It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces in the college community, including my friend Stuart Overington (who was my direct contemporary on the BMus and QTS courses) who is now the RNCM chorus master. I must say, the RNCM chamber choir sounded magnificent, and the chorale ‘Nun lieget alles unter dir’ in BWV 11 was utterly sublime. 

As well as playing in BWV 11, I also coached the brass section and timpanist to help them prepare for the performance of Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor [K. 427], which filled the second half of the concert. The Mozart was directed by David Hill, the RNCM’s International Chair in Choral Conducting. I stayed to listen and sat alongside my friends David Vickers (who is a font of knowledge on Handel, in particular) and Anna Wright (who was in charge of the RNCM library back in my day). I also bumped into Peter Syrus (former Academic Studies tutor at the RNCM) in the foyer. It was also brilliant to catch up with Murray Greig, now Head of Brass; Harvey Davies, a very fine accompanist; and Andrew Bayly, Head of Ensembles—who all remembered me well! It was a delight to see such an array of old friends and colleagues, and to meet the students—who were all very professional, positive, and well-prepared. 

As I left Manchester, I felt lucky to be a part of this wonderful community both when I was a student and during this project. The RNCM has got to be one of the most sociable conservatoires in the UK, partly because nearly everything and everyone centres around the refectory, but also partly because of the ethos of the people involved—the professors stay to listen to the concerts, which counts for a lot. People who visit as professors often stay in Manchester for a few days: as a result, the students and staff really make sure you are being looked after. I left totally uplifted, and highly impressed.