The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and The King’s Foundation today (Thursday 17 September) marked ten years of an innovative partnership in support of young dancers and musicians with a special anniversary celebration attended by His Majesty King Charles III, Patron of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Royal Founding President of The King’s Foundation.

The celebration took place at the New Cumnock Town Hall, a community building regenerated by The King’s Foundation after the charity became custodians of the nearby Dumfries House estate in 2007.

To celebrate the milestone, musicians from RCS’s Junior Conservatoire of Music performed the world premiere of Adagio, a new composition by Patrick Doyle CBE, one of the world’s top film, television and theatre composers.

One of Patrick’s compositions was performed as part of the Coronation Service of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.

Patrick, a Royal Conservatoire of Scotland alumnus and Patron of the RCS Junior Conservatoire of Music, created this new piece, drawing inspiration from His Majesty’s love of string music, the composer’s memories of the Junior Conservatoire, and his own personal journey back to wellness following an illness.

Since 2016, the pioneering Dumfries House programme has broken down barriers to music and ballet by providing free, weekly specialist tuition for young people across Ayrshire with creative potential.

His Majesty met current students of the programme as well as former students who have gone on to a range of successful achievements in music and dance, including studying with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Schools of Music and Dance, Scottish Ballet Associates and the Dance School of Scotland.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “For a decade, this special partnership has helped young people across Ayrshire realise their potential by removing financial barriers and creating pathways for progression.

“Their achievements demonstrate the transformative power of access to high-quality arts education and the arts’ unique ability to bring people together.

“We are proud to work alongside The King’s Foundation and our partners across East Ayrshire to ensure that talented young people can access exceptional arts education, regardless of their background.

“Together, we are nurturing talent and creating life-changing opportunities through music and dance. We look forward to supporting many more young musicians and dancers in the years ahead.”

Emily Cherrington, Chief Executive of The King’s Foundation, said: “We are so proud of our partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and it has been incredible to see the wide-ranging positive impact of providing the local community with access to training in music and the arts.

“The aim of our work at The King’s Foundation is to build sustainable and resilient communities, often through creativity, so this partnership forms a key part of our local outreach in the New Cumnock area.

“We are particularly pleased that our Royal Founding President, His Majesty The King, was able to celebrate with us today and recognise the incredible local graduates of this programme. We look forward to another ten fruitful years working in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire to improve access to music and dance training.”

Young musicians from the Dumfries House Strings Programme also performed for His Majesty and guests today. Their repertoire included a new work composed by Logan McLurkin, 16, from Dalmellington, a current Dumfries House strings student. Dumfries House: A Decade of Music, was written especially for the anniversary event.

Commenting on his composition Logan said: “It’s a great honour to write a new piece for the anniversary and I spent a lot of time trying to get every string instrument involved. I wanted to create a happy, upbeat celebration of how Dumfries House Strings has helped me, and many others, discover the amazing world of music.”

The Dumfries House Ballet programme is delivered as part of RCS’s Junior Conservatoire of Dance. It is open to Ayrshire pupils in Primary Four to Seven to develop their classical ballet technique, creativity and performance skills.

Through the Junior Conservatoire of Music, children who are currently in Primaries Five to Seven, and who receive string tuition within the classroom in the Cumnock, Doon and Auchinleck areas, receive specialist tuition to further their instrumental progression.

The Composer

Today’s special Royal performance of Adagio brings the story full circle for Patrick Doyle, whose musical journey began as a young student at the RCS Junior Conservatoire. He travelled each week from his home in North Lanarkshire to Glasgow – experiences that helped shape his lifelong journey in music.

Patrick went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, as RCS was known, graduating in 1975 before being made a Fellow in 2001. His stellar career includes scoring the soundtracks for more than 60 feature films, including global blockbusters Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Thor, Disney hits Brave and Cinderella, Sense and Sensibility, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Murder on the Orient Express.

Patrick was appointed Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Music in 2023 (joining violinist Nicola Benedetti CBE).

In 2023, he was commissioned to compose a Coronation March for The Coronation of Their Majesties, The King and The Queen, at Westminster Abbey, which was performed to a global audience of nearly a billion viewers.

Patrick Doyle CBE said: “I know His Majesty has a great love of string music and the tenth anniversary of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s partnership with The King’s Foundation at Dumfries House provided the ideal opportunity to compose an Adagio for Strings, a work that is more than a nod to Elgar, dedicated to His Majesty and receiving its world premiere today performed by an ensemble from the Junior Conservatoire of Music.

“My heartfelt thanks go to His Majesty, the parents, staff at the RCS and The King’s Foundation and above all, the students for their outstanding work, dedication and commitment. It is a joy to support such remarkable young people.”