Catriona Nunn James Williams, Director of the Royal College of Music, reflects on how his diverse musical experiences at York led to his current role, prior to which he was Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Alumni Voices spoke to James about the importance of making orchestral music accessible to modern audiences and how we can support the development of young musicians.
“In all honesty, I hadn’t really decided upon a career in orchestras or education. I knew I wanted to do something within music from a very early age. I remember seeing the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in concert when I was about seven years old, performing Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta – which is an extraordinary large-scale orchestral work including an army of brass players – and this experience clearly sparked within me a desire to want to pursue a career associated with music. However until I was at University, I had little understanding about the wide range of career opportunities that existed within music. Since graduating, orchestras have always played a really important part of my life and I have been extremely fortunate to gain a lot of experience in professional contexts through the various jobs that I’ve done.”
What were your fondest memories being at the University of York?
“I think my fondest memory of being at the University of York was the freedom we had in the Department of Music to stage concerts and productions that reflected our own interests. Working with such a diverse range of music students, each of whom arrived with their own musical and cultural perspectives, provided an infinite range of possibilities which we were actively encouraged to explore. The university had fantastic facilities and it was constantly stimulating to be involved in discovering new musical sound worlds and performance practice I had previously not known even existed.
We were encouraged to be brave and curious, never afraid to step outside of our comfort zones and try something new (which sometimes led to failure!); this spirit of discovery and exploration formed the core characteristics of York’s music degree course. Moreover, the ethos for embracing all genres of music has served me well in my career: at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, we’ve performed music from the core symphonic tradition through to video game and film music working with some of the biggest names such as Studio Ghibli, as well as performing with rock and pop legends including Rod Stewart to Diana Ross. Staging our own performances, I was very fortunate at the University of York to gain a lot of practical experience of both music education and promotion, which unbeknown to me, has set me up well for my current career. Beyond my degree course, I was encouraged to sit on the Concerts Committee that decided upon the Music Department’s public performance programmes and I learned a great deal from professors and external consultants on the complex art of artistic programming and audience development. In fact, I obtained my first job with the music education charity ‘Live Music Now’ as a direct result of professional contacts made through that committee. Education has always provided a strong driver throughout my career, and via roles at the Royal Northern College of Music and subsequently over the past 16 years leading major education initiatives with both the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras in London, it feels a natural progression now to return full time to music education in my new role as Director of the Royal College of Music.”
As the outgoing Managing Director of a renowned orchestra, how did you approach the balance between preserving classical traditions and exploring innovative Musical Expressions?
“At the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) we didn’t talk about ‘classical music’; instead, we talked about ‘orchestral music’ because we considered the wide spectrum of music we performed, to extend far beyond what people might associate as ‘classical’ music. The RPO has an enviable reputation performing soundtracks from the worlds of film and video games alongside collaborations with leading musical icons from the rock and pop world. The term ‘orchestral music’ appeals to a much broader audience and once you accept that definition, actually the opportunities become infinite. We found that we could bring new audiences to live orchestral concerts through initiatives such as live soundtrack performances accompanying screenings at the Royal Albert Hall of iconic films series, including the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series. For many audience members, this might be their first experience of attending a concert and hearing an orchestra live and it’s heartening to hear and see their reaction. For me, this provides a gateway for each audience member to start their journey with orchestral music and it is our responsibility to help signpost them onto other musical opportunities and to make them feel welcome and curious about other musical genres that they may not yet know about but are there to discover. Partly it’s about dismantling the preconceptions many people have in their mind about classical and symphonic music; for example, it is in fact not such a leap from John Williams’ score to Star Wars to listening to Gustav Holst’s vivid and colourful orchestral work The Planets.
