Leeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music
22 July 2008
WITH A NEW CONCERT HALL AND PRINCIPAL, LEEDS COLLEGE OF MUSIC IS A CONSERVATOIRE WITH PLENTY TO OFFER, AS MARK LANGSHAW DISCOVERS
A great deal has changed since Muso's last visit to Leeds College of Music (LCM) five years ago, and it's all for the better. In 2005 the college fulfilled its long-term ambition by transferring from the further education sector to the higher education sector. With a 350-seat concert hall - the result of a joint development with the BBC - unveiled in 2003, and the new Toft Recording Studio up and running, the conservatoire's rapid expansion is showing no signs of abating.
Significant staffing changes are also worth a mention. Following the retirement of its principal, Professor David Hoult, in April, LCM named Philip Meaden as his successor. 'It has been my ambition to be a principal of a music conservatoire since my studentship at the Royal Academy of Music,' says Meaden. 'I believe that with its portfolio of degrees in Western classical music, jazz and popular music as well as music production, Leeds College of Music is ideally placed to prepare musicians for successful careers in the 21st century.'
The range of degrees on offer is greater than ever before, as head of music Darren Sproston explains: 'Our greatest strength is the diversity of music we offer. We have a very well-established jazz degree along with a relatively new popular music degree; but we are one of the only conservatoires to offer music production, which is an important part of our overall programme.'
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