTS (Academic)for UKVI, taken at an approved test centre.This will indicate the ability to studythrough the medium of English language.There are specific minimum entryrequirements for each programme ofstudy. The College runs pre-sessionalEnglish language course in Cardiff forstudents whose test scores are very closeto those required for entry.

AUDITIONSThe College regularly holds auditions inAsia and North America. For applicantswho are unable to attend an audition/interview in person the College is able toaccept audition recordings onDVD/arrange a Skype interview.

FURTHERINFORMATIONFor more information on English languagerequirements, auditions, fees, scholarships,visas, and international student services,visit the international pages of theCollege’s website:

rwcmd.ac.uk/international

ACCOMMODATIONEvery student starting in September isguaranteed a room in halls of residence at Liberty Severn Point – a fully managedsecure site just ten minutes’ walk from the College. Rent is £119 per week(2016/2017) including electricity, water,personal possessions insurance, communaltelevision licence, communal television, Sky digital package and broadbandinternet access.

For students who choose to live in privaterented accommodation, the College canprovide a list of reputable landlords. Rentis around £285 per month excluding bills.

The College runs a scheme which helpsnew students find suitable housematesduring the summer before the start of their course.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/accommodation

STUDENT SUPPORT Student welfare is one of the College’sprimary concerns and it places a strongemphasis on delivering an outstandinglevel of student support.

The Students’ Union has built a very closeworking relationship with the College’smanagement team, which ensures that allstudents are able to raise issues and havetheir voices heard by the peopleresponsible for running the College.

The College employs a dedicated Head of Student Experience and Services, whobenefits from first-hand experience of lifeas a student at the College, and provides a first point of contact for students. TheHead of Student Experience and Servicesworks closely with the Students’ Union toprovide access to a range of informationand advice resources, including acompletely confidential, professionalcounselling service.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/support

ACCESSIBILITYRWCMD encourages applications fromdisabled students and those who haveparticular needs, and it considers everypotential student on an individual basis.The principle of diversity and flexibility isinherent within all of the programmes ofstudy and the College places a strongemphasis on enabling every student toachieve their individual potential.

The College can arrange for applicants withparticular needs to visit the College beforetheir audition or interview, to meet withstaff and to ask specific questions aboutparticular aspects of the programmes.

The information contained inthis publication can be madeavailable in other formats. Tel: + 44(0) 29 2039 1343 oremail: [email protected]

Accommodation & Support for Students

International Applications


© Published by the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Translated by Sian Edwards. Designed by www.nb-design.com. Printed by Stephens and George Print Group. Photography by Kiran Ridley, Ollie Edwards, Kirsten McTernan,Simon Gough, Betina Skovbro, Royal Shakespeare Company, Nicola Lloyd, Conrad Norton, Warren Orchard, Joe Clark and Nick Guttridge for BFLS Architects, Ted Scott.

While every effort has been made to ensure that the details in this prospectus are up-to-date and accurate at the time of going to press, the Royal Welsh College of Music &Drama can accept no responsibility for any errors or omission. Admission to the College will be subject to its Articles, Ordinances, Rules, Regulations, Codes and Procedures(howsoever called) for the time being in force. We shall be pleased to supply a copy to you before you apply; a copy is also available in the Library. The College reserves theright to vary either before or after your admission, the contents and method of delivery of courses, to discontinue courses and to introduce new ones. If a course isdiscontinued the College will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative. The College does not accept responsibility and expressly excludes liability for lossor damage to students’ property other than through the negligence of the College and for the cancellation or modification of courses. Any term, condition or provision of thecontract between you and the College, which may be held to be invalid, shall be severed from the contract without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remainder.

OtherCourses atRWCMDJUNIORCONSERVATOIREAdvanced Course (ages 8-18)Music First (ages 7-11)Mini Music (ages 4-8)All courses run on Saturdays during termtime throughout the year. Entry to theAdvanced Course and Music First is by anaudition process following application.Applications must be submitted directly to the Junior Conservatoire. There is anaudition fee of £15 for the AdvancedCourse and £15 for Music First. Coursedetails, fees and entry requirements areavailable on the Junior Conservatoirepages of the College’s website.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/junior

YOUNG ACTORSSTUDIO Acting Courses (ages 16-20)Theatre Workshop (ages 11-18)Acting Courses and Theatre Workshop runon weekends during term time throughoutthe year – on Sundays at the College andon Saturdays at Pembrokeshire College inWest Wales. Entry to the Acting Course isby an audition process. Applications mustbe submitted directly to the Young ActorsStudio. There is an audition fee of £17 forthe Acting Course. Course details, fees andentry requirements are available on theYoung Actors Studio pages of the College’swebsite.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/yas

SUMMER SCHOOLS Summer Schools at RWCMD give a taste oflife at the College and cover everythingfrom acting workshops and chamber musicfor children and young people, to corset-making for adults.

