NSM Centenary

The RNCM invites you to celebrate the centenary of Manchester’s Northern School of Music, one of our founding institutions. Full of events, new stories, hidden archives, and an original musical, it’s a celebration we’re excited to share.

Established in 1920 as the Matthay School of Music’s Manchester branch, the NSM was founded and run by women. It specialised in training music teachers up until it merged with the Royal Manchester College of Music to form the RNCM in 1973. We are incredibly proud to have it as one of our founding institutions and to celebrate its incredible legacy.

The RNCM Archives’ centenary project, A 20/20 Legacy: the centenary of the Northern School of Music will collect oral histories and archive material, inviting you to share your stories. We will digitise, catalogue and preserve the valuable collections which carry the legacy of the school, while inviting you along to a number of free events.

Get involved and share your stories

We need your help: much of the history of the NSM is unclear, the archive records are relatively sparse, and many memories have not yet been collected. Manchester is slowly forgetting the School and its stories.

Do you remember the NSM, its staff and students? Maybe you worked or studied there or attended of its many public performances? Perhaps you’d like to learn more about the project and its events?

Contact us

We would love to hear from you. To keep up to date and to get in touch, follow #NSM2020 on Twitter or contact our Archivist, Heather Roberts on [email protected]