Our graduates make their mark

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The College had promised that students would be rewarded with a proper graduation and it kept its word. By the end of the year it had held in-person graduation ceremonies for the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022. The 2022 cohort was the largest ever.

Impact across industry and the world

Graduate Amy Wadge, who is also an Honorary Fellow and ongoing supporter of the College, played a key creative role in the UK’s long-awaited Eurovision Song Contest success story. Amy co-wrote the UK entry with Sam Ryder, securing Eurovision’s return to the UK in 2023.

RWCMD success went from strength to strength this year. Graduate of 2020 Callum Scott Howells was nominated for a Bafta and won Best Actor at RTS Awards for his role as Colin in Russell T Davies’ It’s A Sin.

RWCMD Design graduates secured six of the 12 coveted places for the Linbury Prize for Stage Design – the design world’s most prestigious award for emerging talent. Half of all finalists over the last four Linbury Prize years have been from RWCMD.

Anjana Vasan was Bafta nominated for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme, for Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts. Both Callum and Anjana also won Royal Television Society awards for the same performances.

Impact

Designer – and Olivier Award nominee –Gabriella Slade won a prestigious Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her sensational designs for the smash hit musical Six. Fellow graduate and RWCMD tutor Dominic Bilkey, who is also Head of Sound and Video at National Theatre, was Tony nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play for The Lehman Trilogy

Composition graduate Joanne Higginbottom, now based in LA, wrote music for Primal –an Emmy-winning series. With no dialogue, music was key to the storytelling.

Brass Band in residence Cory Band were again crowned European Brass Band champions for 2022. Music and arts management graduate

Toks Dada joined the Southbank as Head of Classical Music, shaping the venue to reflect classical music today, and to make it more accessible.

MA Opera graduate, and winner of the Sir Ian Stouzker Prize, Elena Zamudio, reached the final of the Kathleen Ferrier award, performing at the Wigmore Hall, London. Elena performed for King Charles, then Prince of Wales, when he last visited the College.

Woodwind graduate Cameron Cullen performed his debut with Orchestra of St Luke’s (NYC) in Carnegie Hall.

Constanca Sims, conducting graduate, was selected as one of the Women Conductors (WOCO) programme, in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Sage Gateshead.