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Explore our Music facilities with Guildhall students

Guildhall has prepared me for a career in music therapy from searching for jobs to having brilliant work experience from the placements they chose for me

Emma Barber
MA Music Therapy

Emma Barber
Guildhall had a crucial role in my success. The very high quality orchestral projects and masterclasses prepared me for professional life

Joao Seara
BMus Double Bass

Joao Seara
Studying at the Guildhall School has been a life-changing and unforgettable adventure

Rebekah Carpio
MMus Clarinet (Orchestral Artistry)

Rebekah Carpio
Working in pairs during the MA has helped me developer a deeper understanding of how opera composers work and how to spark their imaginations with a libretto.

Zoe Palmer (writer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

Zoe Palmer (writer)
The relationship between the Barbican, BBC, and Guildhall is absolutely invaluable as it provides opportunities for students that cannot be found elsewhere.

Emiko Edwards
MPerf Piano

Emiko Edwards
Writing music for theatre has been a highlight of my time at Guildhall, as it has allowed me to explore an art form in which I have a great amount of interest and to work towards a professional finished product.

Alexander Hall
BMus Composition

Alexander Hall
Barbican is a key partner of Guildhall, and we can often get artists who perform there to do a masterclass or project with us, and we often do performances at Barbican events.

Ieva Vaitiekunaite
BMus Electronic Music

Ieva Vaitiekunaite
Whether it is in sit-in rehearsals, side-by-side projects or chamber orchestra sessions, the LSO players offer invaluable guidance and provide a glimpse of the exceptional standards we aspire towards.

Rees Webster
MPerf Oboe (Orchestral Artistry)

Rees Webster
I was excited to cover a role in the UK premiere of Andrew Norman's 'A Trip to the Moon' in the Barbican, have a solo recital at LSO St Luke's and also to sing on the stage of Wigmore Hall.

Mirjam Mesak
MPerf Vocal Studies

Mirjam Mesak
I knew about the fantastic tutoring and resources, but the friendly and stimulating environment clinched it for me.

Eden Lonsdale
BMus Composition

Eden Lonsdale
I had the opportunity to play percussion with the Guildhall Studio Orchestra which gave me the chance to learn from, and play alongside, amazing senior players, as well as to perform with the incredible Liane Carroll.

Dave Adsett
BMus Jazz Drums

Dave Adsett
Guildhall is an institution that knows it has to be connected to the outside world - that's the key thing. It's not a bubble. It has roots in the city and in the world.

Jonathan Ferrucci
Artist Diploma Piano

Jonathan Ferrucci
One minute you could be playing in the Guildhall Studio Orchestra with jazz musicians, the next you could be playing in the opera pit, then the next minute you'll b e with actors doing the musical and then playing a symphony in the orchestra.

Millie Ashton
BMus Violin

Millie Ashton
The departmental philosophy of returning opera back to something that is essentially produced as part of a company is a really great thing.

Klara Kofen (writer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

Klara Kofen (writer)
The quality of teaching is amazingly high. With the guidance and help that I've been given, I feel my work has got dramatically better over a short space of time.

Lucy Armstrong (composer)
MA Opera Making and Writing

Lucy Armstrong (composer)
I set up a piano trio when I arrived, and we have weekly coaching with members of the Endellion Quartet and the faculty. It has been very rewarding.

Leo Popplewell
MMus Cello

Leo Popplewell
It seemed like this was a place to go and experience a complete world of art and performance and see what happened - a place that really encouraged you to make things that you want to make.

Vittorio Angelone
BMus Percussion

Vittorio Angelone
Home > Music > Courses > Postgraduate > Guildhall Artist Programme > Composition

Composition

MMus/MComp in Composition (Guildhall Artist Masters)


Introduction to the programme

About the programme

Guildhall School offers some of the most stimulating and creative training for composers in the UK. Studying Composition at Guildhall Artist Masters level prepares you for professional life as a composer. It allows you to explore and refine your individual artistic voice within the collaborative atmosphere of a busy, modern conservatoire, while also giving you the space for self-reflection. 

The programme centres around weekly one-to-one Principal Study lessons. You will be allocated to one of the Department’s distinguished Faculty of composers, who will guide your creative participation on core projects across the year. The outcomes of core projects are all workshopped, rehearsed, publicly performed and recorded. Weekly composition seminars and open sessions support technical, aesthetic and professional development, and a choice of elective modules support specific aspects of your development.

Part One (MMus)

Part One of the programme is centred around weekly one-to-one Principal Study lessons and participation in five creative projects. A range of elective choices complement compositional study and development.

While compositional activity will take up most of your study time, you can also take classes in electronic music and writing for film and television. You can pursue these areas further within the elective programme, which also offers elective modules in areas including performance, jazz and improvisation, aesthetics and analytical or historical research.

The programme is built around a central strand of weekly seminars, in which both staff and visiting composers lead discussion and score analysis of recent contemporary music. An eclectic mix of composers, musicologists, performers and music administrators cover a range of practical and theoretical topics.

Recent visiting composers include John Adams, Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Michael Finnissy, Rozalie Hirs, Michel van der Aa, Claudia Molitor, James MacMillan, Howard Skempton, Jennifer Walshe and Alwynne Pritchard. Prominent publishers, copyists and administrators also offer practical insights into the music business.

Creative and collaborative opportunities

There is a focus on the collaborative nature of compositional practice, and the Department benefits from a number of long-standing external partnerships including with London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Recent projects have included generating new work for Plus-Minus Ensemble, EXAUDI and Voiceworks at Wigmore Hall, as well as work with choreographers and dancers from LCDS performed at The Place. See the Composition Principal Study pages for further information on departmental opportunities.

In addition to coursework, we encourage students to take advantage of the many creative and collaborative opportunities Guildhall School has to offer. These might include working on one of the Drama Department’s many productions, collaborating with the jazz students or developing new work with postgraduate performers and singers.The School’s New Music Society, New Music Ensemble and annual projects with the vocal ensemble EXAUDI, new music specialists PlusMinus and City Chamber Choir all provide excellent platforms for public performance.

The Department has enjoyed strong links with the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme, LSO SoundHub, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composer programme, which have all featured Guildhall composers. 

Part Two (MComp)

After successful completion of Part One and on achieving the required grades, students may opt to progress to Part Two (MComp). 

During this year, you will be supported to develop three projects across the year including the Creative Platform, an opportunity to curate and produce your own event. There is also the option to write for chamber orchestra, with players drawn from the LSO working alongside instrumentalists from Guildhall’s Orchestral Artistry programme. 

During Part Two, creative projects are developed and designed by students themselves, with a greater degree of curatorial freedom; in Part One, projects are set, designed and provided by the Department. 

Extended Guildhall Artist programme

Students who are enrolled on the Extended Guildhall Artist programme will need to pass an introductory year before progressing to Part One. See the Guildhall Artist Masters page for further details.

Find out more

Visit our Music pages for further information on teaching staff, audition requirements, open days and how to apply.

Postgraduate Funding Support

Find out more about government financial support that is available for this programme.