Royal Birmingham Junior Conservatoire receives grant

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) has announced it has received a ‘major funding boost’ to support its work nurturing young musicians in the West Midlands. The conservatoire has received almost £370,000 to support its junior department. 

‘Blue skies research and scholarship’ charity the Leverhulme Trust has donated almost £250,000 to the conservatoire, while the Wolfson Foundation, an independent research and education charity, has awarded £120,000 to the work of the Junior Conservatoire over the next three years.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire principal Stephen Maddock said: ‘The generosity of the Leverhulme Trust and Wolfson Foundation is going to have a profound impact on the lives of so many young musicians in the West Midlands. We share the belief and commitment that opportunities for musical education should be available to all young people, regardless of financial means. I’m excited to see the progress our Junior players can make over the next three years.’  

RBC’s Junior conservatoire welcomes more than 200 young musicians aged between eight and 18 every year, offering tutoring by experts in classical, jazz and chamber music. In the 2024-25 academic year, almost a third of the participating children and young people received a bursary towards tuition fees, and the junior conservatoire has been the starting point for artists including pianist and BBC Young Musician award-winner Lauren Zhang. 

Wolfson Foundation chief executive Paul Ramsbottom said: ‘We are delighted to continue working in partnership with RBC through the Wolfson Music Awards. Our music education programme supports students with exceptional musical ability with a particular emphasis on those from less affluent backgrounds. We strongly believe that access to high-quality music education should be available to all.’