Royal College of Music Museum – London, UK
● Research integrated into RCM academic programs.
● Active resource for students, faculty, and international researchers.
● Publications include Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire and exhibition catalogues.
ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
The Royal College of Music Museum (RCM Museum) preserves one of the United Kingdom’s most important collections of musical instruments and related objects. Following a major redevelopment between 2017–2021, the museum reopened in October 2021 with a new purpose-built gallery, the Weston Discovery Centre, and the Wolfson Centre in Music & Material Culture — a dedicated research hub.
The collection comprises over 14,000 objects, including instruments, paintings, engravings, and manuscripts. Among its treasures are rare historical instruments prepared for display and, in some cases, performance. The museum balances preservation with innovation, showcasing instruments in a climate-controlled Performance Studio and through digitisation projects that make its holdings globally accessible.
Flutes in the Collection:
The RCM Museum houses significant flutes from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, along with early Boehm-system instruments. These are central to research and performance within the RCM Historical Performance Faculty. The collection also embraces modern innovation, such as collaborations with 3D-printed instruments, offering unique opportunities to compare historical and contemporary flute-making.
Public Access & Visitor Experience:
On-site: Permanent and temporary exhibitions, including landmark showcases such as Kurt Cobain Unplugged (2025).
Discovery Centre: A hands-on space for families and students to engage with music history.
Educational Role: Concerts, lectures, workshops, and community projects extend the museum’s reach beyond the College.
Digital Access:
More than 14,000 digitised objects accessible through the online catalogue.
Virtual exhibitions hosted on Google Arts & Culture.
National leadership of the MINIM-UK project, a portal to over 20,000 instruments in UK collections.