Guildhall School of Music and Drama

School in City of London, UK

Guildhall School of Music and Drama

File:GuildhallSchool-Black-Vertical.png

Type| Music conservatoire
Drama school
Established| 27 September 1880; 145 years ago (27 September 1880)
Chairman| Graham Packham[1]
Principal| Jonathan Vaughan[2]
Patron| Lord Mayor of London
Students| 1,060 (2019/20)[3]
Undergraduates| 685 (2019/20)[3]
Postgraduates| 370 (2019/20)[3]
Location|

Silk Street, City of London, United Kingdom

Campus| Urban
Owner| City of London Corporation
Affiliations|

* Conservatoires UK
* European Association of Conservatoires
* Federation of Drama Schools
* City, University of London
* Central Academy of Drama
* Barbican Centre
* The Royal Opera
* London Symphony Orchestra
* Culture Mile

Website| gsmd.ac.uk

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz along with drama and production arts.[4] The school has students from over seventy countries.[5] Widely regarded as one of the leading performing arts institutions in the world, it was ranked first in both the Guardian’s 2022 League Table for Music[6] and the Complete University Guide's 2023 Arts, Drama and Music league table.[7] It is also ranked the sixth university in the world for performing arts in the 2022 QS World University Rankings.[8]

Based within the Barbican Centre in the City of London, the school currently numbers just over 1,000 students, approximately 800 of whom are music students and 200 on the drama and technical theatre programmes. The school is a member of Conservatoires UK, the European Association of Conservatoires and the Federation of Drama Schools. It also has formed a creative alliance with its neighbours, the Barbican Centre and the London Symphony Orchestra. Notable alumni of the school include Sir Bryn Terfel, Sir James Galway, Daniel Craig and Ewan McGregor.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 1880–1977
* 1.2 1977–2005
* 1.3 2005–present
* 2 Programmes
* 2.1 Music
* 2.2 Drama
* 2.3 Production Arts
* 2.4 Youth Learning
* 3 Admission
* 4 Facilities
* 5 Alumni
* 5.1 Music
* 5.1.1 Singers
* 5.1.2 Instrumentalists
* 5.1.3 Composers
* 5.1.4 Conductors
* 5.1.5 Musicologists
* 5.2 Drama
* 5.3 Technical Theatre
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## History[edit | edit source]

### 1880–1977[edit | edit source]

The Guildhall School of Music first opened its doors on 27 September 1880, housed in a disused warehouse in the City of London. With 64 part-time students, it was the first municipal music college in Great Britain. The school quickly outgrew its first home, however, and in 1887 it moved to new premises in John Carpenter Street in a complex of educational buildings built by the Corporation of London to house it and the city's two state schools.

The new building was completed by 9 December 1886 and the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Reginald Hanson, attended the opening ceremony. Teaching continued under the first principal of the school, Thomas Henry Weist Hill, who eventually had some ninety teaching staff.

File:London barbican 18.JPG

Guildhall's Silk Street building from inside the Barbican Estate

The new site, designed by the architect Sir Horace Jones, comprised a common room for professors and 45 studios, each surrounded by a one-foot thick layer of concrete to "deaden the sound". Each room contained both a grand piano and an upright piano. Additionally, there was an organ room and a "practice" room, in reality a small concert hall which was used for orchestral and choir rehearsals. The practice room was also the venue for the fortnightly school concerts

Initially, all tuition was on a part-time basis, but full-time courses were introduced to meet demand in 1920. Departments of speech, voice, and acting were added, and by 1935 the school had added "and Drama" to its title.

### 1977–2005[edit | edit source]

The school moved to its present premises in the heart of the City of London's Barbican Centre in 1977 and continues to be owned, funded and administered by the City of London.

In 1993, the Corporation of London leased a nearby courtyard of buildings that in the 18th century had been the centre of Samuel Whitbread's first brewery, and renovated and converted this to provide the school with its hall of residence, Sundial Court.[9] About three minutes' walk from the school, Sundial Court offers self-catering single-room accommodation for 178 students.

In 2001, the Secretary of State, Baroness Blackstone, announced that the Barbican Centre, including the Guildhall School, was to be Grade II listed.

