Guitar and Harp Department (Undergraduate)
Learning from a team of distinguished professional performers, you will develop into a successful, well-rounded musician, entering the profession fully-equipped with all of the necessary skills to succeed.
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Overview
The Guitar and Harp Department at RCS is structured to directly reflect musical realities in the 21st century. It is our desire to prepare you for the profession and we feel you must acquire a broad range of skills, in order to become excellent musicians and expressive artists.
Weekly individual and group tuition alongside chamber music and orchestral performance are central to the department. Integral to your development are regular collaborations with composers in creating new repertoire, side-by-side opportunities with all of Scotland’s national orchestras, classes in technique and performance practice, history and repertoire, improvisation, business skills, techniques of teaching, alongside regular masterclasses with visiting international soloists.
The Guitar and Harp department consists of an exciting, forward-looking team of lecturers, who are all experienced soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral players and teachers. They are on hand to give invaluable advice, drawing from their own experience of life in the music profession.
The important details
UK Applicant Deadline:
2 October 2025
International Applicant Deadline:
1 December 2025
Course Start Date:
21 September 2026
Institution Code:
R58
Programme Code:
Performance - 300F OR Joint Principal Study - 301F
Audition Fee:
£65
Application Fee:
£28.95
Welcome to the Guitar & Harp Department
Watch our short video for an introduction to the Guitar & Harp department at RCS.
We spoke to some current guitar students about what makes RCS special and how their time here has prepared them to graduate into a career in the industry.
Why Study Guitar & Harp at RCS?
The Guitar & Harp department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland offers unique opportunities to learn, perform, and develop as an artist. Our dedicated approach sets us apart, with benefits including:
Individual Lessons
During your studies, you will receive an unparalleled 40.5 hours of principal study tuition and supporting studies classes each academic year.
Collaboration & Performance
You’ll study in one of the most multi-disciplinary conservatoires in the world, with opportunities to collaborate with performing artists from across RCS. We’re one of the busiest performing arts venues in Scotland, and you’ll have a vast number of performance opportunities each academic session.
Professional Partnerships
We have excellent partnerships and links to industry; including Celtic Connections, Classical Guitar Retreat, Ullapool Guitar Festival, European Mandolin and Guitar Youth Orchestra, NECGS Concert Series, Sphere Concert Series, National Youth Guitar Ensemble and International Guitar Festivals (London)
Side-by-Side Schemes
We run side-by-side schemes with national companies, enabling harpists to play alongside the professionals, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Joint Principal Study
You have the option to study Guitar & Harp at RCS as part of our BMus (Hons) Joint Principal Study pathway, intended to cater for individuals who are equally accomplished in two principal study disciplines.
Guitar Masterclasses
Learn from an expert teaching team, recent masterclasses include David Russell, Thomas Viloteau, Sean Shibe and Ian Watt.
Harp Masterclasses
Experience regular and numerous harp masterclasses; recent guests have included Karen Vaughan, Isabelle Perrin, Sioned Williams and Lucy Wakeford
Broad Repertoire
Undergraduate music students can take advantage of learning within our unique Scottish conservatoire and undertake a module in traditional music, enabling you to broaden your repertoire, musicality and ensemble arrangement practices.
Meet the Staff
Ian Watt
Lecturer, Guitar
Teresa Romao
Lecturer, Harp
Facilities
The Royal Conservatoire owns:
- 3x seven course lutes
- 1 David Rouse Concert guitar
- 1 Ramirez 1E Concert guitar
- 1x Altamira Classical guitar
- 1x Manual Contreras Classical Guitar
- 1x theorbo
- 1x electric bass
- 1x DPA contact microphone
- 1x 19th century guitar
- 2x AER compact 60 acoustic amplifiers
- 4 concerts harps — 2 Salvi, 1 Camac & 1 Horngacher.
- A large collection of sheet music forming a guitar-specific library
All the instruments are kept in either the guitar room or in the AV Store and RCS students are welcome to borrow all of them. Please note students are responsible for care of the instruments when they are using them.
Guitar and Harp students also have access to RCS’s facilities and resources. This includes a library and several computer suites, as well as a purpose-built recording studio with the use of an expert recording producer. Recordings can be made for course assessments or audition purposes as approved by the Head of Department.
