Sanford’s recent performance engagements include Carnegie Hall, Opera America Salutes, and the Salzburg Festival Society Gala. She also regularly serves as a guest music staff at the San Francisco Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. 

As a collaborator and mentor, she has worked with young musicians in the LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Sanford herself is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Zhang is a collaborative pianist, chamber musician, recording artist, and educator who has performed and taught across North America and Asia. Among the artists she has performed with are Emmanuel Pahud, Pierre Amoyal, Nobuko Imai, Teng Li, Win-Sinn Yang, Ian Swensen, Paolo Taballione, and VC Artists Ning Feng and Nancy Zhou. 

Additionally, Zhang has given masterclasses at MSM, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Auckland University School of Music, and conservatories across China. She is currently a Guest Professor of Instrumental Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

“We enthusiastically welcome these accomplished artist-teachers to MSM’s distinguished Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano faculty,” said MSM Executive Vice President and Provost Joyce Griggs. “And in the case of Weicong, a distinguished double alumna of MSM, we are welcoming her back home. Both Bin Yu and Weicong have rich backgrounds as performers and educators, and they have each expressed outlooks that strongly align with MSM’s dedication to fostering excellence and providing a rich, supportive educational environment that values students’ creative risk-taking.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Bin Yu and Weicong to Manhattan School of Music,” added MSM Dean of Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano Carleen Graham. “Both of these deeply qualified artist-teachers bring a rich wealth of experience to their new roles as Collaborative Piano faculty, adding yet more luster and excellence to a program that challenges and nurtures autonomous artistry and empowers students to confidently forge their own paths. I am so excited to welcome them both in time for the Fall 2026 semester.”

The post Manhattan School of Music Appoints New Collaborative Piano Faculty appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The winners of this year's award are Lisa McCloskey, Charlie Garstang, and Isaac Middleton. McLoskey is pursuing a Master of Education degree at RNCM, while Garstang and Middleton are both undergraduate students in the college's department of Popular Music.

The three students will share this year's award fund, which amounts to £5,000, and will invest the award money in purchasing musical equipment that will enable them to pursue their studies while managing their respective needs.

"Music has always been the sphere in which my disability did not define me," said McCloskey, who aims to focus her research on advancing research into music performance and disability.

"The less steps I have to take in order to write or record an idea, the easier I find it, and the more time I have to work on developing the music before needing to rest and recover," said Middleton, emphasizing the award's impact on his ability to continue his musical education.

The RNCM's Lucy Hale Award was inaugurated in 2024 and is named after former RNCM student Lucy Hale, a composer who passed away at the age of twenty-six of a neuromuscular condition with which she was born.

The award fund was established by Lucy's parents, Nicky Hale and John Mellor, as well as her sister Ellie, all of whom were recently honored by the RNCM for their continuing support of the institution and its students.

The post Royal Northern College of Music Announces Lucy Hale Award Recipients appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Petrenko joins the RCM on a four-year term, during which he will visit three times a year to teach conducting students, with a further annual trip to conduct the RCM Symphony Orchestra.

Scappucci will also conduct at least one program with the orchestra during her three-year term, and she will visit the academy twice per year to work with its conducting students. 

Petrenko has been Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2021, and following a fifteen-year tenure as Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra he is now its Conductor Laureate. He has appeared at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, among others. 

The first Italian woman to conduct at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Scappucci was Music Director at Royal Opéra de Wallonie in Liège between 2017 and 2022. She is currently Principal Conductor at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and has recorded for the Warner Classics, Opus Arte, and Deutsche Grammophon labels.

Martyn Brabbins has been appointed to a conducting professorship at the RCM following a successful five-year term as Prince Consort Professor. He will work with conducting students several times each term and lead at least one performance project each year.  

"Working with young musicians and emerging conductors has always been a central part of my life," Petrenko said. "From youth orchestras to masterclasses, I’ve seen how access to real-world experience at the right moment can be transformative."

