Composition alumni

Undergraduate

Segun Akinola

"My time studying at RBC was vital because I had fantastic one-on-one tutors who understood me and helped me work on my weaknesses as well as my strengths. They opened my ears to music I’d never heard before which had a lasting impact on me."

Named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit in 2017
Served as the music director and composer for Doctor Who from "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (2018) until "The Power of the Doctor" (2022)
In 2019, Akinola received a nomination at the Screen Nation Awards in the "Rising Star" category. He was nominated for his work on Black and British: A Forgotten History, Doctor Who, and Wonders of the Moon

Charlotte Bray

"I first began composing at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, having previously studied cello. There, I was given a wonderful freedom to find my own voice while being gently guided through various music and styles. This experience left me with strong foundations and the confidence to pursue a career as a composer on my own terms."

Winner of the 2019 Ivor Novello Award and 2010 RPS Composition Prize
Commissions from BBC Symphony Orchestra, ROH, LSO, and DSO Berlin
Featured at BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Verbier and more

Daniel Fardon

"RBC's Composition Department had a profound impact on my development as a music creator, collaborator, and person. The department’s uniquely open and innovative spirit—shared by both staff and students—creates an environment where artists are empowered to truly thrive."

2020 Ivor Novello Award and 2018 RPS Composition Prize winner
Commissions from LSO, BCMG, Britten Sinfonia, Carducci Quartet
Artistic director of Hackney Music Live, a charity which brings intimate and accessible concerts to the Borough of Hackney's hidden gems, celebrating world-class musicians

Rob Jones

"Looking back, my years at Birmingham Conservatoire (2011-2015) were an incredible period of growth. It wasn't just about new experiences; it was where I truly learned the power of collaboration, a skill that's become a cornerstone of my career. In fact, I credit those lessons directly with enabling me to launch Misfits Music Institute, my music charity that's now making a real difference for people across the West Midlands."

Adopt a Composer 2020 - Broadcast on BBC Radio 3
Written short opera for Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam)
Co-Founded Misfits Music Institute. Misfits Music Institute was Highly Commended in 2024 BBC Radio WM Make a Difference Awards (Community Category)
Raised over £620,000 in grant funding for community music projects in the West Midlands 2018-2025

Frank Moon

"Birmingham Conservatoire offered me the freedom on the composition course that I needed, especially the encouragement and opportunity to study different global musical cultures. This has had the biggest impact on my career - the influence of other musical cultures has been present in all my work ever since."

Composer for Royal Ballet, ROH, and international dance-theatre. Scored Salome (San Francisco Ballet) and The Metamorphosis (ROH)
Nominated for National Dance Awards for Outstanding Creative Contribution
Performs at BBC Proms, Glastonbury, Royal Opera House, and abroad

Laura Mvula

“When I arrived at Birmingham Conservatoire, I was very shy and really unsure of where I wanted to go musically and what direction I wanted to go in. Being around a lot of excited musicians who were happy to be doing what they’re doing was an amazing experience. Studying there taught me confidence.”

Two Mercury Prize-nominated albums
Won the 2017 Ivor Novello Album Award for her second album The Dreaming Room
Awarded two 2013 MOBO Awards
Composed the music for the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2017 production of Antony and Cleopatra

Benjamin Stefanski [also known as Raffertie]

"There are many aspects of my education at the Conservatoire that have shaped and remain part of my work, in a foundational, conceptual, but also in a pragmatic sense, which I feel has allowed me to have a chance at making a living in music. I think back fondly on inspiring, sometimes humbling, composition lessons that I feel helped me to have new perspectives on my own work, while also giving me confidence to pursue music."

Acclaimed electronic artist and Ivor Novello winning composer for Best Original Score
Credits include Academy nominated film ‘The Substance’, and Emmy / BAFTA winning TV show 'I May Destroy You’
Scores featured on Netflix, Amazon, and international platforms

Rosie Tunley

"The supportive staff in the Composition Department at RBC taught me that any form my music takes is valuable. As a songwriter, I felt nurtured and encouraged to pursue a career in composition both inside and outside the concert hall. This is where I discovered my love for multi-disciplinary live events - something I now produce professionally."

Debut album 'Night Creature' praised by The Quietus & Electronic Sound Magazine
Commissioned for immersive sound projects by Coventry City of Culture, Birmingham Commonwealth Games & LUSH Cosmetics
Founder of Kikimora Records, championing female & gender-expansive artists in experimental/electronic music

Postgraduate

Dr Kirsty Devaney

"My time at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was influential in shaping my creative practice. It provided a supportive environment to explore new ideas and gain valuable hands-on experience collaborating with inspiring musicians. The values and skills I developed during my undergraduate studies continue to shape my professional and creative work."

BASCA British Composer Award finalist; works broadcast on BBC Radio 3
Founder of the Young Composers Project at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Winner of the BERA Anna Craft Prize for educational research

Dr Bobbie-Jane Gardner

"Studying at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was the best decision I made for my career in music. After several years working as a professional composer in the community, my postgraduate studies gave me the knowledge, confidence and freedom to explore various new and experimental approaches to composing. I was helped to discover who I was as a composer and create an identity outside of collaborative composition."

Commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ex Cathedra, Grand Union, Heart n Soul, London Symphony Orchestra, Spitalfields Music, Onyx Brass, Persona Arts, Punch Records, the Stringcredibles, Tom Kerstens’s G Plus Ensemble, Vivid Projects and Wild Plum Arts.
Her most ambitious project was a citywide musical ode to her home town called ‘for-Wards’, working with over 800 Brummies.
Her music has been performed nationally at Cheltenham Music Festival, Birmingham’s Frontiers Festival, London Jazz Festival and internationally, including the United States.

Dr Andy Ingamells

"I came to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for my BMus and returned later to pursue a PhD, drawn by a department that genuinely welcomed experimental ideas and encouraged me test them out in galleries, nightclubs, and concert halls. That openness to collaboration across disciplines and unconventional presentation still shapes how I compose – and how I teach today at Cork School of Music in Ireland."

Collaborations with Turner Prize-winner Susan Philipsz on large-scale public artworks for Tate Britain and Station Clock (2014–2023).
Co-creator of critically acclaimed duet works with Seán Clancy and Kathryn Williams; performances broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and supported by PRSF.
Recipient of major awards and funding from PRSF, Arts Council Ireland, Help Musicians, Jerwood Foundation, and shortlisted for the George Fitzmaurice Award (2023).
Featured in The Times, The Wire, Frieze, Tempo, and Deutschlandfunk Kultur; described as “curiously life-enhancing” and “completely remarkable”.

Luke Iveson

"My time at RBC was like creative therapy, it gave me the freedom to explore beyond music, especially through contemporary music theatre, and the teaching staff supported me in connecting with other art forms that continue to influence my work today. Since studying at RBC, I’ve completed further studies in gender and queer studies, built a career as a corporate DEI consultant, performed in drag, and appeared on (and won) The Great British Sewing Bee."

Built a career as a corporate DEI consultant at Forty1, a creative employee engagement agency, working with clients across sectors including AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Nissan to develop and activate employee engagement and inclusion strategies.
Performed as a drag performer (Selma Skreams) across the UK and internationally in Germany and Spain.
Appeared on (and won) The Great British Sewing Bee season 10.

Dr Ryan Latimer

"My time as a composition student at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was truly transformative. The Conservatoire’s focus on real-world experience gave me the tools to thrive beyond study, and that foundation has been essential both to my life as a composer and to my role as a lecturer, where I strive to pass on those same values of exploration, openness and encouragement to my own students."

Works performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra , and BBC Concert Orchestra.
Nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 2024 for Pound of Cure, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia, and was a recent recipient of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists.
Described as "Allusive, sparkling and emphatically rhythmic” (The Guardian), his debut album Antiarkie reached #2 in the UK Official Charts and received 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine.

Emily Levy

"I will always be grateful for my time at RBC, where I was able to balance part-time Master’s study with freelance work. The Composition Department’s genuinely open and inclusive spirit made it such an inspiring place to listen, learn, connect with others, and create. I'd say it has helped me every day in one way or other in my work ever since."

Commissions from BBC Concert Orchestra, Streetwise Opera, City of London Sinfonia, Leeds 2023, Bradford 2025, BBC Radio 3 & 4.
Theatre work Me Without You directed by Mella Faye and co-commissioned by Britten Pears Arts, Opera North and Spitalfields Music. Composer for Ella Grey for Pilot Theatre (Offie Nomination for Best Composition for Young Audiences 2024).
Mercury Songs co-composed with Matthew Bourne for PRSF's New Music Biennial 2025 and released on NMC Recordings.

Zygmund De Somogyi

"Studying at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was by far the best creative decision I’ve ever made. Coming from a non-traditional musical background, I felt immediately embraced by the incredible community of RBC’s Composition Department, who gave me the tools to experiment with different art forms and musical mediums; as well as an openness to defy convention, and encouragement to forge your own creative path. RBC’s nurturing influence allowed me to build creative resilience as an artist, and directly led me to start PRXLUDES - a contemporary music magazine and promotional organisation dedicated to supporting early-career and emerging composers."

Music performed at Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, Cheltenham Festival, Chichester Festival Theatre, and internationally in Iceland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, USA, and Malaysia
Commissions from the Royal Philharmonic Society (2025 Composers programme), Composers Conference, Access Contemporary Music Chicago, and Arc Project, among others
Founder and artistic director of contemporary music magazine PRXLUDES; featuring interviews with over 120 composers. Recipient of a Hinrichsen Foundation Multi-Year Partnership & funding for PRS Foundation’s New Music Biennial 2025

Dr Maya Verlak

"The teachers at the RBC's composition department believed in my potential, offering the unfettered freedom and dedicated time necessary to blossom into a professional composer. The profound trust they placed in me was a powerful catalyst, empowering me with the confidence to relentlessly pursue and secure a thriving career in composition."

Commissions from Brussels Philharmonic (BE), Ensemble Klang (NL), Hermes Ensemble (BE), Nemo Ensemble (BE), Asko/Schonberg Ensemble (NL), Ensemble A.pe.ri.od.ic (USA), Ensemble Interface (DE), Apartment House (UK), International Ensemble Modern Academy (DE)
Portrait discs released on Another Timbre (UK), Ensemble Klang Records (NL) and Birmingham Record Company (UK)
Curator and co-founder of Post-Paradise concert series, (UK), PIY scores (NL), Research concert cycle (NL)