Celebrating 10 years of the International Benchmarking Group

Earlier this month, staff and students from some of the world’s top conservatoires travelled to the RNCM to celebrate a decade of the International Benchmarking Group. 

With a primary aim to enhance the professional and personal development of young musicians through the sharing of best practice, the IBG brings together nine leading conservatoires who strive to remain at the forefront of music education.  

Founded by the RNCM in 2012, members include the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), Barcelona, Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneva (Switzerland), College of Music, Mahidol University (Thailand), New England Conservatory (USA), Norwegian Academy of Music (Norway), Royal Conservatoire, The Hague (The Netherlands), Sydney Conservatorium (Australia), and University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz (Austria). 

To mark this special 10th anniversary, Principals of all nine institutions discussed a range of topics on the common challenges and opportunities faced by conservatoires as they emerge from the pandemic and reimagine the future of education and training. 

The collaboration culminated in a concert by the 21C Global Orchestral comprising students from Australia, Austria, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands and the USA who joined those from the RNCM to explore the potential of what an orchestra can be in the 21st century, bringing together singing, improvisation and works with flexible instrumentation. 

20 July 2022