All King Charles III’s musical patronages – a full list

10 May 2024, 13:43 | Updated: 15 May 2024, 14:38

By Classic FM

@ClassicFM

His Majesty The King is a life-long supporter of classical music and the arts. From the Philharmonia to the Birmingham Royal Ballet, here is a full list King Charles III’s extensive musical patronages across the UK.

His Majesty The King is a patron of many of the UK’s great music institutions – from Classic FM’s partner in music education, the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music, to the Welsh National Opera.

In celebration of the first anniversary of the Coronation, which represented a glorious celebration of classical music old and new, a major review bas been conducted of 1,000 royal patronages.

Almost 200 royal patronages and presidencies – many previously held by Queen Elizabeth II – are not being retained. However, King Charles and Queen Camilla will continue as Patron of the charities and institutions they were linked to as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as well as taking on a number of Queen Elizabeth II’s patronages.

Explore the full list below.

King Charles on his love for Elgar's abiding melody 'Nimrod'

Full list of musical patronages

His Majesty The King | musical patronages

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
Classic FM’s Partner in Music Education delivers over 650,000 music exams and assessments every year in 93 countries.
Visit: GB.abrsm.org

Bach Choir
The Bach Choir, founded in 1876, is one of the world’s leading choruses and enjoys a presidency from one of today’s great choral composers, John Rutter CBE.
Visit: TheBachChoir.org.uk

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Based in Cardiff, the national symphony orchestra of Wales performs across the UK and internationally.
Visit: bbc.co.uk/bbcnow

Birmingham Royal Ballet
One of the five major ballet companies in the UK, recognised internationally for its excellence.
Visit: brb.org.uk

British Youth Opera
The leading training opera company helps singers, directors, designers and stage managers build careers in opera.
Visit: byo.org.uk

Camerata Ireland – The All-Ireland Chamber Orchestra
The orchestra brings together the finest musicians from Ireland, North and South, and develops young musicians through its Academy.
Visit: camerata-ireland.com

English Chamber Orchestra and Music Society
The most recorded chamber orchestra in the world, the ECO’s discography contains 860 recordings of over 1,500 works by more than 400 composers.
Visit: englishchamberorchestra.co.uk

Harrogate International Festivals
Revolutionising the cultural landscape of the North Yorkshire spa town, this home of the arts is a key cultural provider for the North throughout the year.
Visit: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

Help Musicians UK
The leading UK charity for musicians of all genres, giving performers the support they need at the crucial stages that could make or break their career.
Visit: helpmusicians.org.uk

Live Music Now
A UK-wide initiative created by the legendary Yehudi Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker in 1977, to bring the joy of live music to thousands across the UK.
Visit: livemusicnow.org.uk

Live Music Now, Scotland
A UK-wide initiative created by the legendary Yehudi Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker in 1977, to bring the joy of live music to thousands across Scotland and beyond.
Visit: livemusicnow.org.uk/scotland

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
Every July in Llangollen, North Wales, over 5,000 singers, dancers and instrumentalists from around 50 countries perform to audiences of more than 50,000.
Visit: international-eisteddfod.co.uk

London Symphony Orchestra
The oldest of London’s symphony orchestras, founded in 1904, the LSO is an outstanding ensemble committed to bringing extraordinary music to everyone, everywhere.
Visit: lso.co.uk

Mariinsky Theatre Trust
An arts support organisation, created in 1993 by Valery Gergiev as a project to give UK audiences the opportunity to discover, understand and enjoy Russian culture.
Visit: mariinskytrust.org.uk

Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra
The three Monteverdi ensembles – the Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique – are leading players on the international music scene.
Visit: monteverdi.co.uk

Music in Country Churches
The organisation has arranged concerts in over 55 country churches and made donations of nearly £600,000 to the churches that hosted its concerts.
Visit: musicincountrychurches.org.uk

Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus
A world-class symphony chorus and orchestra, typically giving more than 160 concerts a year.
Visit: philharmoniachorus.co.uk

