Royal College of Music director to step down

London’s Royal College of Music (RCM) has today announced that its director, Professor Colin Lawson, will step down from his role on 31 August 2024. The college will soon begin to appoint consultants to support the search for Lawson’s successor.

The 10th director in RCM history, Lawson informed the college’s Council of his decision to retire from the role yesterday (23 November). Since taking the directorship in July 2005 alongside the roles of historical clarinet professor and chair of historical performance, Lawson has supported the RCM in becoming the QS World University Ranking’s top institution for performing arts in the world.

Lord Guy Black, chairman of the RCM council said: ‘The RCM is enormously blessed to have had the benefit of Colin’s leadership for nearly 20 years. During this time, he has seen an extraordinary transformation in the RCM, both physically and culturally. His leadership throughout the pandemic has been essential to steering the Royal College of Music through the biggest crisis of our times and he brought the institution through it stronger than ever before.’

Lawson has overseen the expansion of RCM both digitally, with the improvement of concert broadcasting infrastructure, and physically, with a £40 million building redevelopment. The RCM campus has doubled in size since 2017, with specialised performance spaces and a new public-facing museum.

Professor Lawson said: ‘The student experience and the pursuit of excellence have been of upmost importance to me ever since my arrival at the RCM in 2005 and there is still much to do as we continue our programme to invest in facilities, widen access for the most talented musicians across the world and drive innovation. I remain fully committed to delivering the current strategic plan - and the leadership transition will not detract from this vital work.’