The Royal College of Music’s Brass Faculty is an active and supportive community. Every student is provided with the means to recognise their full ability as a performing musician. You will receive a challenging and carefully structured bespoke programme of study and performance, with particular emphasis on identifying and unlocking your individual potential.

Additionally, promising undergraduates and postgraduates can choose conducting as a second study specialism. Our students can also explore natural horn, natural trumpet, bass trumpet, jazz trumpet, jazz trombone, euphonium, and sackbut as a second or related study.

In addition to their one-to-one lessons, our students enjoy regular performance and ensemble classes, chamber coaching, orchestral playing and masterclasses with distinguished international musicians, who have included Stefan Dohr, Berlin Philharmonic Principal Horn, and trumpet virtuoso Gustav Melander.

Performance opportunities

RCM students enjoy a wide variety of performance opportunities as part of the College’s diverse events calendar, which includes hundreds of events each year. It is also possible for RCM musicians to form their own chamber groups in which they can pursue an additional body of repertoire.

All brass students have the chance to play in our orchestras, which include the RCM Philharmonic, the RCM Symphony Orchestra and the RCM Opera Orchestra. Here, students often have the opportunity to work with some of the greatest conductors in the world. Recent visitors have included Joana Carneiro, Sir Roger Norrington, Sakari Oramo, Sir Antonio Pappano, Rafael Payare, Chloé van Soeterstède, Jac van Steen, John Wilson and Thomas Zehetmair.

Sit-in schemes

RCM brass players have joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra for BBC Proms rehearsals, as part of the sit-in scheme for postgraduate students on the Masters programme. Each participating student is assigned a mentor from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and sits alongside them in rehearsals throughout the year.

Other sit-in opportunities have included schemes with the Philharmonia, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the English National Opera Orchestra.

Jazz at the RCM

Jazz trumpet and jazz trombone are available as second or related study options to promising students. Brass players also have the opportunity to join the RCM Swing Band and Jazz Orchestra, including performing at our annual Festival of Percussion, and further afield.