RNCM, located in Manchester, is one of the leading music conservatories in the world. It is one of the four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and was ranked the UK’s top conservatoire for music in The Times and The Sunday Times University league table 2020. It has received the highest Gold status in the most recent Teaching Excellence Framework and is the UK’s leading music college for research. Home to over 900 students from more than 60 countries, it is dedicated to providing an outstanding education that propels students into careers as inspiring and versatile musicians, fully equipped for exciting futures both on and off stage.

The RNCM has a rich and varied history, beginning with the establishment of the Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM) in the late 19th century. In 1858, Sir Charles Hallé founded the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, and by the early 1890s had raised the idea of a college of music in the city. Following an appeal for support and subscriptions, a building on Ducie Street was secured, Hallé was appointed Principal, and Queen Victoria conferred the Royal title. Less than four decades later, in 1920, the Northern School of Music (NSM) was established (initially as a branch of the Matthay School of Music), and for many years the two institutions peacefully coexisted. In fact, it wasn't until 1955 that the NSM Principal, Hilda Collens, in recognizing the importance of performance in training students, met with RMCM Principal, Frederic Cox, to raise the question of merging. Discussions continued until September 1967 when a Joint Committee was formed to oversee plans to combine the two colleges. The Royal Northern College of Music was formed in 1972, moving to its purpose-built home on Oxford Road in 1973, where it continues to deliver world-class musical training. The RNCM continues the good tradition of its predecessors, the RMCM and the NSM, to be acknowledged worldwide for its exciting and innovative approach to teaching and research. Since October 1973, shortly after granting the prefix 'Royal' to the newly formed Northern College of Music, Queen Elizabeth II consented to become RNCM's official Patron, with the Duchess of Kent adopting the role of President.

As the fifth largest art center in the UK, where 450 to 500 performances are hosted each year, RNCM has always been the preferred performance venue and art institution for artists around the world. It is the main gathering place for all kinds of music styles such as classical, jazz, rock, pop, country music, folk music, and so on. Supported by a diverse artistic program, RNCM provides opportunities that include everything from large orchestral projects and cross-school collaborations to full-scale opera productions, intimate chamber concerts, and solo recitals. 

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