Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Names Honorary Fellows

Violinist, curator, and composer Rakhi Singh is among the five artists who were honored

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff, Wales will honor five fellows at its graduation ceremony on July 7.

Born in rural Wales to an English mother and an Indian father, Rakhi Singh is the founder of the Manchester Collective — which has completed residencies at the Southbank, St George’s Bristol, and The White Hotel Salford. They have also made their debut Proms performance, performing works by the likes of Julius Eastman, Dobrinka Tabakova, and Edmund Finnis.

A champion of new music, Singh has collaborated with figures such as Steve Reich, Hiromi, and Phillip Glass, and has been guest leader of ensembles such as the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Singh is also a composer, and her large-scale work Written in Fire received its premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival.

The other four artists selected as Honorary Fellows are Lisa Burger CBE (previously executive director and joint chief executive of the National Theatre) Jonny Cotsen (writer, performance artist, and creative access consultant to the arts), Philip Harper (arranger, composer, and musical director of the College’s Brass Band in Residence, the Cory Band), and Ursula Jones OBE (co-founder of the English Chamber Orchestra and former manager of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble).

"A huge welcome to our new Fellows — each of them a visionary and innovator in their field," said RWCMD Principal Helena Gaunt. "Coming from major institutions like the National Theatre and Cory Band, to breakthrough initiatives like Manchester Collective, they offer immediate inspiration for the College community."

"Their distinctive excellence and bold thinking are wonderful examples of just what we need as we continue the journey to transform professional training for the future and enable emerging artists to make a real difference as they step onto a global stage."