The RNCM has launched its 2026/27 Annual Appeal, inviting supporters to help raise £200,000 for student bursaries as part of Music Needs Musicians, its ambitious new 10-year fundraising campaign.
Support the Joy Bringers is the first major public fundraising initiative under Music Needs Musicians, the RNCM’s 10-year campaign to raise £50 million by 2036 in support of students, facilities, teaching and learning opportunities, and community engagement.
The Annual Appeal focuses on one of the campaign’s central priorities: providing bursaries for talented student musicians and helping ensure financial circumstances do not stand in the way of exceptional potential. A key ambition of the campaign is to increase the proportion of RNCM students receiving financial assistance from one in three today to one in two by 2036.
What better way to begin a decade-long campaign than by celebrating and supporting the musicians who bring joy to countless others every day?
Behind every performance that moves, inspires, or uplifts us are musicians who have devoted years to developing their craft. Today’s RNCM students are tomorrow’s performers, composers, teachers, and creative leaders, who will share their music in concert halls, schools, healthcare settings, and communities around the world.
For many students, however, financial pressures can present significant barriers. The costs associated with specialist tuition, instruments, equipment, and living expenses can make it difficult to make the most of opportunities available during training. In some cases, financial hardship can even affect a student’s ability to continue their studies.
The Annual Appeal aims to raise £200,000 to provide bursary support for 100 RNCM students, helping talented musicians thrive regardless of financial circumstance. Thanks to the generous support of The Waverley Fund, every donation will be matched up to £100,000, doubling the impact of supporters’ gifts.
Bursaries can be life changing for students, relieving financial pressures, enabling them to focus on their artistic development, embrace opportunities, and realise their full potential. RNCM student Libby said: ‘None of this would have been possible without a bursary. It has allowed me to fully immerse myself in my music studies, to say yes to opportunities, and to grow in ways I will carry with me forever.’
The appeal also reflects the central idea behind Music Needs Musicians: that music’s impact on society depends on talented musicians having the opportunity to train, develop, and realise their potential. Through the campaign, the RNCM is investing not only in individual students, but in the future of musical performance, education, creativity, and community engagement.
By supporting the Annual Appeal, donors are helping ensure that exceptional young musicians can flourish, share their talent with others, and continue bringing joy, comfort, inspiration, and connection to audiences and communities for generations to come.
For more information or to donate, visit rncm.ac.uk/annualappeal.