"I’m delighted to join the Royal College of Music as an International Visiting Artist and to work closely with students as they develop not only their craft, but their confidence, judgement and leadership as future conductors."

"It is an honor for me to accept this position and I’m excited to be working with young talent and the next generation of conductors," Scapucci said. It is important to pass on our knowledge and be able to advise the young generation."

The post London's Royal College of Music Announces International Visiting Artists appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Li presently serves as Principal Viola of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, having been appointed in 2024. Prior to this, she was principal viola of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and served 14-year tenure as principal viola of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 

She has achieved significant competition success, winning top prizes at the Johansen International Competition, the Holland-America Music Society Competition, the Primrose International Viola Competition, the Klein International String Competition, and the ARD International Music Competition. 

As a chamber musician, she has made appearances at the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and La Jolla Music Society SummerFest. She is also a founding member of the Rosamunde Quartet, alongside violinists Noah Bendix-Balgley and Shanshan Yao, and cellist Nathan Vickery. 

As a pedagogue, Li has previously taught at the Colburn School, Roosevelt University, University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and Montreal’s Conservatoire de Musique.

A graduate of the Central Conservatory in Beijing as well as of Curtis, her principal teachers have included Michael Tree, Joseph de Pasquale, and Karen Tuttle.

"I’m incredibly honored to return to my alma mater in this new capacity," Li said. "As a student, my time at Curtis was life changing. My teachers gifted me unwavering support and enthusiasm and encouraged me to become the best musician I could be. After many years of performing and learning from some of the most inspiring musicians of our time, I’m ready to share my experiences with this next generation, and endeavor to provide the same level of support and guidance I once received."

"I am deeply grateful to Misha and Hsin-Yun for their combined years of service to Curtis, expertly guiding our student violists on their musical journeys, and I wish them all the very best," said Roberto Díaz, President and CEO of Curtis. "And I am thrilled to welcome Teng Li to our faculty. I look forward to working with her in this capacity. I know that our students will be in wonderful hands."

The post Curtis Institute Appoints Violist Teng Li to its Faculty appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The University of Miami's Frost School of Music recently announced that its long-serving Dean, Shelton “Shelly” G. Berg, is to step down in Spring 2026. The school has appointed Serona Elton to serve as Interim Vice Dean.

The new role has been created specifically for Elton. She will serve alongside Berg in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Frost School and help to ensure that it continues to provide an innovative educational experience for students.

"I’ve always said that the future of music is the future that our student musicians and aspiring industry professionals will be able to create for themselves, and it’s been a privilege to be able to help Frost School of Music students chart a course for fulfillment and success by giving them access to an outstanding multidisciplinary curriculum, inspirational faculty, and priceless real-world experiences," Berg said. 

"From the day I started at the Frost School, I focused on setting a new standard for music schools and I feel confident that newly named Interim Vice Dean Serona Elton, along with the rest of our talented administrative staff and faculty members, will continue to tirelessly work to benefit the next generation of musicians and music industry professionals while actively shaping the future of music - no matter what it may look like in the coming years."

"I started my tenure at the Frost School of Music shortly before Dean Berg and it’s been an incredible experience to witness his impact on the school and collegiate level music education more broadly," Elton said. "It’s my pleasure to be able to collaborate with him to help ensure the continued effectiveness of the school’s day-to-day operations as we continue to focus on creating the next wave of what we call 'Frost Built' students, who because of their education at the Frost School are uniquely set up to be best-in-class professionals in their fields thanks to the variety of skills they hone here."

The post Miami's Frost School of Music Announces New Interim Vice Dean appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Applications are now open for the 2026/27 cohort of the Master of Management in International Arts Management (MMIAM), a joint degree program offered by Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas and HEC Montréal in Montréal, Canada.

The one-year master's degree prepares candidates for management careers across the performing and visual arts, the heritage sector (museums, historic sites), and other cultural industries (film, publishing, sound recording, radio, and television).

