Educationalist

Paul Bambrough is currently Vice-Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he has responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day running of the institution, the artistic programme and collaborative and artistic partnerships. His portfolio includes specific responsibility for recruitment, staffing, the curriculum and operational budgets. He oversees RBC's orchestral programme and has curated a number of cross-conservatoire festivals and projects. He is a devoted teacher and teaches within the Department of Vocal and Operatic Studies as well as contributing to undergraduate Pedagogy programmes, leads the postgraduate Lecture Recital Module, and supervises the Orchestral Conductors course.

Described by a former Secretary of State for Education as “one of the most inspiring teachers”, Paul Bambrough has gained a national reputation for his work in Post-16 music education. As Director of Music at the Sixth Form College Farnborough, his passionate dedication to excellence led to the creation of the largest ‘A’ Level Music Department in the country comprising some 500 students actively engaged on courses and/or enrichment activities. Many internationally acclaimed artists and composers have been keen to work with him, his colleagues and students at Farnborough over the years and all have been impressed by the “conservatoire-like” quality of the music making and atmosphere. He believes in the transformational power of music and seeks to communicate the great joy of music to all those with whom he works.

Paul has worked as an inspector in Post-16 music institutions and has also been sought as a consultant in many colleges around the country. His work was recently the focus of a BBC Radio 3 “Music Matters” documentary which celebrated the scope and ambition of Farnborough’s Music Department as a “story of astonishing achievement”. In 2014, Michael Gove formally recognised the achievements of Paul and his team, acknowledging his “prestigious contribution to music education in the UK”.