Contains concert programmes from museums, galleries and libraries. The box is divided into two main sequences, "Galleries" and "Museums and libraries".

Galleries:
Contains concert programmes from various venues including a number from the National portrait gallery, Prince's gallery and RBA galleries. The types of concerts vary, but there are a number of programmes from concerts of contemporary music. In particular, the collection has programmes from the RBA galleries organised by the London contemporary music centre. Though the date coverage for the box is extensive, there are a number of programmes from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, clustered within certain galleries. The Grafton gallery programmes, for instance, range from 1897 to 1922. These include receptions for various composers including Rachmaninov (1922) and Ethyl Smyth (1930). There are programmes from the Grosvenor gallery from 1882 to 1886, with a copy of an index of known Grosvenor concerts from 1877 to 1890 (not for programmes necessarily held by the RCM). The Prince's gallery programmes date from 1899 to 1914, with the years 1899 and 1900 heavily represented.

There is one separate folder for the Chenil/new chenil galleries. These cover concerts during 1925 and 1926, plus concerts scattered through the post-1945 years.

Museums and libraries:
Contains concert programmes given in museums and libraries within Greater London, including a number at Holborn library/Holborn central library. A few programmes are from concerts that were organised by libraries, rather than necessarily taking place in a library or museum. Most programmes are from concerts, with a few opera programmes. These include performances by the "Philopera circle" organised by the St. Pancras libraries. Museums covered include general museums and specifically musical museums such as the Music museum and Piano museums in Brentford. In most cases the performers are not directly connected to the concert venue, but the collection contains programmes from the British museum and library singers (2 programmes from 1997).

There is one separate folder from the London museum, Lancaster house, covering concerts from 1929 to 1939.

1882 -

-

Not Specific

• British museum and library singers 1990 -
• London Contemporary Music Centre -
• Philopera circle -
• St. Pancreas libraries -

• Chenil Gallery
• Grafton Galleries
• Holborn Central Library
• London [England]
• London Museum (Lancaster House)
• National Portrait Gallery
• New Chenil Galleries (was Chenil gallery)
• Prince's gallery, Piccadilly
• RBA Galleries

• 19th century - late Victorian 1876-1899
• 20th century - early 1900-1930
• 20th century - late 1971-1999
• 20th century - mid 1931-1970

College Hall 220-238 Goldhawk Road London W12 9PL

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portraits@rcm.ac.uk

020 7591 4340

020 7589 7740 

Mon-Fri by appointment

The Portraits and Performance History Collection and its associated reading room is housed in a recently adapted space within the RCM's College Hall, its hall of residence for students. There is step-free access for visitors.

The Centre for Performance History (CPH) is a research centre and is also responsible for the stewardship of two well-established RCM research collections, the Museum of Instruments and the Portraits and Performance History Collection (PPHC). The latter houses a diverse collection relating to the history of performance including the RCM’s internationally famous collection of images, comprising 340 original portraits and sculptures and 25,000 prints and photographs, forming the most comprehensive archive of likenesses of musicians in the UK. The collection of 600,000 concert programmes from 1720 to the present day is of major importance for research into the history of music, society and culture.