Now in its 13th year, the program is highly international and is taught across the campuses of five different universities, each in an arts capital: Dallas, Montréal, Bogotá, Beijing, and Milan.

The cohort will study in each of these cities, engaging in coursework, case studies, and field work, while also participating in meetings with world leaders in international cultural management and experiencing behind-the-scenes tours of renowned cultural organizations.

In recent years, candidates have had opportunities to meet with the leaders of the National Endowment for the Arts, the League of American Orchestras, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Wallace Foundation — as well as spending a week living in an ancient Etruscan castle among faculty, archaeologists, and researchers studying the traditions of the local community.

Following graduation, the program has a 100% placement rate. Graduates have taken jobs at institutions including the National Gallery of London, Montreal Symphony, Texas Ballet Theater, Teatro Villa Mayor in Bogotá, and Palexpo in Geneva.

You can find out more and submit an application on the program's website.

"When I enrolled in the MMIAM program, I was looking for the tools to become a strong leader in arts management," said Jonathan Nemtanu, a pianist, entrepreneur, and General Manager of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. "What I gained from the program went far beyond that: practical skills I apply every day in my work, and an invaluable professional network."

"I met amazing colleagues and passionate and inspiring professors who opened doors to the cultural sector by connecting us with industry leaders. Most importantly, the relationships we built have lasted well beyond graduation. By the time I finished the program, I felt ready. Ready to take on the challenges of the cultural world, ready to lead teams, and ready to bring even my most ambitious ideas to life. The MMIAM allowed me to do the most rewarding job in the world: making the arts come alive!"

The post Applications Open for the MMIAM Joint Master's Degree Program in Arts Management appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Massachusetts’ Boston Conservatory at Berklee has appointed 15 new faculty members including seven music teachers in the voice, violin, contemporary music, and musicology. 

Among the appointees are Julia Glenn and Yonah Zur, who will both be serving as associate professors of violin. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory, Glenn recently joined the Lydian String Quartet. Having also studied linguistics at Harvard University, she draws on phonology and language to explore new avenues in perception and performance.

Zur has served on the staff of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra for over a decade. He has performed with A Far Cry, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Ballet, Boston Chamber Music Society, the Lydian Quartet, and DeCoda chamber music collective. 

A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and the Juilliard School, Zur was formerly a member of the Carmel Quartet and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Glenn and Zur will be joining 14 other faculty members in the string faculty. 

The new appointments for assistant professor of voice include April Lisette Ball and Noel Smith. Previously a teacher at the Berklee College of Music, Ball specializes in voice and piano, with a focus on musical theater. Smith holds over 25 years of experience in musical theater, pop, and classical voice. The founder of Noel Voice Studio, she also serves on the National Board of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. 

Specializing in musical works with electronics, Keith Kirchoff has joined the school as assistant professor of contemporary music. He is the pianist for the Boston-based Hinge Quartet as well as the cofounder and president of SPLICE Music. He holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the New England Conservatory.

The two assistant professors of core studies are Michael Goetjen and Nima Janmohammadi. Goetjen, whose research focuses on 18th-century opera and the music of Mozart, will teach coursework in musicology, and Janmohammadi will draw on his research, performances, and composing background to teach coursework in ethnomusicology.

The post Boston Conservatory at Berklee Welcomes New Faculty Members appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The School of Music at Yale University has recently announced the appointment of composer Jeanine Tesori and singer Dawn Upshaw as "Professors in the Practice."

Each new professor will teach a one-semester course: Tesori's, which is titled "The Spirit of the Original: Adaptation Lab," will focus on the process of adapting one art form into another, while Upshaw will teach a performance-focused course on "Inhabiting Text and Music in Contemporary Song Repertoire," focusing specifically on late 20th- and early 21st-century song repertoire.