### 2005–present[edit | edit source]

File:Milton Court from Outside.jpg

Guildhall's Milton Court building from outside

In 2005, the school was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its development and outreach programme, Guildhall Connect,[10] and, in 2007, it won a further Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of the work of the opera programme over the last two decades. The school was rated No. 1 specialist institution in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2013 and 2014.[11]

The most significant investment in the Guildhall School's future came to fruition via the £90 million redevelopment of the neighbouring Milton Court site. The new building, which opened in 2013, houses three new performance spaces: a concert hall (608 seats), a theatre (223 seats) and a studio theatre (up to 128 seats) in addition to drama teaching and administration spaces.[12]

The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs[13] as well as the Junior Guildhall, a Saturday school serving students from 4 to 18 years of age.[14] The school was awarded a further Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2007 in recognition of the achievements and work of the Opera Programme.[15]

In August 2014, the Guildhall had a logo change to a more minimalist modern style. It was changed due to the school thinking that it needed to reflect its types of teachings.

## Programmes[edit | edit source]

The Guildhall School was awarded taught-degree awarding powers in 2014 by the Privy Council. Doctoral degrees are validated by City, University of London.

### Music[edit | edit source]

The Guildhall offers a four-year undergraduate program for musicians along with the Guildhall Artist Masters in performance or composition and the highly advanced Artist Diploma programme. Students can specialise in classical or jazz performance (either as an instrumentalist or vocalist), composition, historical performance and electronic music. At master's level, vocal students are able to specialise in Opera Studies. In addition to this, the school offers postgraduate degrees in opera writing (in association with The Royal Opera) and in music therapy.[16]

### Drama[edit | edit source]

The Guildhall School offers a three-year BA Honours in Acting and the MA in Acting preparing students for the world of professional theatre. The School also delivers the BA Honours in Acting Studies in partnership with the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. A full time, four-year programme with two years of training at each institution, the BA Honours in Acting Studies takes in a cohort of students every other year, exploring cross-cultural approaches to acting.[17]

### Production Arts[edit | edit source]

The School also offers a three-year vocational degree in production arts where students can specialise in either Stage Management, Costume, Theatre Technology or Design Realisation.[18] The school is one of a handful to offer specialist training in stage automation,[19] with computer controlled flying installations in three of the venues provided by TAIT, based upon their eChameleon platform.[20]

### Youth Learning[edit | edit source]

Guildhall School offers a Saturday school for advanced young musicians under the age of 18. In addition to this, the school the UK's largest provider of music education to under 18s by incorporating the Centre for Young Musicians (CYM) and creating new music "hubs" in Norfolk and Somerset; the school achieved recognition for Guildhall's music outreach and opera programmes through two Queen's Anniversary Prizes (2005 and 2007).

## Admission[edit | edit source]

Admission to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama is by a highly competitive audition. The School holds auditions for their music programmes in London, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo and from 2021 drama auditions will be held in cities across the UK (including London, Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Nottingham) along with international auditions in New York.[21]

For the Production Arts course, admission is through interview at the school's Milton Court building in London, or at the United States Institute of Theatre Technology conference held each year, where prospective students meet and take part in various activities which simulate the teaching offered on the course.[22]

In the year 2018/19, the Acting course had 2,610 applications and awarded offers to only 1% of the applicants,[23] giving it one of the lowest acceptance rates for any U.K. higher education institution. Unlike other UK conservatoires, Guildhall operates a separate applications procedure and applications are made directly to the school, as opposed to through UCAS Conservatoires.

## Facilities[edit | edit source]

File:Milton Court Concert Hall.jpg

Inside Milton Court Concert Hall

The Milton Court Concert Hall is a 608-seat professional concert venue, with the largest audience capacity of any of the London conservatoires.[24] The school works in association with the Barbican Centre to stage public performances from world-renowned ensembles, such as the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia within Milton Court. In addition to Guildhall's flagship concert hall, the Milton Court building also contains a 223-seat proscenium arch theatre, a flexible 128-seat studio theatre and several rehearsal rooms. The school's Grade II listed Silk Street building houses a 308-seat drama and opera theatre, along with a second smaller concert hall, a recital room, theatrical workshops and labs, electronic music studios, recording and sound studios, and over 40 teaching and practice rooms. The school also owns the John Hosier Annexe, a nearby building with a further 44 teaching and practice rooms. The Guildhall School library (located within the Silk Street building) houses one of the most extensive specialised collections of music and drama print in Europe.[25] The Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform regularly in the neighbouring 1,943-seat Barbican Hall, whilst chamber musicians give recitals there as part of the acclaimed LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists series.

