A musical interlude at world-famous college

On 26 June a small group of members, as guests of RCM estates manager Mike Mitchenall, were given a guided tour by building projects manager Matt Nicol around the new mechanical and electrical plant that services the refurbished concert hall at the famous music college. They were subsequently entertained afterwards by a concert by the Saxophone Ensemble in the hall’s comfortable air-conditioned interior. John Crawford, new branch chairman for the London branch, and an employee of consulting engineering practice the Richard Stephens Partnership, was a design team member on the recent £5 million concert hall transformation project. Only completed on 22 May this year, the project saw not only the installation of new carpeting, seating and decoration (restoring the interior to the original 1901 colour scheme), but also soundproofing, improvements to the acoustics, fitting of a new air-conditioning and temperature management system, and installation of a hi-tech new lighting and a “one touch” recording system linked to the RCM’s award-winning studios. The improvements were made possible thanks to the generosity of the RCM’s donors and supporters, and in particular the Amaryllis Fleming Foundation, with the concert hall now fittingly re-named in honour of Amaryllis Fleming, the halfsister of James Bond author Ian Fleming, who was herself a talented concertperforming cellist who trained at the RCM, and later returned to become a professor there. This summer the hall will host the BBC Proms Plus events, based on every one of this year’s BBC Proms concerts, enabling up to 12,000 visitors to experience the concert venue first-hand. Founded in 1882, and located directly opposite London’s Royal Albert Hall, the RCM is today home to some 610 students from 49 countries, and is among the world’s leading conservatoires. It provides specialist musical education and professional training to performers, conductors and composers