A two-time Tony Award-winner, Jeanine Tesori has written scores for Broadway musicals including Kimberly Akimbo, Fun Home, Caroline, or Change, Shrek The Musical, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. She has also written film music and operas, including The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me, Blue (which won the Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera), and Grounded.

One of the world's leading singers, Dawn Upshaw has made nearly 300 appearances at the Metropolitan Opera. She has given the premiere performances of 25 new works and is the recipient of six GRAMMY Awards. As well as being the first singer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, she is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She holds an honorary doctorate from Yale.

"We are so lucky to have two titans of the music world joining the Faculty of Arts and Sciences," said Marc Robinson, the dean of Humanities in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "Jeanine Tesori’s profound works for music theater and Dawn Upshaw’s glorious performances in opera houses and concert halls have changed lives. I am thrilled that Yale students will now learn from their vast experience."

"[Tesori] is basically the Giuseppe Verdi of 21st-century America," said Gundula Kreuzer, chair of Yale’s music department. "Verdi wanted to tell stories that spoke to people of the time in music and stage performance. That’s exactly what Jeanine is doing."

"Dawn Upshaw, like maybe nobody else, really paved a new career path for singers, especially female singers, beyond just being pigeonholed in a specific fach and learning its repertory," Kreuzer added. "She started to commission music from contemporary composers early in her career and championed new work at a time when that wasn’t common. So she has working relationships with some of the most eminent composers, especially American composers, of our day."

The post Yale School of Music Welcomes Jeanine Tesori and Dawn Upshaw appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The Curtis Institute of Music, in Philadelphia, has announced the appointment of four new members of faculty, all of whom will begin at the opening of the 2025/26 academic year. They are Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra principal bassoon Julia Harguindey, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra associate principal trumpet Conrad Jones, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra principal flute Chelsea Knox, and harp soloist Noël Wan.

Bassoonist Julia Harguindey will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as principal bassoon at the beginning of the 2025 season, while continuing in her role as principal bassoon of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, having been in the role since the 2016–17 season. She has also served as principal bassoon of the Nashville Symphony from 2016 to 2025.

Trumpeter Conrad Jones was appointed associate principal trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra by Manfred Honeck in April 2024. Previously, he has performed as guest principal trumpet with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Currently principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chelsea Knox was the assistant principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and principal flute of the New Haven and Princeton symphonies. She has also made solo appearances with the Baltimore Symphony, Princeton Symphony, and Hartford Symphony.

Harpist and interdisciplinary scholar Noël Wan has been a prizewinner at the Astral Artists National Competition, USA International Harp Competition, Debut Atlantic Touring Artist Competition, Prix Orford Musique, and World Harp Competition. Her research interests include queer embodiment and digital sound creation through the concepts of the monstrous feminine and cyborg aesthetics.

"Each of these new faculty members brings distinctive skills and experiences to Curtis," said Nick DiBerardino, provost and dean of the conservatory. "By expanding these instrumental departments with such extraordinary faculty, our students have the opportunity to benefit from more perspectives, empowering them to tailor their experiences in a completely unique way."

The post Curtis Institute of Music Appoints Four New Faculty Members appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The Manhattan School of Music has announced four new faculty appointments: VC Artist Jordan Bak (viola), Ha Young Jung (double bass), Jack Li Vigni (tenor), and Cyndia Sieden (soprano). They will be joined by cellist Tommy Mesa, whose appointment was previously announced, and will begin teaching at the opening of the 2025/26 academic year.

A graduate of The Juilliard School and New England Conservatory, where he was a student of Hsin-Yun Huang, Dimitri Murrath, and Samuel Rhodes, Jordan Bak is a former major prize winner at the Sphinx Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, as well as a former recipient of a Sphinx MPower Artist Grant and the Samuel Sanders Tel Aviv Museum Prize.