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/summerschools

Contact Royal Welsh College of Music & DramaCastle Grounds, Cathays Park, Cardiff, UK,CF10 3ER

SwitchboardTel: + 44(0) 29 2034 2854Email: [email protected]

AdmissionsTel: + 44(0) 29 2039 1361Email: [email protected]


Thank YouWe would like to take theopportunity to thank thosepublic bodies, individuals,trusts, foundations andbusiness sponsors whohave contributed to theCollege and continue tosupport us.

Business SupportABRSMArts and Business CymruBarclaysBrewin DolphinCardiff Business ClubCatering AcademyDa Vinci’s DemonsJohn Lewis PartnershipLiberty LivingThe Penderyn Distillery Steinway & SonsValero Wales & West Utilities

IndividualsDame Shirley Bassey FRWCMD Philip Carne FRWCMD andChristine Carne FRWCMDThe Friends of the Royal WelshCollege of Music & Drama

Jean DaviesThe late Leonard and Marian JonesThe late Peter KearneyThe late Sir Charles MackerrasCBE FRWCMDEluned H McGreneryThe late Gwenllian Phillips inmemory of her husbandValerie PittDavid Seligman OBE FRWCMDIan Stoutzker CBE FRWCMDValerie Hodges

Public BodiesArts Council of WalesWelsh Government

Trusts and FoundationsThe Andrew Lloyd WebberFoundationThe Ashley Family FoundationThe Colwinston Charitable TrustThe Community Foundation in WalesThe Else and Leonard CrossCharitable TrustThe EMI Music SoundFoundationThe Esmée FairbairnFoundation

The Garfield WestonFoundationThe G C Gibson Charitable TrustThe Jane Hodge FoundationThe John Barbirolli MemorialFoundationThe Joseph Strong Fraser TrustThe J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable TrustThe Leverhulme TrustThe Linbury TrustThe Mackintosh FoundationThe Paul Hamlyn FoundationThe Richard Carne TrustThe Simon Gibson Charitable TrustThe Spielman Charitable TrustThe Tillett TrustThe Walton TrustThe Waterloo FoundationThe Wolfson FoundationThe Worshipful Company of Musicians

We remain immensely gratefulto those public bodies,individuals, trusts, foundationsand business sponsors whogave their support to ourCapital Campaign: A Stage forSuccess. The new training andperformance spaces at theCollege provided thefoundation for a new phase inthe College’s history and tomark their commitment, wecontinue to acknowledge thesedonors on the College’swebsite.

Please visitwww.rwcmd.ac.uk/thankyou

Patron Connect GoldChris BallGeraint Talfan DaviesJohn Derrick and Preben OeyeHywel and Mary GeorgeDavid Goldstone CBECaptain Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards FRWCMDMichael and Cora McGrane Vince McNabbChris NottSir Idris PearceAlan and Maggie Peterson Carlo Rizzi FRWCMD and Lucy StoutDavid Seligman OBE FRWCMD Babs Thomas OBETed and Val Yates

Patron ConnectHilary BouldingPeter CurranMartin and Jo FurberAllan and Kath JonesGraham and Dorothy JonesChristine Lewis OBEChris MoorsomMenna Richards OBE FRWCMDCynthia RobertsSimon Smail CBEDr Geraint Stanley Jones CBEFRWCMD

College Connect GoldDouglas DalwoodKen GriffinRobert and Philippa John Gareth Williams

College ConnectScott AllinJohn and Elizabeth AndrewsJenny BroughtonAndrew HealyGloria JenkinsAnita JohanssonClare KimberGeraldine MartinClive MaslenGlyn ParryShirley ParryMargaret PerringCeri Wyn RichardsJohn RichardsonDame Janet Ritterman DBEDr Martin SageJane and Mike Tooby Haydn and Alison Warman

JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRESPECIALIST MUSICAL TRAININGFOR AGES 4-18

“WITHOUT JUNIORMUSIC, I WOULD BEHALF THE MUSICIAN I AM NOW.”

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/junior

YOUNGACTORS STUDIOA TASTE OF DRAMA SCHOOLFOR AGES 12-20

“THANKS TO YOUNGACTORS STUDIO, IACTUALLY ENJOYEDMY DRAMA SCHOOLAUDITIONS.”

www.rwcmd.ac.uk/yas

Royal Welsh College of Music & DramaCastle Grounds, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3ER, United Kingdom

AdmissionsTel: +44 (0) 29 2039 1361Email: [email protected]

rwcmd.ac.uk

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