Purcell School
A co-educational boarding and day school for young musicians aged 10 to 18, and Britain’s oldest specialist music school.
Visit: purcell-school.org

Royal Academy of Music (RAM)
Britain’s oldest conservatoire, and the second oldest in the world, has a string of famous alumni including Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox.
Visit: ram.ac.uk

Royal Albert Hall
London’s most iconic concert venue, opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, is home to Classic FM Live, and has hosted world-leading artists from across genres.
Visit: royalalberthall.com

Royal Ballet
One of the world’s greatest ballet companies, the company unites tradition and innovation in world-class performances, embracing 19th-century classics alongside a compelling new canon.
Visit: roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet

Royal College of Music
A world-leading music conservatoire, opened by royal charter in 1883. The RCM has trained some of the most important figures in classical music including composers Holst, Vaughan Williams and Britten.
Visit: rcm.ac.uk

Royal College of Organists
Granted its Royal Charter by Queen Victoria in 1893, the College promotes organ playing and choral music, and offers music education, training, and support for organists and choral directors.
Visit: rco.org.uk

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
A world-leading conservatoire of music, drama, dance, production and film located in Glasgow, Scotland.
Visit: rcs.ac.uk

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, Orchestra, and Choir
The UK’s oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra, who in 1958 became the first orchestra outside of London to be granted the honour of using the word ‘Royal’ in its title.
Visit: liverpoolphil.com

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)
One of four conservatoires associated with the ABRSM, and a hub for music education, located in Manchester. First awarded Royal Patronage in October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Visit: rncm.ac.uk

Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus
The great orchestra and chorus is the backbone of Covent Garden’s world-renowned Royal Opera and its diverse repertory.
Visit: roh.org.uk

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The RPO performs around 200 concerts each season, acting as a cultural ambassador for the UK on the world stage and improving the lives of local communities through a wide range of community, education, inclusion and wellbeing programmes.
Visit: rpo.co.uk

Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS)
The RPS is a charity that has supported classical music since 1813. Its annual awards have honoured some of the greatest musicians and composers in history, including Johannes Brahms, Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten.
Visit: royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk

Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO)
Since the official founding of Scotland’s national orchestra in 1891, the RSNO has played a crucial role in shaping the musical life of the nation.
Visit: rsno.org.uk

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
A prominent UK conservatoire specialising in practical and performance-based training in music and drama.
Visit: rwcmd.ac.uk

Scottish Ballet
The national ballet company of Scotland, and one of the UK’s five leading ballet companies.
Visit: scottishballet.co.uk

Scottish Chamber Orchestra
An internationally celebrated chamber orchestra, made up of a unique collection of talented musicians who attract audiences of all ages.
Visit: sco.org.uk

Three Choirs Festival Association
The longest running non-competitive classical music festival in the world, rotating between the beautiful English cathedral cities of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester.
Visit: 3choirs.org

Welsh National Opera
The leading Welsh opera company is committed to bringing the highest quality operatic performances to as wide an audience as possible and improving access to the art form for future generations.
Visit: wno.org.uk

King Charles III tried out cello and conducting on 1988 Australia tour

Her Royal Highness | musical patronages

London Chamber Orchestra
The longest established professional chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom, founded by Anthony Bernard in 1921.
Visit: lco.co.uk

National Youth Orchestra
Classic FM’s partner orchestra, made up of more than 160 musicians aged between 13 and 19, are a diverse group of young players bound together by their love of music.
Visit: nyo.org.uk

New Queen’s Hall Orchestra
Founded in 1895 as the Queen’s Hall Orchestra to inaugurate the Promenade Concerts, the NQHO has always had a high reputation for giving many first performances.
Visit: Facebook

Royal Academy of Dance
The Queen has served as Vice Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, one of the most influential dance education and training organisations in the world, since 2020 and will now become Patron.
Visit: royalacademyofdance.org