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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 > Principal study > Chamber Music

Chamber Music

Open to all standard chamber group combinations

Chamber Music is a postgraduate specialism for students who wish to hone their ensemble and interpretative skills in small chamber group combinations. Groups can consist of any combination of three players or more, with weekly coaching from Principal Study staff and first preference for coaching with visiting ensembles and artists. In the Keyboard and Strings Departments, students choosing to work on major duo repertoire may also be assessed.

Chamber music also forms a core strand of other Principal Study instrumental courses of study, offering almost unparalleled coaching and a wide range of performance opportunities.

Regular coaching is provided by international teaching staff and visiting chamber musicians. Though each school of study may have slightly different requirements, the core emphasis is on fostering individual engagement and responsibility within chamber groups, challenging and developing interpersonal skills, and musical dialogue.

Postgraduate

Guildhall Artist Masters (MMus/MPerf) in Performance

The main focus of the Chamber Music specialism is the enhancement of core chamber music skills. The pathway is designed for existing groups with considerable chamber music experience, with the aim of developing students’ skills to a professional level. 

In other postgraduate specialisms, chamber music is still considered a core – though non-compulsory – skill, and regular engagement is strongly encouraged. Advanced Ensemble electives provide substantial training in chamber music skills. Cross-departmental chamber work is considered as important as more traditional combinations.

Guildhall selects an exceptionally gifted young ensemble to be Chamber Music Fellows, providing them with performance opportunities and intensive coaching with international professorial staff while they develop their careers. We are delighted that this position is currently held by the Marmen String Quartet.

Activities and Ensembles

  • Regular coaching and lessons from core chamber music staff including Levon Chilingirian, Simon Rowland-Jones, Caroline Palmer, Philippa Davies, Ursula Smith, Carole Presland, Matthew Jones, Graham Sheen, Krysia Osostowicz and Richard Lester 
  • Regular coaching opportunities from visiting artists and groups 
  • Masterclasses with international visiting artists and chairs of chamber music
  • Active chamber music exchange programmes
  • Chamber music prizes offering external performance opportunities 
  • Numerous international performing opportunities for successful groups

The Hans Keller Chamber Fellows

From September 2021, The Cosman Keller Art & Music Trust will support the Chamber Fellowships offered at the School, in memory of the musician and writer Hans Keller, who taught at Guildhall in the 1980s.

At the core of the Chamber Fellowships at Guildhall is the opportunity for a young professional group with a base at the School to be inspired by Guildhall’s world renowned chamber music professors and in turn to inspire current students through performances and seminars, providing invaluable development in their careers.

The Hans Keller Chamber Fellows for the 2021-22 academic year are the Consone Quartet and The Mithras Trio.

Recent Department highlights

  • Masterclasses with Takács Quartet (International Visiting Artists), Endellion String Quartet (Visiting Quartet in Association) and Valentin Erben • Meet the Ensemble series with Gould Piano Trio, Heath String Quartet and Danish String Quartet 
  • Performance projects/side-by-side workshops with Nicholas Daniel, Andrew Marriner and Janine Jansen 
  • Public recitals involving staff/ student collaborations throughout the year and within the Guildhall Chamber Music Summer Festival 
  • Pre-London Symphony Orchestra recitals in the Barbican Hall 
  • BBC Radio 3 Total Immersion projects in Milton Court Concert Hall and in the Barbican Hall
  • Exchange performances at Mozarteum University Salzburg, McGill University Musical Chairs Chamber Music Festival, Concert Hall at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest 
  • Groundbreaking project with the ensemble Decoda, training groups in delivery of workshop skills 
  • Three annual Guildhall chamber music competitions 
  • Three-day Chamber Music Festival with student/professor collaborations featuring renowned performers from the Chamber Music faculty

Recent visiting ensembles and artists

  • Endellion Quartet - Visiting Quartet in Association
  • Takács Quartet - International Visiting Artists
  • András Keller
  • Ralf Gothoni
  • Heath Quartet
  • Gould Piano Trio
  • Danish String Quartet

Recent student and alumni successes

Ensembles from the Department have been recognised in the following competitions:

  • Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition
  • Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition
  • St Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition
  • Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition
  • Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition
  • Cavatina Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition
  • Hattori Foundation Senior Awards 
  • Martin Musical Scholarship Award
  • June Emerson Wind Music Launchpad Prize
  • Park Lane Group (PLG) Music Trust Young Artists
  • Tunnell Trust Awards
  • ChamberStudio Mentorship
  • Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT)

Find out more

Find further information on teaching staff, audition requirements, and how to apply.