The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama has confirmed that it is following through on plans to close its weekly junior department.
The decision means that in September the doors won’t open to over 300 young musicians and actors who were studying at the college over this past year, with 125 staff members also affected.
Since news of possible closure first emerged in May, there has been a wide outcry in the arts community. An open letter was signed by famous figures including soprano Susan Bullock, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman and cellist Steven Isserlis, while a petition to the Senedd reached over 10,000 names. As the petition noted, Young RWCMD is currently the only junior conservatoire in Wales, and the closure will make it the only Royal School of Music in the UK without a junior department.
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