The audience is key when deciding upon orchestral programmes and like a really good meal, you want to have good variety within a Season. There are a number of symphonic works that we know are very popular from a box office perspective (particularly important for ensuring a healthy balance sheet), but part of our responsibility as programmers extends beyond simply delighting audiences, and includes surprising them and feeding their curiosity. Classical music has made significant progress over the past decade diversifying the canon and thankfully we can now hear many more female composers and composers from global majority backgrounds featured in programmes, though there is still much work still to be done. Many people coming to orchestral music for the first time don’t arrive with preconceived tastes, and therefore you can often be more adventurous with new audiences than you can with existing audiences who may have already decided the parameters for what they will and won’t listen to. Within every programme, we have always tried to include something that will spark curiosity and surprise our audiences and feed the creative appetite of the RPO’s musicians. Through the RPO’s consumer research, we know audiences are growing for orchestral music and that the appetite, particularly among younger audiences, is expanding year on year so I feel massively positive for the future of orchestral music.”
Looking ahead to your new role at the Royal College of Music, what’s going to be on your priority list when you start?
“Thanks to the dedicated work of so many of the Royal College of Music’s (RCM) staff and students, the College is in wonderful shape, reflected by its recognition as Global Number 1 performing arts institution in the QS World University Rankings for the third consecutive year.
However, there are some real challenges on the horizon, not least the inequity in access for young people from the UK to high quality music education in schools. We have to acknowledge that in order to be an elite musician, a young person needs to have access to musical opportunities early on in their education, enabling a young person to realise their musical talents through high quality teaching and performance opportunities. One of my key responsibilities as the RCM’s new Director, will be to advocate passionately for the reinstatement of these opportunities as part of every young person’s education, regardless of their background and personal circumstances. This will require a refreshed and joined up approach between performing arts organisations, tertiary level education institutions, music education hubs and schools to ensure that the talent is not lost through lack of opportunity or a postcode lottery. I strongly believe that talent is everywhere but the opportunity is not; we simply have to address head on this injustice and with a sense of urgency.
Whilst facilitating better access to music education is important, it is also vital to raise awareness of the value a music education brings to a young person’s wider academic attainment and to champion the many opportunities that already exist. One of the major hurdles we face is that the education system is so skewed towards prioritising the STEM subjects; what I’d like to advocate for is STEAM, the ‘A’ representing the ‘Arts’ which in turn we know provides skills for driving wider academic attainment. Whilst understanding that schools are under immense pressure to improve academic attainment, the irony is that skills learned through music education action such critical thinking, creativity, heightened forms of communication and collaborative problem solving go hand in hand with improving a young person’s wider academic standards.”
The Royal College of Music is an institution with a long-standing history of musical excellence, rooted in tradition. How do you see this evolving in line with our ever-changing society?
“The RCM has a proud tradition for combining heritage and innovation and it is constantly evolving its programmes, embracing new technologies and using research for the benefit of wider society. I see the role of a modern day conservatoire more as a musical chemistry laboratory than a musical finishing school, where students and staff can be encouraged to challenge and expand musical horizons and contribute to the development and shaping the future of music. Digitisation has democratised access to music for billions of people around the world, and there are some exciting opportunities and challenges ahead as we see the advance of artificial intelligence and the impact this has on the music industry.
A conservatoire is perfectly placed as the fulcrum between music education and the music industry to help navigate, influence and shape this future. The RCM already has an incredible array of initiatives through its Centre for Performance Science (a partnership with our neighbour Imperial College), its research programmes and the Wolfson Centre for Music and Material Culture. We’ve been developing particular specialisms around the arts and health agenda which is becoming increasingly recognised for its efficacy for improving mental health and wellbeing, supporting the UK’s already stretched National Health Service. It’s a great example of the valuable role music can play for society and its ability to heal and unite communities.
We’re seeing our academic and performance courses evolve at the RCM, with new initiatives such as a ‘Composition for Screen’ masters degree embracing film and video game music, and a new Masters in Music Education degree, strengthening the future workforce to inspire the next generation of musicians. Alongside all these new developments, our commitment to excellence continues to shine bright and sit at the heart of everything we do.”
And finally, what advice would give an aspiring young musician considering applying to the RCM?
“The advice I would give any aspiring students who may be considering coming to the Royal College of Music is firstly, believe in yourself. Secondly, I would say it is a lot of hard work, but keep practising and thirdly, take every musical opportunity that’s presented to you – you never know where it might lead!”
