John Barry scholarship becoming a reality

Press Release
Last summer, to a packed Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed an emotional memorial tribute to five-time Oscar winning composer, John Barry, all under the watchful eye of renowned conductor and RCM alumnus Nicholas Dodd. The strategy was twofold: celebrate the work and life of a great man who had provided the score for no less than one hundred and twenty five films (twelve of them Bond films), and use the proceeds to establish The John Barry Scholarship for Film Composition at the Royal College of Music.

The Composition for Screen masters course is a two year programme, and a popular one at that. “We will get around fifty to eighty applications per course,” explains Area Leader in Composition for Screen, Vasco Hexel. The applicants are eventually whittled down to just ten. Of those ten, just three are chosen to go before the scholarship panel (which includes John’s wife Laurie Barry and Barbara Broccoli) until eventually one final candidate emerges. The course attracts some of the most talented young film composers from around the world, many of whom have gone on to score major films in Hollywood and Europe.

“It’s the first time we have had a dedicated scholarship for the course” adds Hexel, “and it covers all costs, including living expenses, which is rare, and counts even if you are a student from outside the EU.”

For further details on the Masters Programme in Composition for Screen At the Royal College of Music, visit www.rcm.ac.uk/screen

If you would like to make a donation to the John Barry Scholarship for Film Composition, please contact Nicholas Selman, Development Manager (Scholarships & Academic Awards) at the Royal College of Music: +44 (0)20 7591 4320 or nicholas.selman@rcm.ac.uk

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