Launching the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland at Dumfries House

Published: 23/06/2016

Ground-breaking arts partnership for young people launched by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Dumfries House

Dumfries House and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have announced a unique partnership that will create a new arts education programme givingyoung peoplethe opportunity to access high-quality, specialist dance and music tuition. Thelaunch celebration involved performances byyoung musicians and dancers, attended by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Rothesay, Patron of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

This ground-breaking partnership aims to provide young people with the resources and learning pathways to help them excel in theirchosen art forms such as music and dance. TheRoyal Conservatoire of Scotlandat Dumfries House will offer arts education, performance and employment opportunities, as well as building strong artistic foundations for the people and communities of Scotland.

An innovative widening access programme, which is set to work with its first students from September 2016, the Royal Conservatoire at Dumfries House will engage a diverse range of individuals from pre-schoolage,as well as community groups and arts professionals keen to develop their pedagogical skills to inspire excellence in performing arts education.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of RCS, said:

“I believe that there is something particularly distinctive about the work of RCS and at its heart is our role as a national and international institution for the whole of Scotland. That is why I amdelighted that the Royal Conservatoire ofScotlandandDumfries House have taken this bold stepto educate a new generation of artists for Scotland and beyond.I can think of no better learning environmentforaspiring performers, communities and professionals than in the wonderful setting of Dumfries House.”

Kenneth Dunsmuir, Administrative Director of Dumfries Housecommented:

“It was very evident to HRHTheDuke of Rothesay that, despite the many community, educational and employment initiatives we had developed here on the Dumfries House Estate, the performing arts were notrepresented.BeingPatron of RCS,creating a hub here for performance and outreach work seemed the perfect partnership. As an alumnusof RCS (then RSAMD), I feel hugely privileged to have played a part in developing this new initiative knowing the transformative power that the performing arts can have on people’s lives.”

International composer and founder of The Cumnock Tryst, James MacMillan welcomes this new initiative:

“It is with immense excitement that I welcome this new partnership between Dumfries House and RCS. As someone who grew up in Cumnock and now having established the music festival, The Cumnock Tryst, it is a source of great satisfaction and pride seeing these two marvellous institutions coming together to build towards the artistic future of the local area. Music has always been an important element in the local towns and villages, and this new initiative will cement that, while pushing the potential forward.”

The RoyalConservatoire of Scotland at Dumfries House begins in September 2016 witha series of Junior Conservatoire workshops planned for local schools.

During the first two years of the partnership there will be a programme of concerts and performances at Dumfries House showcasing a variety of musical forms including: chamber music, classical repertoire, traditional music and jazz, evolving over time to include other art forms such as ballet, musical theatre, drama and contemporary performance, reflecting the diversity of work offered at RCS.

This bold new partnership also aims to bring international artists to Dumfries House,andattract performers from across the world to learn inAyrshire’s newestcentre of excellence.

Both the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Dumfries House hope this new partnership will harness the transformative power of the performing arts, to nurture and inspire the young people ofScotland,their communitiesand open up the positive social, wellbeing and employability benefits which only the arts can offer.

Follow the Dumfries House launch on Twitter using the hashtag#RCSDumfriesHouse