Menu
GUILDHALL SCHOOL

Discover Guildhall

Music Tour

Explore our Music facilities with Guildhall students

Guildhall has a unique buzz and vibe to it…a great sense of community and friendliness

Rebecca Carson
BMus Flute

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

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

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

Rebekah Carpio
MMus Clarinet (Orchestral Artistry)

The strong collaboration between departments has created a very special and supportive atmosphere

Meili Li
MMus Opera Studies

The teaching staff encourage the diversity that Guildhall is known for…there is something for everyone, regardless of style and influence

Oliver Leith
MMus Composition

Such incredible musicians and inspiring teachers and the opportunity to hear from world-class visiting artists has been invaluable

Vijay Prakash
MMus Jazz Trombone

During my time here, I organised an international conference based around my subject involving delegates from 4 continents

Emily Baines
DMus, ‘Mechanical Musical Instruments as a Source for Historical Performance’

In my first year, I was given the opportunity to play with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. We performed a number of concerts and our CD, recorded at one of those concerts, went on to win the BBC Music Magazine Award for Best Opera Recording.

Andrew McCoy
BMus Tenor Trombone

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

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

I feel that the people here really make the institution. I found Guildhall to be a really supportive environment that gave me room to explore, take risks, and mature as a mucisian, and as a human being.

Francesca Chiejina
MPerf Vocal Studies

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

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

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)

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

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

Eden Lonsdale
BMus Composition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Composition

MMus/MComp in Composition (Guildhall Artist Masters)


Introduction to the programme

  • Part One (MMus)
    one year full-time/two years part-time
  • Part Two (MComp)
    one year full-time
  • Progression to Part Two is conditional on results from Part One
  • 27 applications / 6 places*

*2015/16 data, for indicative purposes only

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 atmosphere of a busy, modern conservatoire, while also giving you space for self-reflection.

The programme is primarily practical and project-based, but you will also be supported by weekly analytical and theoretical seminars. All students are expected to meet a series of deadlines as the year progresses – essential preparation for a professional career.

Part One (MMus)

During the year, students produce a portfolio of compositions supported by a written commentary on the year’s work. These core projects include extensive workshopping opportunities and performances.

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

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. See the Composition Principal Study pages for further information on departmental opportunities.

Part Two (MComp)

Exceptional students on Part One will be given the opportunity to continue their studies into Part Two. During the year, you will independently undertake a portfolio of three substantial compositional projects alongside your one-to-one tuition, strengthening your artistic and professional development.

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.