Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

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Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD
0161 907 5200
RNCM
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Defining the future of music for 50 years, the RNCM attracts talented young musicians from all around the world, helping them to forge incredible careers in the industry. Concurrently the College provides Manchester with a diverse, explorative, and bold public programme of events showcasing standout students as well as musicians working on the international stage.

Constructed in 1972, RNCM was an amalgamation of Sir Charles Hallé’s 19th Century Royal Manchester College of Music and the Northern School of music, a mere stripling in comparison (it was set up in 1920). Now, it is home to a modern concert hall, revamped to the tune of £7 million in 2014 by architect Ian Palmer. “We wanted the audience to be fully immersed in the performance as if suspended in an Escher painting,” said Palmer about the revamp. “What we have created is a spatial Rubik’s cube that will allow the college to expand its repertoire, confident of a venue that is beautiful, technically outstanding and, most significantly, maintains its unique acoustic qualities.”

The 40-year-old concert hall is now a high tech facility, and includes a balcony, lighting and raised floor — a fantastic spot to watch the breathlessly packed programme of events that the College hosts each and every season. As a venue, The Royal Northern College of Music also boasts a 607-capacity black box theatre, one of the largest in the city, and a 150-seater Forman Lecture Theatre.

What's on near Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

jonathan schofield giving tour
Until
Manchester
The Kimpton Clocktower Tour

Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

From £20
Commons at SODA
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Commons at SODA

Commons is a programme of openly accessible, interactive events led by digital artists, showcasing the nuances of our interactions with tech.

Free entry
FestivalsManchester
Universally Manchester Festival

Head to the University of Manchester on Saturday 14 June for this year’s Universally Manchester Festival, a one-day event packed with inspiring Bee Curious talks, interactive science activities, creative sessions,…

Free entry

Where to go near Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

Culture Guides

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Isabel Galleymore in conversation
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.