Graduate Destinations
Guitar and Harp graduates have gone on to further study in the US and Europe, become heads of university departments, international concert solo artists, orchestral principal harpists, teachers in private practice and festival directors.
Guitar alumni include:
- Sean Shibe – the first guitarist to be admitted to the prestigious BBC New Generation Artists Scheme and the only solo guitarist to have received a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship. In 2009 Sean won first prize in the Ivor Mairants Guitar Award of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and in 2011 he became only the second guitarist ever to win the Royal Over-Seas League first prize and gold medal. Nominated for a BBC Music Magazine Award for his recent album Dreams and Fancies, which debuted at No.3 in the Classical Album Chart. In 2018 he received the RPS ‘Young Artists Prize’.
- Laura Husbands – received a full scholarship to complete an Artist Diploma at Lamont University, Colorado 2009. In June 2011 she received an Artist Diploma in classical guitar performance as well as Lamont’s Outstanding Graduate in Performance Award. Laura Husbands was the winner of the Denver Classical Guitar Society 2010 Debut Competition and the 2011 Portland International Guitar Competition.
- Marek Pasieczny – is one of the most popular contemporary polish composers and guitarists of his generation. He completed a Masters in Guitar Performance with distinction as well as in Composition, first studying at Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw under Professor Piotr Zaleski, and then RCS. Established as a successful performer, composer and teacher, his career has taken him all over the world.
Sean Shibe performing at RCS’s Big Guitar Weekend, 2023
Programme Structure
The programme structure for your studies will depend on whether you choose to undertake [instrument] principal study as part of BMus (Hons) Performance or BMus (Hons) Joint Principal Study. The content and modules for each programme are available on their respective pages:
How to Apply
More information about how to apply, including entry requirements and tuition fee & funding information, is available on either our BMus (Hons) Performance page, or BMus (Hons) Joint Principal Study page, depending on which pathway you are interested in. The specific audition requirements for this principal study are detailed below:
Audition Information
In-person auditions are planned to take place at various locations across the world. Should you apply on time, an audition time slot will be sent to you via Acceptd, you must create an Acceptd account regardless of your audition location. An interview will form part of your audition, this is a chance for the panel to find out more about you, as well having an opportunity for you to ask questions about the programme.
The RCS audition panel (Glasgow) will consist of a relevant departmental staff member and the Head of Department. Our international auditions will consist of one panel member that may not be from the department you are auditioning for, and will also be recorded for review by the relevant department.
All in-person auditions will be given a twenty-minute warm up slot prior to their audition.
Audition Dates
- Glasgow, 3 – 7 November 2025
- Qingdao, November 2025 Audition Location: The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao (specific audition dates to be confirmed)
- Seoul, 29 November 2025. Audition Location: Rene Music Hall
- Singapore, 17 & 18 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
- Los Angeles, 24 & 25 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
- Chicago, 27 & 28 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
- New York, 30 & 31 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
- Toronto, January 2026. Audition Location: TBC (specific audition dates to be confirmed)
Please note, our locations are subject to change at short notice. If you choose a location that becomes unavailable, we will be in touch to offer an alternative, this will likely be a recorded submission.
Overseas Applicants
We are operating a pre-screening process for all international applicants. Applicants wishing to audition overseas are required to submit a video audition as the first round of the assessment process (those applying to audition in-person in Glasgow are not required to submit a pre-screening video). All videos must be submitted to your Acceptd account before the below deadlines. There is no set repertoire for the pre-screening round, and you are welcome to perform different repertoire should you be successfully offered a live audition.
All pre-screening submissions must contain a spoken introduction in English.
Please tell us:
- Your name
- A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now
- Your musical ambitions
- Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
This video should be 3 to 5 minutes long and separate to your performance video.
For in-person auditions being held in Qingdao and Seoul: UCAS Conservatoire applications and Acceptd submissions must be submitted by the deadline of 2nd October 2025.
For in-person auditions being held in Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Toronto: UCAS Conservatoire applications and Acceptd submissions must be submitted by the deadline of 1st December 2025.
All keyboard applicants who will not attend the in-person auditions in the US or Canada MUST submit their application by the 2nd October 2025.
