Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Who we are

Ranked as number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2025, one of the top five institutions in the world for Music and Performing Arts in the QS World University Rankings 2024, as well as the number one higher education institution in the Guardian University Guide music league table, we deliver world-class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles.

A global leader in creative and professional practice, we promote innovation, experiment and research, and are also one of the UK’s leading providers of lifelong learning in the performing arts, offering inspiring training for children, young people, adult learners, and creative and business professionals.

Guildhall School of Music first opened its doors on 27 September 1880, housed in a disused warehouse in the City. With 62 part-time students, it was the first municipal music college in Great Britain. The School quickly outgrew its first home, however, and in 1887 it moved to new premises in John Carpenter Street in a complex of educational buildings built by the Corporation of London to house it and the City's two public schools.

The new building was completed by 9 December 1886 and the then Lord Mayor of London, Sir Reginald Hanson attended the opening ceremony. Teaching continued under the first Principal of the School, Thomas Henry Weist Hill, and his team of 90 professors. 

The new site, designed by architect Sir Horace Jones, comprised a Common Room for Professors and 45 studios, each surrounded by a 1 one foot thick layer of concrete to 'deaden the sound'. Each room contained both a grand piano and an upright piano. Additionally, there was an Organ room and a 'Practice' room, in reality a small concert hall which was used for orchestral and choir rehearsals. The 'Practice' room was also the venue for the fortnightly School concerts

Initially, all tuition was on a part-time basis, but full-time courses were introduced by public request in 1920. Departments of Speech, Voice and Acting were added and by 1935 the School had added "and Drama" to its title.

The School moved to its present premises in the heart of the City of London's Barbican in 1977 and continues to be owned, funded and administered by the City of London.

In 1993 the Corporation of London leased a nearby courtyard of buildings that in the 18th century had been the centre of Samuel Whitbread's first brewery, and renovated and converted this to provide the School with its Hall of Residence, Sundial Court. About three minutes' walk from the School, Sundial Court offers self-catering single-room accommodation for 178 students.

In 2001 the Secretary of State, Baroness Blackstone, announced that the Barbican Centre, including Guildhall School, was to be Grade II listed.

In 2005 the School was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its unrivalled development and outreach programme, Guildhall Connect, and in 2007 it won a further Queen's Anniversary Prize in recognition of the work of the Opera Programme over the last two decades. The School regularly features at the top of the Guardian University Guide music league table, the Complete University Guide arts, music and drama league table, and other rankings, and was awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

The most significant investment in the Guildhall School’s future came to fruition via the £90 million redevelopment of the neighbouring Milton Court site. The building, which opened in autumn 2013, houses three state-of-the-art performance spaces: a concert hall (608 seats), a theatre (223 seats) and a studio theatre (up to 128 seats) in addition to drama teaching and administration spaces.

The School is a member of Conservatoires UK, the European Association of Conservatoires and the Federation of Drama Schools. The City of London Corporation together with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London, are bringing the area to life with imaginative collaborations and exciting events.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

In common with many organisations, in 2020 the School began to examine itself more intensively in response to the global Black Lives Matter movement and subsequent feedback and scrutiny from the wider Guildhall School community. As an institution, we recognise that we have not done enough to understand the lived experience of staff and students from underrepresented backgrounds. In order to better understand these experiences, we have been working closely with a range of specialists and organisations with lived experience and expertise, to ensure our School becomes an actively anti-discriminatory, anti-racist and inclusive organisation.

The School has agreed five Objectives:

• Demonstrate our equity, diversity and inclusion commitment
• Create an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive
• Contextualise the library, curriculum/repertoire, and pedagogy
• Attract under-represented student groups
• Attract, select and retain a diverse workforce

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee has been working on actions to support the delivery of these objectives, and will integrate them into a School-wide action plan spanning all of our faculties, and covering our broader School audience and equity groups. In the meantime, Advisory Groups have been put in place in each department to support and advise on issues that are specific to each area of our teaching (Music, Drama, Production Arts), recognising this is only the start of our journey in this area.

The School has also appointed a new Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to our senior leadership team. This role will be responsible for managing the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion programme and the delivery of the equity objectives, and will chair the Committee.