## Alumni[edit | edit source]

Further information: Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

### Music[edit | edit source]

Some distinguished alumni of Guildhall School's music department include:

#### Singers[edit | edit source]

* Sir Bryn Terfel (born 1965), bass-baritone
* Dame Felicity Palmer (born 1944), mezzo-soprano
* Sir Geraint Evans (1922-1992), bass-baritone
* Roderick Williams (born 1965), baritone
* Alice Coote (born 1968), mezzo-soprano
* Owen Brannigan (1908-1973), bass
* Katharine Fuge (born 1968), soprano
* John Rhys Evans (1930-2010), baritone
* Anne Sofie von Otter (born 1955), mezzo-soprano
* Wynne Evans (born 1972), tenor
* Claire Rutter (born 1972), soprano
* Sophie Karthäuser (born 1974), soprano
* Nathan Berg (born 1972), bass-baritone
* Susanna Andersson (born 1971), soprano
* Alison Hagley (born 1961), soprano
* Konrad Jarnot (born 1972), baritone
* Ruby Helder (1890-1938), contralto
* Toby Spence (born 1969), tenor
* Kate Royal (born 1979), soprano
* Juliette Pochin (born 1971), mezzo-soprano
* William Shimell (born 1952), baritone
* Rebecca Caine (born 1959), soprano and musical theatre performer
* Myleene Klass (born 1978), singer and pianist
* Buddug Verona James, mezzo-soprano
* Mark Milhofer, tenor
* Peter Bording (born 1965), baritone
* Pacie Ripple (1864-1941), tenor
* Anna Steiger, mezzo-soprano
* Charles Childerstone (1872-1947), tenor
* Benjamin Appl (born 1982), baritone
* Zara McFarlane (born 1983), jazz singer and songwriter

#### Instrumentalists[edit | edit source]

* Sir James Galway (born 1939), flautist
* Paul Lewis (pianist) (born 1972), pianist
* Jacqueline de Pré (1945-1987), cellist
* Alison Balsom (born 1978), trumpeter
* Gareth Owen, pianist
* Tasmin Little (born 1965), violinist
* Sa Chen (born 1979), pianist
* Jess Gillam (born 1998), saxophonist
* Andrew Brownell (born 1980), pianist
* Maxim Rysanov (born 1978), violinist
* Clare Hammond (born 1985), pianist
* Jennifer Pike (born 1989), violinist
* David Holland (born 1946), jazz double bassist
* Shabaka Hutchings (born 1984), jazz saxophonist and band leader
* Jason Rebello (born 1969), jazz pianist and songwriter
* Florian Ross (born 1972), jazz pianist, composer and arranger
* Jim Tomlinson (born 1966), tenor saxophonist and clarinetist
* Arisa and Honoka Fujita of the Fujita Piano Trio
* Rachel Podger (born 1968), violinist

#### Composers[edit | edit source]

* Thomas Adès (born 1971), composer
* Debbie Wiseman (born 1963), film score composer
* Sir George Martin (1926-2016), composer and record producer
* Harry Gregson-Williams (born 1961), film score composer
* Richard Mills (born 1949), composer and conductor
* John Ivimey (1868–1961), composer and organist
* Sir Noël Coward (1899-1973), playwright and composer
* Mica Levi (Micachu) (born 1987), composer and singer-songwriter

#### Conductors[edit | edit source]

* Paul Daniel (born 1958), conductor
* Ben Gernon (born 1989), conductor
* Jules Buckley (born 1980), conductor
* Albert Horne (born 1980), conductor and chorus-master
* Howard Williams (born 1947), conductor
* Richard Farnes (born 1964), conductor
* David Arch, conductor and musical director

#### Musicologists[edit | edit source]

* Katharine Ellis, musicologist

Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; list of winners of the Gold Medal

### Drama[edit | edit source]

Some notable alumni of Guildhall School's drama department include:

