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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 > Principal study > Historical Performance

Above: students and staff talk about studying Historical Performance at Guildhall

Historical Performance

Encompassing all historical wind, string, keyboard instruments and voice ranging from medieval to post-classical periods (c.1830)

Historical Performance study at the Guildhall School inspires musicians for a lifetime of creative and informed musical thinking, re-examining current attitudes to historical instruments, sources and performing practices from the Mediaeval to the Romantic. Led by Jane Booth, the Historial Performance environment nurtures creative experimentation with performance choices from the outset, affording students the opportunity to explore new avenues of interpretation grounded in historical sources and professional practice.

Focusing on the integration of artistic and academic practices, and delivered through a mixture of teaching styles (including lectures, small group seminars and one-to-one lessons/tutorials), our programmes equip students with the essential knowledge and critical skills thinking required to formulate, evaluate and challenge musical performance styles. Performing to the highest international standards, our tutors provide leadership from an historically-informed perspective across the School, offering research- and practice-led insights into a broad range of repertoire, supporting and preparing our graduates for successful and satisfying professional careers.

Our thriving partnerships with The Academy of Ancient Music and The Sixteen offer a broad range of practical opportunities, including masterclasses, audition experience and side-by-side rehearsals and performances.

Current departmental projects include Baroque Orchestra, directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk and Guildhall Vocal Consort, directed by Eamonn Dougan.

Undergraduate

BMus

At BMus level the Early Instruments Principal Study pathway is for students wishing to approach their studies from a historically-informed perspective. If you choose this Principal Study, you will explore a broad range of repertoire from medieval times to the present day through detailed investigation of the ever-changing aesthetics and contexts of the performance of western classical music. This includes sacred, secular and some popular genres. It also explores the distinct approaches to improvisation that inhabit all periods and styles. The performer-as-creator dimension is applied thoughtfully, drawing on texts and source material from each successive period of musical history.

As you progress through the four years, the focus of the programme changes to embrace and build on the knowledge and skills acquired through your study. You can choose to specialise exclusively in period instruments or to mix period and modern. Collaboration is also encouraged and you can work with other departments to push boundaries and explore new possibilities. You will receive specialist individual and group tuition on historical playing and/or singing styles and develop bespoke research skills (for example, accessing and using specialist archival sources and organological approaches).

Provision for second study and ensemble experience is also available.

Read more about the BMus programme structure.

Postgraduate

Guildhall Artist Masters (MMus/MPerf) in Performance

Study at this level is aimed at graduates (both university and conservatoire) with an interest in exploring the creative potential of specialised performing techniques. Students focus on the music, instruments and documentary sources of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic periods. The postgraduate programmes are also suitable for those modern instrumentalists with an interest in diversifying their command of period playing styles.

The combination of specialist tuition and detailed guidance in research techniques enables you to approach music in a historically-informed manner. It also allows you to support your high-level performance skills with in-depth academic knowledge. You will be given unique opportunities to explore the contrasting sound worlds of different musical periods and develop expertise in diverse playing styles and apply them creatively.

Read more about our Masters in Performance.

MPhil/DMus, MPhil/PhD

Read more about our research programmes.

Activities and ensembles

  • Guildhall Consort – Eamonn Dougan
  • Guildhall Baroque Orchestra – Pavlo Beznosiuk
  • Guildhall Cantata Project – James Johnstone
  • Baroque Opera Scenes – Victoria Newlyn and Liz Marcus
  • Guildhall Cornett & Sackbutt Ensemble – Jeremy West/Emily White
  • Guildhall Classical Winds – Jane Booth
  • Guildhall Double Reeds – Gail Hennessy
  • Guildhall Recorder Consort – Professor Ian Wilson
  • Guildhall Viol Consort – Liam Byrne
  • Guildhall Lutes & Voices
  • Guildhall Renaissance Band – Liam Byrne
  • Guildhall Medieval Ensemble – Dr Jon Banks
  • Masterclasses with international artists
  • Specialist source classes in Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical period performance practice and historical techniques
  • Research skills, repertoire exploration, notational principles, tunings and temperaments, performance skills, baroque gesture and movement

Associations

Our new association with the Academy of Ancient Music (AAM, Associate Ensemble at the Barbican Centre) offers students an enticing package of activities including masterclasses with AAM principal players, audition preparation and side-by-side ensemble workshops. The partnership also allows access to major artists working with the AAM, to AAM open rehearsals and to Q&A sessions and networking opportunities. Read more about our partnership with the AAM.

Guildhall Consort is the School’s elite vocal ensemble, and has performed at St Martin-in-the-Fields, BBC Radio 3, Southbank Centre and the Barbican, is directed by Eamonn Dougan, Assistant Conductor for The Sixteen and offers unrivalled opportunities for refining vocal ensemble techniques, performing music from Victoria, Palestrina and Schütz through Bach, Schumann, Stravinsky and Arvo Pärt. Regular Baroque Cantata Projects are directed by James Johnstone.

See our departmental highlights, successes & alumni

Find out more

You can find teaching staff, audition requirements, open days and how to apply.