Lloyd Webber set to stand down from Conservatoire
Renowned cellist oversaw move to new base and ‘Royal’ status
CLASSICAL cellist and composer Julian Lloyd Webber is to step down as head of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
He will cease to be principal next month following a five-year period during which time he has overseen the move to a new £57 million building, and seen the organisation granted Royal status.
Lloyd Webber will, however, retain links with the Conservatoire and Birmingham City University – and has been awarded the status of Emeritus Professor.
His tenure, which started in July 2015 and comes to a close in September, has included many notable achievements, including the appointment of the Conservatoire’s first Royal patron in Prince Edward, receiving the Royal title from the Queen, and overseeing the move to the new state-of-the-art building at the heart of the university’s city centre campus.
Other accomplishments include a merger with the School of Acting; securing the largest ever single donation in the history of the Conservatoire and attaining outstanding National Student Survey results year on year, with Music achieving the highest result of any UK conservatoire in 2020 for the third successive year.
“The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has thrived under Julian’s leadership,” said Birmingham City University vice chancellor Professor Philip Plowden. “What has been achieved has been exceptional.
“We are a university with creative arts at our core and Professor Lloyd Webber has not only been passionate about achieving world-class quality in the Conservatoire, but also supporting and promoting its exceptional outreach work to ensure that musical education is available to everyone.
“Working with Julian has been a delight, and I am very pleased that he has accepted the award of Emeritus Professor and will retain links with the Conservatoire and BCU. I look forward to continuing to work with him, and I wish him all the very best as he steps down as Principal.”
Under Lloyd Webber’s leadership, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has forged a unique partnership with leading international record company Naxos for a series of recordings featuring Conservatoire students; celebrated Junior Department student pianist Lauren Zhang has won the BBC Young Musician of the Year title – and honorary doctorates have been awarded to singer Laura Mvula and actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
The cellist, who found mainstream fame with his recording of the South Bank Show TV theme, has a distinguished genre-crossing career, working with a wide range of musicians and conductors including Yehudi Menuhin, Georg Solti, Murray Perahia, Stéphane Grappelli, Elton John and Cleo Laine.
“I will always treasure the many happy memories of my time at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire,” he says. “It has been a privilege to work with such a marvellous team and such wonderful students. I thank the University for the award of an Emeritus Professorship and wish the institution ongoing success.”