Composition – MMus / PgCert / PgDip

Study as a postgraduate composer at one of the UK’s most innovative composition departments. In recent years, Birmingham Conservatoire’s Composition departmenthas produced outstanding contemporary artists such as Laura Mvula, Raffertie and Charlotte Bray.

Unlike many composition courses at this level, the course actively celebrates the diversity of today’s musical genres, and fosters artists who challenge, innovate and transform notions of artistic practice today. You’ll spend most of your time writing music for professional and student ensembles, whether you choose to respond to our set briefs or work on your own projects.

You’ll be encouraged to express yourself in multiple musical and artistic genres.

By studying composition within a thriving conservatoire setting, you’ll have excellent opportunities to collaborate with performers and to have your works performed.

Alongside your focus on composition, our course provides opportunities for you to develop other skills relevant to a future career in the music profession.

What’s covered in the course?

• Regular individual tuition in composition from internationally recognised composers.
• A chance to develop a distinctive compositional voice within the context of a broadly based course, enhancing your employability.
• The opportunity to participate in a wide variety of creative projects, including interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Regular forums, seminars and masterclasses with distinguished visiting composers and performers.
• Opportunities to have works performed/workshopped by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and other leading professional ensembles and musicians.
•  Frequent chances to have works performed by student performers, including by the Conservatoire’s own Contemporary Music Group (Thallein Ensemble) and other ensembles.
•  In PgDip and MMus, a core career development module designed to get you thinking about your future professional plans.
• In PgDip and MMus, the flexibility to choose from a broad menu of Professional Development modules designed to help you work towards achieving your personal career aspirations.
• In MMus, a core module designed to develop your skills as a researcher or informed practitioner.
•  In PgCert, the ability to focus wholly on the Principal Study area.
• The possibility of transferring between PgCert, PgDip  and/or MMus (as appropriate) once you have begun your studies (but before completion of your original course).

Why Choose Us?

At Royal Birmingham Conservatoire we provide a friendly and supportive environment in which you can pursue your postgraduate studies. This is a time when you need to think particularly carefully and strategically about the direction of your developing career as a musician. We therefore encourage you to be ambitious in pursuing your aspirations, and endeavour to provide you with the flexibility to mould your course to your individual needs, both within your Principal Study area and – for PgDip and MMus students – in complementary modules.