The King’s Foundation and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland celebrate 10 years of music and ballet training for young people at Dumfries House
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and The King’s Foundation today marked ten years of an innovative partnership in support of young dancers and musicians with a special anniversary celebration attended by His Majesty King Charles III, Patron of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Royal Founding President of The King’s Foundation.
The celebration took place at the New Cumnock Town Hall, a community building regenerated by The King’s Foundation after the charity became custodians of the nearby Dumfries House estate in 2007.
To celebrate the milestone, musicians from RCS’s Junior Conservatoire of Music performed the world premiere of Adagio, a new composition by Patrick Doyle CBE, one of the world’s top film, television and theatre composers.
One of Patrick’s compositions was performed as part of the Coronation Service of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.
Patrick, a Royal Conservatoire of Scotland alumnus and Patron of the RCS Junior Conservatoire of Music, created this new piece, drawing inspiration from His Majesty’s love of string music, the composer’s memories of the Junior Conservatoire, and his own personal journey back to wellness following an illness.
“We are so proud of our partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and it has been incredible to see the wide-ranging positive impact of providing the local community with access to training in music and the arts.
Emily Cherrington LVO, Chief Executive of The King’s Foundation
“The aim of our work at The King’s Foundation is to build sustainable and resilient communities, often through creativity, so this partnership forms a key part of our local outreach in the New Cumnock area.
“We are particularly pleased that our Royal Founding President, His Majesty The King, was able to celebrate with us today and recognise the incredible local graduates of this programme. We look forward to another ten fruitful years working in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire to improve access to music and dance training.”
Since 2016, the pioneering Dumfries House programme has broken down barriers to music and ballet by providing free, weekly specialist tuition for young people across Ayrshire with creative potential.
His Majesty met current students of the programme as well as former students who have gone on to a range of successful achievements in music and dance, including studying with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Schools of Music and Dance, Scottish Ballet Associates and the Dance School of Scotland.
