Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

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The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, is a university of music and drama in Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated in the city centre, on Renfrew Street, just north of Sauchiehall Street.

Research degrees, MPhil and PhD, undertaken at the RSAMD are validated and awarded by the University of St Andrews in Fife. The RSAMD is a member of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

The present principal is the trumpet player John Wallace, and Lord Gill is chairman of the board of governors.

Contents

[edit] History

The RSAMD has been located in its current, purpose built location on Renfrew Street in Glasgow since 1988. However, its origins begin with the establishment of the Glasgow Educational Association in 1845.

[edit] Glasgow Educational Association

The Glasgow Educational Association was formed in 1845 by a group of young Glasgow business men with the intention of creating, for themselves and others, an instructional institution providing courses as an alternative to Glasgow University. On the 3rd of December that year a Committee was chosen in a public meeting and the Association was reformed as the Glasgow Commercial College. The Glasgow Commercial College's first class was a lecture on logic delivered by Reverend James Paterson in February 1846 in Anderson's University. It was proposed that the Glasgow Commercial College become part of a larger educational institution and in 1847 it was succeeded by the establishment of the Glasgow Athenaeum.

[edit] The Glasgow Athenaeum

The Glasgow Athenaeum was established on 1847 to provide young men in Glasgow with training in commercial skills, literature, languages, sciences, mathematics and music. Its inaugural speech was given by Charles Dickens, in which he stated that he regarded the Glasgow Athenaeum as "an educational example and encouragement to the rest of Scotland". Initially the Glasgow Athenaeum was resident in the Glasgow Assembly Rooms, but moved to a purpose built building on Buchanan Street, designed by architect John James Burnet, in 1888.

Also in 1888, the commercial teaching of the Glasgow Athenaeum separated to form a new institution called the Athenaeum Commercial College. The Athenaeum Commercial College continued to reside in the Athenaeum building on Buchanan street. It became an incorporated company in 1915 and changed its name to the Glasgow and West of Scotland Commercial College (Incorporated). In 1932 it relocated to newly built premises on Pitt Street in Glasgow. In 1955 the institution changed name again to the Scottish College of Commerce, and in 1964 it merged with the Royal College of Science and Technology to form the University of Strathclyde.

[edit] The Glasgow Athenaeum (Limited) School of Music

On the 15th of September 1890 the remainder of the Glasgow Athenaeum Ltd, following the separation of the commercial teaching, became the Glasgow Athenaeum School of Music. Despite the name change, the institution continued to teach other residual Glasgow Athenaeum subjects until 1929, at which time the institution changed name again to the Scottish National Academy of Music. It was also in this year that the Academy introduced its first course to train music teachers, a Diploma in Musical Education.

In 1944 King George VI approved a Royal Prefix for the academy and it became known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music.

[edit] The Glasgow College of Dramatic Art

In 1950 the Royal Scottish Academy of Music established a new drama department entitled the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art. This department began training actors, director and technicians awarding a Diploma in Dramatic Art or a Diploma in Speech and Drama. The later was awarded in conjunction with a Certificate in Dramatic Studies awarded by the University of Glasgow and contained an educational element. The college became the first UK drama school to contain a full, broadcast specification television studio in 1962.

[edit] The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

In 1968 the Royal Scottish Academy of Music changed its name to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, intended to reflect the range of subjects being offered. The RSAMD continued to reside in the Glasgow Athenaeum building, which by this time had expanded into further premises on Buchanan Street and West Nile Street, including the adjacent premises of the Glasgow Liberal Club, until moving to its current premises on Renfrew Street in 1987. During the intervening years the RSAMD had introduced its first degree courses, which were validated by the University of Glasgow, in 1983 the Diploma in Speech and Drama became the BA (Dramatic Studies). However, in 1993 the RSAMD became the first UK conservatoire to be granted its own degree awarding powers.

In 1998 the RSAMD premises were expanded by the opening of the Alexander Gibson Opera School. The Alexander Gibson Opera School was officially opened by Dame Janet Barker, who had also laid the foundation stone for the Refrew Street building in 1984.

Until 2004 the President of the academy was Dame Judy Dench when Sir Cameron Mackintosh took the position.

[edit] Junior Academy

The Rsamd's Junior Academy of Music, now known as Youthworks Music, provides instrumental and theory lessons to young musicians of school age every Saturday during term-time. Teaching is of high quality and places are highly sought-after, so much so that the Rsamd receives more applications for its Junior Academy than any junior department outside London.

Concerts are given at the end of each term and in the Fesitval of British Youth Orchestras by the Academy's First Orchestra, performing large-scale works with accomplished conductors. The most recent concert programme comprised works by Debussy, Weber and Musorgsky, conducted by Christopher Adey, featuring clarinnetist Scott Lygate as the soloist in Weber's second concerto for clarinet.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Music

[edit] Drama

[edit] Notable staff

[edit] Fellows

A fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama can use FRSAMD after their name.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

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