Centre for Music Performance

A saxophonist plays during a performance with moody lighting
Centre for Music Performance Music unites us. It has the power to inspire, comfort and transcend the every day. It provides a window into other cultures, and an outlet for self-expression. It is life-affirming.
Music unites us. It has the power to inspire, comfort and transcend the every day. It provides a window into other cultures, and an outlet for self-expression. It is life-affirming.

About

The Centre for Music Performance (CMP), led by Simon Fairclough, is committed to increasing the visibility, scale, ambition and reach of musical performance at Cambridge, positioning it among the very best centres of musical performance internationally.

Each year the CMP enables thousands of students of all subjects, backgrounds and levels of musical experience to make music a core part of their rounded education at Cambridge.

The University launched the Centre in 2022, in collaboration with the Faculty of Music and Cambridge University Musical Society and with support from the colleges, to enable students of all subjects, backgrounds and prior levels of musical experience to make music a part of their lives at Cambridge. The Centre seeks to provide students with more routes into the experience, creation and performance of music with over 2,000 students engaging with its work each year.

The Centre is firmly committed to maintaining Cambridge’s tradition of excellence in classical music-making. It is also extending support for other musical genres – and, recognising that investment in music in many schools has diminished sharply in recent years, it is developing new opportunities for students who have lacked access to music education earlier in life.

Our priorities
Joining the Advanced Popular Performance Scheme (APPS) and participating in events run by the Centre for Music Performance has been a wonderful opportunity to grow as an artist!

One of my main motivations for applying was to work on advanced vocal and breathing techniques that would enable me to access new vocal colours while using my voice sustainably. I feel like I’m able to tell stories through music better, by applying what I’ve learned on this scheme to both my songwriting and performances.
Dr Jordan Moxey (Queen's College & St Edmund's College), singer-songwriter and alumna of the CMP's Advanced Popular Performance Scheme
Jordan Moxey

Support us

At a time of intense pressure for the performing arts, the University is making a substantial annual investment to cover the Centre’s core staffing and operating costs, but we now seek partners who will help the CMP achieve its full potential by supporting transformative educational and artistic opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.

By supporting the Centre for Music Performance, you will help us bring the life-enriching benefits of music to a far wider range of students, including those with limited or no previous musical experience.

As a music undergraduate, I learned the joy of the practice room, where it’s just you and the piano and nothing else. I’m still a keen pianist, and I’m eager to see music in all genres and at all levels made available to students of different subjects and backgrounds. Music is fundamental to a rounded education. I’m delighted to see the Centre for Music Performance continue to pursue its mission of enhancing Cambridge’s tradition of musical excellence while bringing new opportunities to students at the start of their musical journeys.
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor

Contact

To find out more about how you can support music performance at Cambridge, please contact:

Head of Development, Sport, Music Performance, Clubs and Societies

Opportunities in this area

This opportunity is part of