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Welcome to Upbeat!
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The start of a new academic year is always an exciting time for the Royal College of Music, welcoming a new cohort of students to the College and launching our Autumn Season performance programme.
The theme of this edition of Upbeat is the College ‘At the Cutting Edge’. We celebrate the 25th anniversary of Performance Science at the Royal College of Music, at the heart of which is the Centre for Performance Science (CPS), a unique partnership between the HÂþ» and our neighbour, Imperial College. The CPS takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the art of performance, using pioneering new methods and technologies that are now integral to the HÂþ»’s teaching and learning programmes. I am proud that the CPS has recently been awarded the highest national honour in UK higher and further education, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education.
I often describe the HÂþ» to those new to the College as a ‘creative laboratory of music’ and it is fascinating to read about this creativity at work in our featured article on improvisation at the HÂþ». It’s thrilling and liberating to hear performers become spontaneous composers using their instruments and voices, but as you’ll read, the art of improvisation is a highly complex skill and one which the HÂþ» believes is essential in the education of a rounded musician.
And Dr Ingrid Pearson encapsulates the College’s ethos of combining heritage and innovation in her latest project constructing a chalumeau, a single-reed woodwind instrument of the late Baroque and early Classical eras.
Upbeat once again shines a spotlight on HÂþ» student, staff and alumni news and successes, and we take a moment to remember those members of the HÂþ» community whom we have sadly lost this year. We also highlight a great way to support students through the annual Big Give Challenge.
Please continue to send us information about your recent projects and collaborations; we love to receive your news! Do send your updates for the next issue to  news@rcm.ac.uk  by Friday 23 January 2026.
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the Royal College of Music, and I look forward to welcoming you very soon to an event at our beautiful South Kensington campus.
James Williams LVO FHÂþ», Director 
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Upbeat is published as a printed magazine in the Summer Term. If you currently receive the printed version and would like to support our commitment to sustainability, we encourage you to switch to the digital version. To arrange this please email  DAE@rcm.ac.uk
James Williams is the Director of the Royal College of Music.