If successfully offered a live in-person audition at one of our overseas locations, then applicants applying from that country will be expected to attend in person. We strongly encourage people to attend in person to be able to meet some of our staff members face to face and ask questions about our programmes, and life at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Be aware that some departments may have additional requirements needed at audition, please check the relevant page on our website for more information.
*Please note for live auditions, we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel.
- All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano).
- All applicants will need to provide their own accompanist for overseas auditions.
If you have chosen to audition live in-person, but due to extenuating circumstances your situation changes, you must contact us immediately after submitting your application so we can confirm if alternative arrangements are possible. This will be completed on a case-by-case basis.
If you are unable to attend a live audition, then we offer a recorded submission option. Recorded submissions will go through the same pre-screening process, and applicants may be invited to a live online audition at the discretion of the relevant Head of Department. You may be asked to perform additional repertoire or complete a small aural task as part of this process. If you are recalled, further details and meeting links will be sent to you.
There is no separate audition process for our Scholarship awards. You will be considered as part of the audition process.
If you have any questions about the audition process for your relevant location, you can contact us at the following:
- Glasgow: auditions@rcs.ac.uk
- Qingdao: chinaauditions@rcs.ac.uk
- Seoul: koreaauditions@rcs.ac.uk
- Singapore: singaporeauditions@rcs.ac.uk
- LA / Chicago / NYC: usaauditions@rcs.ac.uk
- Toronto: canadaauditions@rcs.ac.uk
Details of the repertoire requested for your in-person audition/recorded submission can be found below.
Audition Repertoire Requirements
Guitar
Performance of two contrasting pieces of ABRSM Grade 8 standard or equivalent (maximum of eight minutes each).
Harp
Performance of two contrasting pieces, one of which must have been composed after 1900. Additionally, one study and one orchestral cadenza e.g. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker or Ravel’s Piano Concerto.
Recording Guidelines:
- When setting up for your video recording, your body (typically, from about the waist up) and instrument should be the focal point of the frame. The committee wants to be able to see not just your face but how well you navigate your instrument.
- The video recording should be provided in ONE continuous shot without separate tracks for different musical pieces.
- Please begin the recording by introducing yourself to camera and stating what you will be performing. You can take a little time between pieces so long as your body must remain in the frame.
- For any pieces that were written for your instrument and piano accompaniment, you are encouraged to perform with piano accompaniment (whether live or pre-recorded) if practical for you. Be assured, however, that if this is not possible for you, then you will not be disadvantaged in any way.
For more information on recording a video audition, Guitar Lecturer Matthew McCallister reveals his top tips on recording your music audition online:
More from the Guitar & Harp Department
Big Guitar Weekend
Big Guitar Weekend is our annual festival in celebration of guitar across Classical, Jazz & Folk. Each year we feature performances from world-class guitarists alongside talks and masterclasses, instrument displays, and public competitions involving RCS students & Scottish School Ensembles.
RCS Presents: Guitar & Harp
Watch this live concert performed by students from our Guitar and Harp department in November 2020.
Big Guitar Weekend 2022 Highlights
Watch our highlights video from Big Guitar Weekend 2022!
Book a music advice lesson
One-to-one Principal-Study lessons are at the heart of any conservatoire course. An advice lesson here at RCS gives you the chance to experience the RCS working environment and assess your suitability for conservatoire education. It can also be used as a mock/advice audition.
Why RCS?
We are the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus. There is a distinctive creative energy at RCS and you’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Our graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.
At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.
World Top Ten
We were voted one of the world’s Top Ten destinations to study the performing arts (QS Rankings) in 2025, the ninth time we have been placed in the top ten since the ranking was established in 2016.
Perform & Collaborate
Our curriculum is built around performance and collaboration and we hold professional partnerships with all of Scotland’s National Companies. Join forces across artforms and be part of the 500+ performances we give each year.
Outstanding Alumni
Our graduates are employed across the world and we take pride in the impact they have on their art forms. We’ll equip you with the skills to thrive as a professional and join their ranks.
Learn from the Best
More than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at RCS across all our art forms. Study with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the UK.
A Campus Built for You
Our facilities are world-class. From rehearsal rooms and recording studios to our five professional performance venues, we have a campus to showcase and develop emerging artists to the highest standards.