Bentley - Foundation celebrates third birthday by naming Royal Academy of Music as flagship partner

2026-06-09

To celebrate The Bentley Foundation’s third birthday, the Royal Academy of Music has been announced as its third flagship partner, marking a significant new chapter in the Foundation’s evolving approach to philanthropy – one that champions long-term impact through arts, culture and global education.

The partnership will support the Glover Edwards Conducting Programme, a pioneering initiative designed to address long-standing under representation on the conductor’s podium, while nurturing the next generation of orchestral leaders. Founded in 2018, the programme has become internationally recognised for its role in developing exceptional conducting talent and driving structural change within the classical music profession.

As Britain’s oldest conservatoire and a world leader in musical excellence, the Royal Academy of Music shares Bentley’s deep-rooted commitment to heritage, craftsmanship, innovation and leadership. The Academy brings together students from over 50 countries, providing world class training through intensive teaching, ensemble performance and hundreds of public concerts each year.

Under the partnership, The Bentley Foundation support will help to sustain and enhance three interconnected strands: the Glover Edwards Conducting Programme, postgraduate conducting scholarships for women, and flagship performances by the Academy Symphony Orchestra. Together, these initiatives will widen access, remove financial barriers and create visible pathways for under represented talent to thrive at the highest professional level.

The programme will include a major public performance: Ryan Bancroft conducts the Academy Symphony Orchestra, one of the Royal Academy of Music’s most prestigious concerts, showcasing the next generations of musicians on a world class stage and bringing the Foundation’s investment to life for live and global audiences.

Sian Edwards, Head of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, said

“The Glover-Edwards Programme continues to make great strides, and we can see the impact that it has had in addressing gender imbalance in postgraduate conducting course applications, and by extension, the profession. With the Bentley Foundation now partnering with us to help continue the Programme, as well as supporting vital scholarships and Symphony Orchestra performances, I have great confidence that we can continue to make even more progress in the coming years.”

The announcement follows the Bentley Foundation’s recent partnerships with the National Portrait Gallery and The Queen’s Reading Room and, since its creation in 2023, underscores the bold new philanthropic strategy focused on enduring partnerships and on creating measurable, long term social and cultural impact.

Through the Royal Academy of Music partnership, the Bentley Foundation will help ensure that tomorrow’s conductors and orchestral leaders are shaped by merit, creativity and opportunity – not circumstance – reinforcing Bentley’s wider mission to create meaningful progress beyond its own industry.

Wayne Bruce, Director of Visitor Experience and Heritage and Head of the Bentley Foundation, added

“At Bentley, we believe excellence is never accidental – it is the result of dedication, craft and opportunity. Our partnership with the Royal Academy of Music reflects our commitment to cultivating leadership, creativity and access in disciplines that shape culture for generations. By supporting the Glover Edwards Conducting Programme, we are investing in talent that has historically been overlooked, while championing a more inclusive and progressive future for the arts.” Anchored in Bentley’s Beyond100+ strategy (launched in 2023), the award-winning Bentley Foundation has built a powerful record of measurable impact, funding 21 projects across 15 countries, and reaching more than 636,000 people worldwide. These achievements continue to reflect Bentley’s long term commitment under Beyond100+ to stewardship, regeneration and delivering positive change for future generations.

The Bentley Foundation

The Bentley Foundation is Bentley Motors’ charitable foundation, supporting environmental work and widening access to education, arts and culture to create positive, lasting impact for communities and future generations.

Royal Academy of Music

Founded in 1822, The Royal Academy of Music moves music forward by inspiring successive generations of musicians to connect, collaborate and create. It is the meeting point between the traditions of the past and the talent of the future. The Academy has had an inestimable impact on British and international musical life by training outstandingly talented musicians for fulfilling careers for over 200 years. From its outset, Britain’s oldest conservatoire has been associated with some of the greatest names in music including Mendelssohn, Liszt and Sir Henry Wood. More recent alumni include Sir Elton John, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Edward Gardner, Max Richter, Lucy Crowe, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Jacob Collier.

Glover-Edwards Programme

Launched in 2018, the Glover-Edwards Programme was created with the aim of bridging the gap between undergraduate and postgraduate study and, ultimately, encouraging more women to take their place on the podium. The Glover Edwards Conducting Programme has been philanthropically led since its inception, thanks to early investment from Cristiana Falcone and the BECS Foundation.