The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama today announced its new Promise strategy. As the National Conservatoire of Wales it promises to extend its reach and impact, and further transform its offer to students, celebrating its 75th birthday in 2024 as a world-leading creative skills hub.
Promise will be backed by a sustainable investment plan which the College has already put in place and by a £5 million fund-raising campaign to support specific goals. The ambition of the strategy has already inspired The Mosawi Foundation to donate the first lead gift of £1m, the largest single philanthropic gift received in the College’s history.
‘The potential of future generations is central to government strategy in Wales and the arts have a recognised part to play, contributing to the economic growth and recovery of cities from the pandemic, as well as being a vital positive force for well-being and creativity, impacting powerfully on individual lives and communities,‘ said RWCMD Principal Professor Helena Gaunt. ‘Working with a constant flow of young artists from all over the world, the Royal Welsh College is uniquely positioned to contribute significantly to Wales’ global reputation as a creative nation, while making sure that the benefits it offers also reach widely and deeply across the whole country.
Over the next five years, while excellence and performance will always remain at the heart of everything we do, we will become a different kind of conservatoire, one that is more relevant, diverse, accessible, connected and engaged. Through broader and deeper opportunities to engage in the arts, we promise to be part of the nation’s recovery from Covid-19 and to focus on long term means of improving well-being and social inclusion and delivering economic impact for Wales.’
As well as highlighting the promise and potential inherent in young people, the campaign name reflects the College’s commitment to nurturing artistic talent, encouraging diversity and providing training opportunities to those who are exceptionally gifted, whatever their economic or social background.
In the next five years the College promises to:
- Double the number of scholarships it offers, establish a new Bursary Fund and increase social mobility into the arts through a new ‘pathways’ initiative
- Extend the number of people engaging with the College through its digital performance programme, wider student-led touring in Wales, and develop artistic collaborations and new partnerships across Wales and internationally
- Provide more opportunities for young people across Wales to experience the arts by re-focusing its specialist training for young people under 18, supporting the new expressive arts curriculum in the nation’s schools and training its students to be teachers and mentors
- Explore the potential for an established residency in Cardiff’s city centre, animating unused space, accommodating new courses and offering public performance and participation, particularly for school age children.
Speaking for The Mosawi Foundation, Ali Mosawi said, ‘As a family and a foundation we have been getting closer to the College over the last seven years and have been inspired by the resilience, creative vision and determination of its leadership at this time and, always, by the talented young people that flow in and through its doors.