* Naveen Andrews – (Lost, The English Patient)
* Hayley Atwell – (Captain America: The First Avenger, Agent Carter, The Duchess)
* Orlando Bloom – (The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean)
* Peter Bridgmont – (The Mousetrap, The Great War or Z-Cars)
* Bessie Carter \- (Howards End ), (Beecham House)
* Michaela Coel – (I May Destroy You, Chewing Gum, The Aliens)
* Daniel Craig – (James Bond, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
* Peter Cushing – (Star Wars, Dracula)
* Michelle Dockery – (Downton Abbey, Non-Stop)
* Monica Dolan \- (Appropriate Adult, A Very English Scandal)
* Kenny Doughty – (Vera, Elizabeth)
* Josh Dylan \- (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The Little Stranger)
* Shaun Evans – (Being Julia), (Gone), (Princess Kaiulani), (The Take), (Endeavour)
* Souad Faress – (My Beautiful Laundrette)[26]
* Joseph Fiennes – (Shakespeare in Love, Enemy at the Gates)
* Freddie Fox – (The Riot Club, Cucumber, White House Farm)
* Tom Glynn-Carney – (Dunkirk)
* Conleth Hill – (Game of Thrones)
* Thomas Howes \- (Downton Abbey)
* Lennie James – (Snatch, The Walking Dead)
* Lily James \- (Cinderella, Downton Abbey, Baby Driver, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again)
* Toheeb Jimoh \- (Ted Lasso)
* Ferdinand Kingsley – (Victoria)
* Caroline Lee-Johnson \- (Chef!, The Knock)[27]
* Gwilym Lee \- (Bohemian Rhapsody, Midsomer Murders)
* Damian Lewis – (Band of Brothers, Homeland)
* Mirren Mack – (The Nest)
* Ewan McGregor – (Moulin Rouge!, Star Wars)
* Alfred Molina – (Spider-Man 2, Chocolat)
* Katherine Rose Morley– (The Mill, Thirteen, Last Tango in Halifax)
* Lesley Nicol \- (Downton Abbey, East is East)[28]
* Kate Phillips \- (Peaky Blinders, The Crown)
* Rose Reynolds \- (Wasted)
* Simon Russell Beale – (Penny Dreadful, Into the Woods)
* Ben Schnetzer \- (The Riot Club, Pride)
* Marina Sirtis – (Star Trek, Gargoyles)
* Sarah Sutton \- (Doctor Who)
* David Thewlis – (Fargo, Seven Years in Tibet)
* Dominic West – (The Affair, The Wire)
* Jodie Whittaker \- (Doctor Who, Broadchurch)
* Anya Chalotra \- (The Witcher)

### Technical Theatre[edit | edit source]

Some notable alumni of Guildhall School's technical theatre department include:

* Neil Austin, lighting designer[29]
* Judy Craymer (born 1957), producer
* Eric Fellner film producer and co-chairman of Working Title Films

## References[edit | edit source]

1. ^ "Senior Staff | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk.
2. ^ "Senior Staff | Guildhall School of Music & Drama".
3. ^ a b c "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
4. ^ "Technical Theatre Arts". GUILDHALL SCHOOL. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
5. ^ "About the School | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk.
6. ^ "Best UK universities for music – league table". TheGuardian.com.
7. ^ "Arts, Drama & Music League Table 2023".
8. ^ "QS World University Rankings for Performing Arts 2022".
9. ^ "Sundial Court Summer Lettings". GUILDHALL SCHOOL. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
10. ^ Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch). 2018-06-30. Accessed: 2018-06-30.
11. ^ "University guide 2014: Specialist institutions league table". The Guardian. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
12. ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama - History". Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
13. ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Prospectus 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2009.
14. ^ "Junior Guildhall Prospectus 2010" Archived 2011-06-01 at the Wayback Machine. Guildhall School of Music & Drama. 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
15. ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Guildhall School Opera Programme wins the Queen's Anniversary Prize 2007".[permanent dead link]
16. ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Prospectus 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
17. ^ "Programmes | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk.
18. ^ "Production Arts | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
19. ^ "Theatre Technology pathway | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
20. ^ "Milton Court - London Guildhall School of Music and Drama". TAIT. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
21. ^ "Guildhall School of Music & Drama announces overhaul of auditions for Acting programmes". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
22. ^ "Interviews | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
23. ^ "Corporate documentation | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk.
24. ^ "Concert Hall | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
25. ^ "Life At The School | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk.
26. ^ Whitburn, Vanessa (5 November 1996). The Archers: The Official Inside Story : the Changing Face of Radio's Longest Running Drama. Virgin. ISBN 9781852276607 - via Google Books.
27. ^ "Caroline Lee Johnson – Creative Artists Management". cam.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
28. ^ "'Downton' in Midtown: A Cup of Tea With 'Downton Abbey' Star Lesley Nicol - Playbill". Playbill. 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017.
29. ^ "Neil Austin | Guildhall School of Music & Drama". www.gsmd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2020.

## External links[edit | edit source]

* Media related to Guildhall School of Music and Drama at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website
* City selects preferred Milton Court developer (June 2006)
* Guildhall School seeks new extension (February 2006)
* Trinity Guildhall at the Trinity College, London

* v
* t
* e

Music schools in the United Kingdom

Music school

Secondary|

* Berkshire Maestros
* Chetham's School of Music
* City of Edinburgh Music School
* Kimichi School
* North East of Scotland Music School
* Purcell School for Young Musicians
* St Mary's Music School
* Wells Cathedral School
* Yehudi Menuhin School

Tertiary|

* Academy of Contemporary Music
* Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
* British and Irish Modern Music Institute
* Cardiff University School of Music
* Guildhall School of Music and Drama
* Ian Tomlin School of Music
* The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
* Leeds Conservatoire
* Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
* London College of Creative Media
* London School of Musical Theatre
* National Opera Studio
* Point Blank Music School
* Royal Academy of Music
* Royal College of Music
* Royal College of Organists
* Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
* Royal Northern College of Music
* Royal School of Church Music
* Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
* School of Sound Recording
* Tech Music School
* Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
* Wales International Academy of Voice

Military|

* Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
* Royal Military School of Music

Associated
organisations|

* Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
* Conservatoires UK
* European Association of Conservatoires

Category Category

* v
* t
* e

Federation of Drama Schools

1. Arts Educational School, London
2. Birmingham Conservatoire
3. Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
4. Drama Studio London
5. East 15 Acting School
6. Guildford School of Acting
7. Guildhall School of Music and Drama
8. Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
9. London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
10. Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
11. Manchester School of Theatre
12. Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
13. The Oxford School of Drama
14. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
15. Rose Bruford College
16. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
17. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
18. Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

* v
* t
* e

Performing arts schools in the United Kingdom

Acting

* Arts Educational Schools, London
* Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
* Central School of Speech and Drama
* City Academy
* Drama Centre London
* Drama Studio London
* East 15 Acting School
* Guildford School of Acting
* Guildhall School of Music & Drama
* Identity School of Acting
* Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
* Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
* London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
* London College of Music
* Manchester School of Theatre
* Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
* Oxford School of Drama
* Pauline Quirke Academy
* Redroofs Theatre School
* Rose Bruford College
* Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
* Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
* Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
* Stella Mann College of Performing Arts
* Tring Park School for the Performing Arts

File:P culture.svg

Dance

* Bird College
* Central School of Ballet
* City Academy
* Elmhurst Ballet School
* English National Ballet School
* The Hammond School
* Laine Theatre Arts
* London Contemporary Dance School
* London Studio Centre
* Masters Performing Arts College
* Northern School of Contemporary Dance
* Pauline Quirke Academy
* Performers College
* Royal Ballet School
* Scottish School of Contemporary Dance
* Stella Mann College of Performing Arts
* Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
* Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
* Urdang Academy

Music

See: Music Schools in the United Kingdom

Musical theatre

* Arts Educational Schools, London
* Bird College
* City Academy
* Emil Dale Academy
* Guildford School of Acting
* The Hammond School
* Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
* Laine Theatre Arts
* London College of Music
* London School of Musical Theatre
* Masters Performing Arts College
* Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
* Musical Theatre Academy
* Performers College
* Redroofs Theatre School
* SLP College
* Stella Mann College of Performing Arts
* Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
* Urdang Academy

Secondary

* Arts Educational Schools, London
* Birmingham Ormiston Academy
* BRIT School
* Dance School of Scotland
* The Hammond School
* Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
* Sylvia Young Theatre School
* Tring Park School for the Performing Arts

Former

* Academy of Live and Recorded Arts
* Birmingham School of Acting
* Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts
* London Theatre Studio

Coordinates: 51°31′10″N 0°05′32″W﻿ / ﻿51.5194°N 0.0923°W﻿ / 51.5194; -0.0923
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