In May 2022, Bak released his debut album IMPULSE (Bright Shiny Things). The disc features newly commissioned works by Tyson Gholston Davis, Toshio Hosokawa, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Quinn Mason, Jeffrey Mumford, and Joan Tower — and received more than one million streams on major digital media platforms.

Bak has appeared as a soloist with the Sarasota Orchestra, London Mozart Players, New York Classical Players, Juilliard Orchestra, and Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, among others.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome these accomplished artist-teachers to MSM’s distinguished Vocal Arts and Strings faculty," said Joyce Griggs, MSM Executive Vice President and Provost. "I have enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with each of them and to discuss their educational philosophy and perspectives. They have each expressed an outlook that beautifully aligns with MSM’s dedication to fostering excellence and a rich, supportive educational environment that values students’ creative risk-taking."

The post VC Artist Jordan Bak Appointed to Manhattan School of Music Faculty appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Violinist Esther Yoo, who completed her master's degree at London's Royal College of Music (RCM), has been appointed to the school's teaching faculty. She will step into the role in time for the 2025/26 academic year, and she is joined by two other new string appointees, harpists Elizabeth Bass and Oliver Wass.

As soloist, Yoo has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Orquestra Sinfónica RTVE, Melbourne Symphony, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra — as well as in venues such as Lincoln Center, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center, and at festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival and the BBC Proms.

She launched her career in 2010, when she became the youngest prizewinner of the International Sibelius Violin Competition, repeating the same feat at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2012. Since that time, she has released a number of critically acclaimed albums on the Deutsche Grammophon label, and in 2018, she was named as one of Classic FM’s Top 30 Artists under 30.

A passionate chamber musician, she is a founding member of the Z.E.N. Trio, in which she appears alongside pianist Zhang Zuo and cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan.

"As a former student of this prestigious institution, returning as a professor is a great honor and means a lot to me," Yoo said. "It's a privilege to be able to work with the next generation of violinists while also continuing my international solo career."

"We also welcome the brilliant violinist Esther Yoo, who has performed as an international soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras and whose work as a recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon will further enhance and complement the exceptional quality of the violin faculty," said Gary Ryan, Head of Strings at the Royal College of Music.

The post London's Royal College of Music Welcomes Violinist Esther Yoo to Faculty appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The University of Chicago has announced a dramatic and wide-ranging pause to new Ph.D. student admissions for the 2026/27 academic year, citing a need to "undertake a comprehensive review" of its graduate program offerings.

Prospective Ph.D. students can still apply to the Music Composition and Sound Practices program, but doctoral applications are not being accepted for students in Music Theory, Music History, or Ethnomusicology.

Alongside these disciplines, the university is also pausing graduate admissions in art history, cinema and media studies, classics, comparative literature, East Asian languages and civilizations, English language and literature, Germanic studies, linguistics, Middle Eastern studies, Romance languages and literatures, Slavic languages and literatures, and South Asian languages and civilizations.

According to division dean Deborah Nelson, the pause "is not the recommendation of any committee."

Nelson later reversed that announcement, stating in an email that the revised plan is "based on the strong recommendation of the PhD committee and department chairs."

"After the announcement last week, I met with all department chairs and consulted with the faculty-led committee on PhD programs," Nelson wrote in a later statement. "Nearly all faculty leadership agreed that instead of admitting students to only a select number of departments, they preferred a broader pause for the division so we can spend time this coming year to collectively assess and better navigate the challenges we face."

"We easily have the resources to support the humanities without inflicting cuts disproportionate to the humanities’ role in creating the financial crisis," said Clifford Ando, the Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor of Classics, History and the College.

"We are in the unique position of being a well-resourced university that has been so reckless with our resources that we now have to make decisions as if we were a poor one," he added.

The post University of Chicago Pauses Most Doctoral Admissions in the Humanities appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Russian violinist Svetlana Makarova will join the faculty at the University for Music and the Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) at the opening of the 2025/26 academic year. An experienced pedagogue, she is also on faculty at the Haute École de Musique Lausanne, where she has taught since 2014.

