The Constant & Kit Lambert Junior Fellow receives an award that makes a substantial contribution to their course fees and living costs. Holders of this award are considered members of the team of junior fellows and will be expected to participate fully in RCM life.
The Constant & Kit Lambert Junior Fellowship is held for one year and is only available to students on the Artist Diploma (ArtDip) in Performance and Artist Diploma (ArtDip) in Composition programmes.
All fellows are expected to develop musical and communication skills by undertaking further intensive study, working with students internally and doing all they can to raise the profile of the RCM externally. They play a full and active part in the musical life of the RCM as well as functioning as RCM ambassadors. They have full use of the RCM Library with its wealth of material and work in close contact with the Creative Careers Centre, the RCM’s centre for professional skills and publicity services.
Current Constant & Kit Lambert Junior Fellow
Irena Radić, piano
An award-winning and versatile pianist, Irena Radić is building a reputation for her engaging programmes. She enjoys sharing a diverse range of music with her audiences, from renowned masterworks to intriguing and lesser-known gems. Recent highlights include a sell-out recital in Bath featuring Rachmaninoff’s 10 Preludes op.23, on the magnificent Steinway selected by the composer for his own concerts across the UK in the 1930s. Irena has performed at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, St James’s Piccadilly, Bolivar Hall and West Road Concert Hall.
Currently a Musicians’ Company Young Artist, Irena is delighted to have been selected as the Constant & Kit Lambert Junior Fellow for the Â鶹ÊÓƵ, where she is studying for her Artist Diploma. A student of Dina Parakhina, Irena was awarded the Cotes-Burgan scholarship and completed her Master of Performance degree with distinction in 2020. Prior to that she studied with Niel Immelman and received her Bachelor of Music from the RCM with first class honours.
An active chamber musician, Irena has collaborated with musicians including tenor Rory Carver, oboist Katherine Bryer, flautist Sirius Chau, violinist David López Ibáñez, cellist Deni Teo and pianist Martin James Bartlett. In 2023 Irena curated a series of recitals, showcasing the life and music of Madeleine Dring in celebration of her centenary. Other past projects include a world premiere of Tantrum – a new work for Piano and Percussion by Nino Russell, and performances of Bartok’s Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion. She is a founding member of Duo Ravellion with guitarist Jonatan Bougt - together they create new arrangements for guitar & piano duo, including Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes Op.34 with kind permission from Irina Shostakovich. Irena has performed in public masterclasses with Bruno Canino, Charles Owen, Cristina Ortiz, Eldar Nebolsin, Jura Margulis, Mikhail Voskresensky and Norma Fisher. On orchestral piano, she has worked with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Diego Masson, Alexander Polishchuk, Peter Stark, Richard Dickins and Tim Lines.
Irena was a prizewinner at the Bromsgrove International Musicians Competition, the Kendall Taylor Beethoven Competition and the Jaques Samuel JD Piano Festival. Other awards include the Teresa Carreño Piano Prize, Young Musician of the Year at Peterborough and Oundle Music Festivals, the May Edwards Memorial Prize and the Head of Junior Programmes Prize whilst a student of Lynette Stulting at the RCMJD. Irena was a Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award Holder and a Philharmonia MMSF Piano Fellow, receiving the John Mortimer Award. She has also been generously supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Hilda Martindale Educational Trust, the St Marylebone Educational Foundation, the Tsukanov Family Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, and the Else and Leonard Cross Charitable Trust.
Shortlisting and interviews
Shortlisting for junior fellowships will take place once the RCM’s audition process is complete. Only students offered a place on the Artist Diploma in Performance will be considered.
Interviews will be held at the College on Monday 22 April 2024.
Should you be invited to interview, you will be required to bring original documentation (visa, passport or leave to remain in the UK) confirming that you have permission to be in the UK.
In your interview you will be required to:
- Meet and talk with a panel
- Discuss the contents of your portfolio and your achievements to date
- Expand on any of the information in your portfolio in light of developments since applying
- Discuss experience and career plans and suggest ways in which you would like to contribute to the work of the RCM
Results will be conveyed as soon as possible after the interviews have taken place.
You will not be expected to perform on the day of the interview.
Interviews will be held Â鶹ÊÓƵ in London.
Conditions for successful applicants
As a Junior Fellow you will be expected to:
- Include reference to the award in your CV and in any biographical notes accompanying appearances
- Produce a short written report on activities undertaken to date by the end of each term
- Keep trustees and sponsors informed on a regular basis of opportunities to attend performances or events in which you are involved
- As for all those associated with the College, to adhere to and uphold the College’s values and policies as detailed on our strategies and values pages