Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, have today opened the redeveloped campus of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM).
The RIAM renovation project was built to the rear of Georgian buildings owned by the RIAM on Westland Row and has extended RIAM’s facilities from around 4,039 square metres to around 6,070 square metres.
This redevelopment will facilitate the academy in expanding its capacity at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “I am delighted to be here at the Royal Irish Academy of Music to officially open their redeveloped campus with Minister Catherine Martin. This redevelopment was a really significant undertaking, at a cost of around €25 million, my department funded €7 million of that cost and Minister Martin’s department funded a further €3 million.
“The development project transforms the RIAM campus and opens it to the public in a far more accessible way. Accessibility and digital infrastructure of the campus will broaden the reach and profile of its students, including those who have disabilities and those outside of Dublin.
“The Music Discovery and Therapy Facilities will be able to provide tailor-made programmes for a range of people, including those on the autism spectrum.
“The new recital hall and opera studio will provide students with the opportunity to perform in a space of the absolute highest international standards. The sonic arts hub will develop the next generation of electro-acoustic composers. And the new library will be an essential resource for students, practitioners and students alike.
“Delivering such an ambitious project requires vision, dedication and determination. I would like to pay tribute to the staff and governing body of RIAM for their work in ensuring that this development went from concept to reality.”
Minister Catherine Martin said: “The new RIAM campus offers a remarkable array of facilities for our young musicians and artists. From an impressive new 300-seater recital hall to a modernised library and research facility, RIAM’s students will be equipped with the best possible resources in which to further their development.
“As Minister for Culture and the Arts, I am delighted that my department was able to support this important redevelopment project. With RIAM’s and the forthcoming redevelopment of the National Concert Hall, Ireland is well on its way to becoming a world-class centre of musical excellence.”
Deborah Kelleher, Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, said: “The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) seeks to champion and support high-quality music education in Ireland and inspire the next generation of musicians.
“Central to our ambitions of reaching further, being more accessible and nurturing great artists, is our newly transformed campus on Westland Row. This campus will allow us to expand the intake of the Academy each year and further grow the musical talent in Ireland.
“The level of support we received, as an institution without a track record of such major projects, showed incredible belief and courage on the part of our donors. I pay tribute to the Irish Government and the transformational people and institutions who came on board early on when we had nothing more than a dream, albeit a compelling one.
“To everyone else involved in making this happen and for supporting us through this project, I want to thank you for making this campus dream possible.”
The Royal Irish Academy of Music is Ireland’s oldest conservatoire, ranked in the top 50 institutions in the world for the performing arts. The academy trains gifted musicians from all over the world for careers in music performance, composition and pedagogy.
The RIAM was founded in 1848 as Ireland’s national music conservatoire and offers junior, pre-college, undergraduate and postgraduate musical training.
The RIAM exams assess and support the learning and development of young musicians and their teachers throughout the island of Ireland.