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Trinity Laban Conservatoire: Developing 21st-century musical pioneers

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A Mercury Prize nominee. A composer for some of Hollywood’s best loved films. The president of EMI Records. An internationally renowned violinist. Award-winning musicians, producers, and instrumentalists.

They all trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Moses Boyd
Source: Trinity Laban Conservatoire

Music education at this leading London institution is more than just a degree-seeking venture – it’s an experience that will take you places. One of the world’s leading centres of music and contemporary dance, with a long and illustrious history that goes back to 1872, today, it continues to spearhead exciting opportunities for collaboration between musicians, composers, dancers and choreographers.

For BMus (Hons) in Jazz Drumkit graduate Moses Boyd, it took him to the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize awards. The nomination for his debut solo album Dark Matter is another accolade to add to his long list of awards, which include the John Peel Play More Jazz Award from the 2016 Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards and a Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Newcomer of the Year 2016. NME describes his album as “an ambitious work full of scope”; The Guardian with “dancefloor-friendly kaleidoscopic jazz”.

It’s a boundary-pushing repertoire that has its roots in the positive and supportive experience he received at Trinity Laban. “My studies were greatly supported by a great group of staff and faculty. I feel I was given the space and freedom to explore and refine my interests which have now become a great asset in my career,” he says.

It makes perfect sense that Boyd credits his success to the school’s forward-thinking and nurturing teachings. One of Trinity Laban’s most important values is aimed at equipping students with the attitudes and attributes to make life-long careers as confident and adaptable artistic leaders.

Located in the heart of southeast London’s creative music scene, Trinity Laban achieves their values through a range of music departments and programmes. These studies were tailored to develop musical pioneers of tomorrow, in a wonderfully creative and inspiring environment.

Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer John Powell is best known for his scores in films such as Solo: A Star Wars Story; the How to Train Your Dragon film series and Happy Feet. He says, “Conservatoires are about the people that you are with during your studies and the influence they have on you. I was able to make a lot of music during my time here. I loved the fact that I was given the space to create.”

It is clear that the career paths for students of Trinity Laban are diverse and in abundance. When Oboist Olivia Fraser has performed with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Royal Ballet Sinfonia and London Mozart Players. She graduated with an MA in Oboe and the Director’s Prize for Excellence in 2019. When asked about some of her most valuable gains, she said “I was lucky to have lots of really inspiring oboe and cor anglais teachers. They’re not just amazing performers but also fantastic teachers. They’re all so dedicated to their music and they inspired me to work hard and to have the confidence to pursue an orchestral career.”

Olivia Fraser.
Source: Trinity Laban Conservatoire

A collaborative mindset it as the heart of training at Trinity Laban. Violinist Alfred Ng graduated with a BMus (Hons) in Performance in 2013. Now based in Hong Kong, he founded A.NG Duo with fellow alum Grace Cheng, performing at the Shanghai Concert Hall. Cassie Kinoshi completed a BMus (Hons) in Composition in 2015 and is now a member of award winning jazz septet Nérija and afrobeat band KOKOROKO.

“Studying at Trinity Laban provided me with a foundation in orchestration and some of my first opportunities to write for large ensemble. Many of the people I met during my time at Trinity Laban continue to be my favourite collaborators to work with.”

Trinity Laban’s location in London is also ideal for in working in the wider industry. Rebecca Allen was named president of EMI Records in June 2020. She says “I look back at the years I spent studying at Trinity Laban as some of the most important and formative years of my life. It was an incredibly fulfilling experience and helped me discover the characteristics about myself that I could then utilise to start a career within music. Being a professional musician wasn’t something I wanted to do but Trinity Laban understood the bigger picture and helped me to focus on other important areas within Music and Arts Management. The ethos were so refreshing.”

For Instrumentalists, look to the Department of Strings to develop the technical mastery and flexibility needed to succeed in the diverse world of music. Or the Department of Wind, Brass & Percussion, which offers rigorous technical training while also allowing the flexibility needed for students to personally develop. If you are more interested in studying the piano or keyboard, doing it at Trinity Laban will help you acquire technical mastery and the ability to interpret it afresh.

Through the Department of Vocal Studies, utilise your most human instrument, build technique and aim for the pinnacles of artistic achievement.

For jazz enthusiasts, to enter Trinity Laban’s Department of Jazz is to enter into a vibrant and dynamic community of improvisers. They may be grounded in the original traditions of jazz, but fresh interpretation is always welcomed.

Source: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

For composers, the Department of Composition provides a playground for creative minds, where classical traditions meet contemporary rebellions. Here you can develop the sophisticated compositional techniques needed to be a world-class orchestrator.

Through the Department of Music Education, students develop the skills to work across multiple contexts. The department’s approach combines both performance and education training which focuses more on the practical over the academic.

The International Foundation Certificate: Music and English is designed for aspiring musicians who wish to develop their musical skills and techniques through a dedicated programme of study rooted in practice-based activity, as well as to significantly enhance their skills in the use of the English language.

Finally through the school’s latest addition, the first of its kind for the conservatoire, the BA (Hons) Music Performance and Industry. This “popular music” programme was designed to inspire musicians, creative artists and producers to be curious, experimental, and collaborative in developing a personal artistic identity. The programme provides the rigorous training needed for a rewarding career in the music industry, across all genres.

For prospective students and parents interested in learning more about the welcoming community that is the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, the school will be running a number of Virtual Open Days.

During these virtual open days, those interested will be able to learn more about academics, teaching methods, and life at London’s Creative Conservatoire.

To live in London is to live in one of the finest cities in the world, home to elite universities and a unique blend of foreign influences, not to mention a desirable mix of Fortune 500 companies. An epicentre of culture, that is unlike any other study abroad experience, the students of Trinity Laban are located in a truly unique and memorable destination that is bound to inspire melodies for centuries.

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