Royal Northern College of Music

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The Royal Northern College of Music or RNCM is a conservatoire in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Road in Manchester City Centre, at the northern end of the university area. In addition to being a centre of education, the RNCM also functions as an arts centre holding concerts of all kinds, Opera and other musical events. Its current principal is the composer Professor Edward Gregson.

The roots of the college begin in the late 19th Century with Sir Charles Hallé's Royal Manchester College of Music (see also: Hallé Orchestra). In 1973, the Royal Manchester College of Music and the Northern School of Music merged to create the modern-day RNCM.

Currently the college offers both undergraduate (BMus and a joint MusB/GRNCM course with the University of Manchester) and postgraduate programmes (PGDip, MMus) in Performance and Composition.

According to RNCM figures, the student population is 589, with 420 undergraduates and 169 postgraduates; 49% male, 51% female. With 265 academic staff, there is a high student-to-staff ratio. Many of the staff also teach at the Junior RNCM, a Saturday music school for talented young musicians who are keen on pursuing a musical career.

In January 2005, the RNCM was awarded £3.75million by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to become a recognised Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), the only UK conservatoire to be selected.

The zebra crossing across Booth Street West linking the College with the Manchester Business School was awarded the North West Pedestrian Crossings Appreciation Society's Bronze Award in 1997.