Developed in partnership with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), our MMus and PgDip courses in Orchestral Performance are for advanced level string players considering professional orchestral auditions and on the brink of a professional career.
In addition to one-to-one specialist tuition, you will spend a significant amount of rehearsal time in the CBSO alongside one or more dedicated host players who will act as mentors. You may also be offered opportunities to play at the back of the section to gain further experience. In addition to developing your technical facility, musicianship, interpretative skills and stylistic awareness, you will expand your knowledge of orchestral repertoire, learn how to prepare for rehearsal in the most efficient way, develop strategies which will help you to integrate within your section, and build confidence in preparing for orchestral auditions.
You will also participate in additional performance activities within the Conservatoire’s String Department and the wider Conservatoire, including performance classes, masterclasses, orchestra and chamber music. You'll have full access to our superb £57 million facilities, including our Concert Hall, 150-seat Recital Hall, our black box performance space known as The Lab, and more than 70 practice rooms, ensemble rooms and workshops; all acoustically designed to provide a music-making environment that is world class.
Both PgDip and MMus courses also provide excellent opportunities for you to develop other skills relevant to a future career in the music profession.
As places on this course are limited, please contact the Head of Strings, Nicholas Trygstad to check course availability for the next academic year before making an application.
A separate postgraduate pathway is available for Instrumental Performers, which includes both solo and chamber music routes for string players (the latter for existing ensembles).
We also offer the opportunity to study for an MMus via our 12-month route. To be eligible for this route, applicants must be able to show evidence of an extremely high level of achievement in the Principal Study area and a strong academic record at undergraduate level (or equivalent). If you are interested in the 12-month route, please email an initial enquiry about your potential eligibility to conservatoire.admissions@bcu.ac.uk as it is not possible to apply for this route via UCAS.
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Only one specialism is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
You may audition for two specialisms, with the intention of studying one instrument as a single specialism. Your audition will determine which instrument is taken as a main specialism.
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
Honours degree, ideally but not necessarily in Music. Non-UK students should hold a Bachelor's degree or a similar degree-equivalent diploma, ideally but not necessarily in Music
If you do not have a degree qualification, we may consider your application if you can demonstrate a significant amount of professional experience and achieve a high scoring audition
IELTS overall score of a minimum of 6.0 with no sub-test below 5.5
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| EU | £28460 | Year 1 |
| England | £12880 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £12880 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £12880 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £12880 | Year 1 |
| International | £28460 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Birmingham Conservatoire
200 Jennens Road
Birmingham
B4 7XR
Visit our website Visit our course page
Email:conservatoire.admissions@bcu.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0)121 331 5901
Fax: +44 (0)121 331 5906