Born in Moscow in 1981, Makarova won the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians when she was just ten years old. She then studied with Maya Glezarova at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 2008.

Over the course of her career, Makarova has played in ensembles such as the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia Orchestra (under Lorin Maazel), the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, and the Valencian Symphony Orchestra, and has made guest appearances at a number of international festivals.

Her chamber music partners have included Franz Helmerson, Pavel Vernikov, Natalia Gutman, Julian Rachlin, Patrick Demenga, Gilles Apap, and Janine Jansen. She is also a member of the AMOS Piano Quartet.

Alongside her teaching position in Lausanne, Makarova has taught at Moscow’s Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, as well as holding similar positions in Florence and Barcelona.

She plays on a violin by Nicolò Gagliano, made in 1745.

The post Svetlana Makarova Joins Faculty at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

The pianist and conductor Jon Robertson has announced his retirement as Dean of the Lynn University Conservatory of Music, having held the position for more than twenty years.

Over the course of his tenure, he has made significant improvements to the department, appointing acclaimed musicians to its staff and attracting students from 14 different countries.

Already a brilliant pianist in childhood, Robertson made his debut at the Town Hall in New York aged nine and had given concerts throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe by the time he was awarded a full scholarship to The Juilliard School. He studied with Beveridge Webster through to the doctoral level, while also training in choral conducting with Abraham Kaplan and orchestral conducting with Richard Pittman.

Robertson then built his career leading academic music departments. He has held management positions at Oakwood College and the Thayer Conservatory of Music at Atlantic Union College, and was Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) before coming to Lynn.

He also continued his conducting career and has appeared as guest conductor with the San Francisco Symphony, New York Fairbanks Symphony, Alaska Long Beach Symphony, California Oakland East Bay Symphony, Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra, Washington Gavel Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and the Beijing Central Philharmonic.

"For over two decades, Jon has been a beloved member of the Lynn family and has shaped the conservatory into a world-class institution, nurturing a culture of excellence as he attracted acclaimed faculty members and extraordinarily talented students from around the world," the university wrote in a statement.

"Please join the Lynn community in thanking Jon for his extraordinary leadership, his legacy and for everything he has given to students, its campus and the musical world."

The post Jon Robertson Retires as Dean of Lynn University Conservatory of Music appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.

Founded in 1882, the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK’s largest representative non-union body for musicians, dedicated to promoting the importance of music and supporting those in music professions.

The ISM’s analysis of the 2025 A-level (for 16 to 18-year-olds in the final two years of secondary school) music results, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications, shows that the slight uptick seen in 2024 has not continued, and entries have fallen.

The UK has seen a decrease in music entries of 1.8% in the last year. For the third year in a row, fewer than 5,000 students took A-level music.

The data also shows that while there has been a slight increase in music entries in Wales and Northern Ireland since 2024, there has been a 2.7% decrease in entries in England.

In all, entries in England have fallen 44.8% since 2010, when A-level music students numbered around 10,000.

(Image courtesy: ISM)

Responding to this, the ISM states that it hopes the government will follow through on plans to reform accountability and to improve music education across the country.

“Congratulations to all young people receiving their exam results today and thank you to all their music teachers,” noted ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts. “It is disappointing that the small increase in entries last year has not continued this year. The ISM believes that all pupils should have access to music education in schools and our research shows that too many are still being denied the opportunity to pursue this beyond Key Stage 4, which is reflected in the decline in A-level entries since 2010.

“When the Curriculum and Assessment Review publishes its final report this autumn, it is vital the government takes the opportunity to deliver on its warm words about music education and reforms the Progress 8 and English Baccalaureate accountability measures,” Annetts added. “I would encourage all classroom music teachers in England to complete our latest survey and share their experiences.”

The post A-Level Music Entries Continue to Decline in UK appeared first on World's Leading Classical Music Platform.