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#RWCMDCreative: The College is Back

9 October 2020

There may now be one-way systems and hand sanitisers everywhere you look, but the RWCMD show is well and truly back on the road, and it’s wonderful to hear music and performance ringing around our beautiful performance spaces once again.

What a first few weeks it’s been – here are just some of the many highlights. Don’t forget to tag us with #RWCMDCreative to help us to find you!

Last week we were hugely honoured to be asked to join an amazing list of guest speakers supporting our partners Race Council Cymru to launch Black History Wales.

This year long celebration has grown from the annual Black History Month, using the creative arts to promote a better understanding of black history and to change perspectives on black culture.

This joyous online celebration was led by the founder of Race Council Cymru and the College’s Hodge International Chair of Diversity, Professor Uzo Iwobi.

She talked about their support for the College’s diversity initiatives as it works to become more and more inclusive on its journey to promote equality, before introducing Director of Drama Performance Jonathan Munby (at 1.44 on the video above).

Jonathan then introduced our new Writer in Residence Chinonyerem Odimba:

The BBC Radio Wales Arts Show welcomed us back with a special feature length episode. As well as showcasing our new role as Europe’s first Steinway Exclusive Conservatoire, presenter Nicola Heywood-Thomas talked to Principal Helena Gaunt, Director of Music Tim Rhys-Evans, and Jonathan Munby about the future of performance training and the College’s exciting and innovative plans in facing the challenges of training under Covid.

You can listen to the whole episode here: BBC Radio Wales Arts Show: RWCMD The Show Must Go On 

Of course in these first weeks back the top priority has been to make everyone feel safe and welcomed – especially our first year students. Our new induction fortnight aimed to bring them into our College community, showing the new ways of working and helping them to get to know their fellow students and academic teams.

This included a week of workshops led by Tonic Theatre, engaging in collaborative empowerment sessions, focusing on acknowledging and celebrating difference and examining power, respect and boundaries.

Getting back to training it’s important that our students can continue to make productions and engage with an exciting range of guest artists and live performance – and diolch yn fawr to all our students, staff and visiting artists for all your understanding, patience and support in helping us to do that.

Design for Performance students have been thrown straight into it as usual, with first year and MA students working on their paper sculpture installations – turning our southern foyer into an aviary of huge birds.

Here’s first year design student George to tell you all about it:

The south foyer aviary. Photos: Kirsten McTernan

In other design news to start the term: Design for Performance grad and Linbury Prize winner Rose Revitt has won The Stage Debut Award for Best Designer:

Llongyfarchiadau as well to acting grad Mari Izzard who was nominated in the best writing category for her debut play, Hela at The Other Room, the first time a Welsh play has been up for that category.

Bringing together design and music is Flying Bedroom, an immersive theatre company made up of music, composition and design students. We’ll be following their project as it grows wings…

Amserjazztime kicked off the term in its inimitable laid back Friday evening style, live streaming from the Carne foyer. Catch up with the ones you’ve missed while waiting for next week’s tunes – now from its new home on YouTube.

Our series of masterclasses continues as usual. We’re obviously having to approach it a little differently now but we’re still bringing world class artists to the College to work directly with our students.

The visiting artists are also performing to limited numbers of physically distanced staff and students – with those who can’t get into the concert hall watching via live streaming into the foyer.

Our general audience can catch many of these performances a few days later as part of our digital programme (see details below).

We introduced our new oboe students to the Dora stage…

And Brass is back – look out for more performances coming up:

The College’s blended learning approach means that while some of the classes take place in the College others are taking place online, bringing more people together:

And composition is back and ready to start creating:

Our Arts Management learned about the future of arts teaching in Wales from Arts Council Wales:

And as always, what keeps it all going is the excitement and creativity of our inspirational students: Croeso bawb.

Welcome back…

 

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2nd year here we go! #rwcmd #rwcmdcreative #actor #headshots #singer

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Look out for exciting news about our drama productions in the next few weeks.

Find out more about our courses go to our website www.rwcmd.ac.uk/study  and keep up to date with all things RWCMD by following #RWCMDCreative.

To watch our recorded performances go to our Whats On page for more details.

Feature photo: Kirsten McTernan

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Getting Back to Performance: A New Way of Working Together

RWCMD: The first Steinway Exclusive Conservatoire in the World