We’re delighted to announce the election of acclaimed jazz percussionist Orphy Robinson MBE and re-election of Carl Jackson MVO, organist and Director of Music, Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, to our Board of Governors.

It’s never too early to start thinking about your will, and as musicians, there are so many more options of what you can leave. Two Members have chosen to remember RSM, gifting royalties in the case of Clare Tyack and historic instruments in the case of Emily White as an ongoing legacy to the Society which can benefit musicians in need for generations to come.

RSM’s Chief Executive Charlotte Penton-Smith describes what led her to the Society, what an average day looks like and what the future holds for the organisation.

Getting the support you need is about so much more than just the money, it’s about getting it on time and with care. That was oboist James Turnbull’s experience when he needed turn to RSM for help.

While much of the support RSM provides is for treatments that bring musicians back to full health, just as much of the support goes towards managing long-term health issues, as is the case for Australian-British conductor Toby Thatcher. Find out how RSM has been able to help fund the consistent attention his health demands.

RSM is lucky to receive legacies from musicians who want to continue helping fellow music professionals after their death. As well as donations and royalties, they also leave fine instruments to RSM, just as Yvonne Clarke did when she chose to leave her 1957 Voigt viola to the Society. We catch up with The Hallé Orchestra’s Victoria Stephenson, who has been the custodian of the viola for over a decade.

Master of the King’s Music and RSM President are just two aspects of the hugely varied career of composer Judith Weir. With the Coronation of HM King Charles III and Queen Camilla now less than a week away, we find out what has kept Judith inspired throughout her career and her recollections of working in such a historic role.

As any singer knows, keeping your voice in top condition is paramount to a long career. So, to run into trouble in your first year as an undergraduate is anyone’s worst nightmare, but that’s what happened to Jess Parnell. A bout of illness that left her tonsils swollen, meant she faced invasive surgery that could potentially affect her voice and her prospects. Find out how she coped and how RSM was able to help.

Composer Anthony Payne and soprano Jane Manning were at the very centre of British musical life for decades, thanks not only to their individual careers and the work they made together, but also for their incredible support for fellow musicians, which is now continuing at RSM thanks to a generous gift they have left the Society.

For Jay, his pursuit of a career in music was not necessarily compatible with his anxiety disorder, the act of making music for joy sometimes at odds with the act of striving for success. Find out how RSM was able to help Jay manage his anxiety and what it has meant for his career.

As a former beneficiary, a Member and a part of the Court of Assistants, cellist Alison Moncrieff-Kelly has first-hand experience of more facets of RSM than most.

For a musician to express themselves properly, they need not only ability, but also the right instrument. The Society’s Fine Instrument Scheme enables professional musicians to have use of high quality stringed instruments on a medium to long-term basis. The Scheme has recently been gifted a William Forster cello which has been made available to Ben Tarlton. He tells RSM what it means to have world-class equipment at his disposal.

March marked the second anniversary of the UK’s first national lockdown to counter the emerging threat of Covid-19. For DJ and producer Becky Saif, that loss of earnings has hit more than just her bank balance.