The Royal Northern College of Music has announced its delight at the award of nearly £650,000 to help support scholarships for those studying 'endangered instruments' as well as its work with youngsters.

The RNCM launched its 'Endangered Instruments' campaign in 2023 to highlight the impact of the declining number of young musicians studying viola, double bass, oboe, bassoon, French horn, bass trombone, and tuba.

Grateful

Speaking about the award, RNCM Principal Professor Linda Merrick said: "We continue to be immensely grateful to the Leverhulme Trust. This substantial grant will be transformative for the exceptional young musicians who will benefit from it, and it will allow us to create a pipeline to study instruments at risk of critical decline.

The Leverhulme Arts Scholarships and Bursaries are one of the most impactful ways to ensure that we continue to nurture the next generation of professional musicians."

Junior RNCM

Around half of Junior Royal Northern College of Music students receive scholarships and bursaries to support their studies.

The College allocates around £1.3m in awards every year, to enable youngsters to enjoy learning and participation through its varied RNCM Engage initiatives.

The Leverhulme Art Scholarships are awarded to specialist institutions or registered charities to provide training opportunities across the fine and performing arts.