Twenty-five years ago we made a conscious decision to equip young musicians with the particular skills required for ‘the studio’. This continues to be an intrinsic part of Academy life which allows our students to release their music into the world.

'Thinking about recording early in a musician’s creative life brings untold benefits in expanding and deepening a student’s capacity to "make a mark", to understand that a great piece of music can withstand many views, visions and interpretations.'
Jonathan Freeman-Attwood

We believe taking part in recording experiences allows our students to chronicle their work, think independently for themselves and appreciate how their unique role can refresh the art form and communicate it as widely as possible. Many young Academy artists take these skills into their careers and form alliances with major labels - we want students to see this as an endless journey of discovery.

Since 2012, we have partnered with world-renowned, independent label Linn Records in producing exceptional recordings of some of the world’s most talented young performers, including notable work under Trevor Pinnock and Oliver Knussen. Recently, Barbara Hannigan and students from both the Academy and Juilliard School collaborated on an all-Stravinsky recording, which was released in October 2024. Here is a clip from one of the sessions, featuring Stravinsky's Ragtime:

Our Bicentenary Scholarships, launched in 2017, afford our students the opportunity to become part of a special group of highly talented and trained musicians at the Academy. They are accompanied by an ambitious and innovative creative partnership with Linn Records, offering industry-level experience of high-level recording and the chance for Scholars to release their music. Explore the Bicentenary Series here, or listen to the latest releases via the playlists below: