Performance and Collaboration

Studying music at an internationally-renowned conservatoire means you can become immersed in a world of performance from day one.

Performances, Ensembles & Masterclasses

Whatever your instrument or specialism, Guildhall School provides a host of opportunities for you to perform, record and collaborate (and if you’re a composer, to hear your own works performed).

full studio orchestra

Public performances

Each year, Guildhall presents over 100 public performances of student concerts, opera and recitals. These feature Guildhall musicians from all courses and year groups. Some concerts are streamed online, and many are reviewed by critics from the national press.

For an overview of these exciting performance opportunities, visit our events listings.

Joshua Weilerstein conducting during a Guildhall Chamber Orchestra rehearsal

Ensembles

There is a vast array of Guildhall ensembles, from the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, New Music Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra to wind ensembles, brass bands and chamber groups. You will also find dedicated ensembles for jazz, opera and historical performance, and you can form your own groups.

Guildhall singer performs in Songs at Six with piano accompanist

Competitions

You will have the chance to enter numerous internal and external competitions, the most prestigious of which is the Gold Medal, the School’s most significant music prize (previous winners include Jacqueline du Pré, Tasmin Little and Bryn Terfel).

For news of recent prizewinners, see our Principal Study pages.

Strings musicians in a masterclass with Takacs Quartet

Masterclasses

In keeping with our global credentials, Guildhall plays host to masterclasses from international visiting artists. These are free to attend and often open to public audiences. Our partnerships with the Barbican and the LSO also lead to regular masterclasses and artist conversations.

For news of recent masterclasses, see our Principal Study pages.

Guildhall Studio Orchestra on stage in Milton Court Concert Hall for a rehearsal

Our facilities and venues

Our Milton Court Concert Hall is the largest conservatoire concert hall in London, with state of the art acoustics and technical facilities. Solo recitals, chamber music and medium-sized orchestral performances all take place here. Opera productions are staged in the Silk Street Theatre, a large, flexible theatre space with orchestra pit, and also occasionally in Milton Court Theatre. Other venues include a smaller Music Hall, a Lecture Recital Room and a performance space in Sundial Court, especially suitable for jazz. 

As a Guildhall musician, you will have access to over 80 solo practice studios, several medium-sized ensemble rooms, electronic music studios and recording facilities. The recording studio and performance spaces are used for workshops, portfolio recordings and CD/DVD production to fully professional standards. 

Explore our facilities and venues

Prizes, Recitals & Partners

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra perfom in the Barbican Hall

Collaborative Programmes

All of our work at Guildhall is shaped by collaboration. We collaborate internally across disciplines and departments, and with many external organisations.

Explore our partnerships.

Tom Mole holding the music gold medal

The Gold Medal

Guildhall School’s premier music prize was founded and endowed by Sir H. Dixon Kimber in 1915 and since the 1950s it has been open to singers and instrumentalists in alternate years.

Close up of pianist's hands

Guildhall Wigmore Recital Prize

In 2009 the Guildhall School and Wigmore Hall started an annual collaboration, the Guildhall Wigmore Prize, which would enable an outstanding Guildhall student to make a solo Wigmore Hall recital debut.

Singer and pianist in black dresses in Milton Court

Guildhall School Artists Recitals

Guildhall School Artists regularly perform recitals in prestigious venues across London, such as the Barbican Centre, Kings Place, Wigmore Hall and the Southbank Centre.

Collaboration

Cross-arts collaborations

Collaboration is a major part of our approach. If you join us as an undergraduate, you will work with students in the Drama and Production Arts departments during the first year workshop project. Every undergraduate Music student at Guildhall School is also trained to work collaboratively in community settings. 

Wider performance opportunities

Our location in the heart of the City and our partnerships with the Barbican and the LSO mean we offer exciting performance opportunities in some of the capital’s finest venues. The Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform regularly in the 2,000-seat Barbican Hall, while chamber musicians give recitals there as part of the acclaimed LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists series. The Barbican’s Church of St Giles Cripplegate and LSO St Luke’s are also regularly used for performances. We perform across London in venues such as Kings Place, Wigmore Hall and the Southbank Centre.

Further afield, we regularly perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Additionally, students get involved in Guildhall School’s extensive programme of outside engagements. These are paid events, where students perform at company and corporate functions, wedding services, receptions and family occasions, and deliver full recitals and concerto performances for music clubs and societies. 

Find out more