Professor Jeffrey Sharkey FRSE has announced today (June 9) that he will step down as Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland at the end of the 2026/27 Academic Year.

Professor Sharkey, a pianist and composer, is currently one of Scotland’s longest-serving Higher Education principals.  He joined RCS in September 2014 from Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore where he was Director from 2006-2014.

During his tenure, RCS has raised its profile domestically and internationally and has been ranked the top 10 world leading institutions for performing arts education (QS World Rankings) 10 times since 2015.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey said:

‘This has of course been a difficult decision for me, given how much I love life at RCS and our wonderful community of staff and students. There’s never a perfect time for these things, but this feels an appropriate time to step back and have a new chapter begin for me personally, as well as for the RCS as it celebrates its 180th anniversary.  

‘There will be time for reflections about my time at RCS in due course. In the meantime, I remain focused on our shared goals for a positive academic year in 26-27 for RCS and delivering towards our longer-term ambitions as set out in the strategic plan.’

Professor Sharkey will depart in summer 2027. This timeframe has been established by the Conservatoire’s Board of Governors to allow both for a full recruitment campaign and for a transition plan to be put in place.