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 over 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.

Film still
CinemaManchester
Faust: A German Folk Legend at RNCM

F. W. Murnau’s silent-era masterpiece Faust: A German Folk Legend gets the big screen treatment at the RNCM, with a live improvised organ score.

From £12.00
Promotional image of Branford Marsalis playing saxophone
MusicManchester
RNCM Autumn Season

The RNCM unleashes a season of daring stories, fearless players and performances ranging from jazz and opera to film scores and full-blown orchestral spectacle.

From £8

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

Promotional image of Branford Marsalis playing saxophone
MusicManchester
RNCM Autumn Season

The RNCM unleashes a season of daring stories, fearless players and performances ranging from jazz and opera to film scores and full-blown orchestral spectacle.

From £8
Film still
CinemaManchester
Faust: A German Folk Legend at RNCM

F. W. Murnau’s silent-era masterpiece Faust: A German Folk Legend gets the big screen treatment at the RNCM, with a live improvised organ score.

From £12.00
Emergency 25 at Contact
TheatreManchester
Emergency 25 at Contact

Manchester’s annual micro-marathon of live art takes over Contact with bold performances, installations and interventions. Pay What You Decide.

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

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.