Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is among global luminaries from across the music world calling on Cardiff University to abandon plans to close its School of Music among a round of savage proposed cuts. The opera legend leads 157 signatures from the music industry, education and the charitable sector including Gruff Rhys, Karl Jenkins, Simon Rattle and Catrin Finch among others, who have signed a letter to The Times today demanding the school be saved.

They warn of a "devastating blow to music in Wales and the wider UK" if Cardiff University shuts the music school, which produces world leading research. The letter states that while the university as a whole is in deficit, the School of Music has a surplus.

Cardiff University caused shock waves when it announced brutal cuts two weeks ago including the loss of 400 academic posts and the closures of the schools of music, nursing and modern languages as well as other department mergers. Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner has said she wants a "smaller" university taking fewer domestic home undergraduates and fewer applicants with lower grades and via Clearing. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here

In their letter greats of the music, arts, education and charity worlds say Cardiff's music graduates are key to the industry delivering international composers, conductors, performers and label managers to name a few. It says the school's graduates are the "backbone" of classroom music provision.

With school and out of school music provision already in peril, the closure "could ultimately erode 70 per cent of this expert workforce in Wales", the letter warns. It goes on to say that "the biggest casualty" of the proposed cuts will be aspiration.

Cardiff University's School of Music is among the most culturally and racially diverse of music schools. Two thirds of its students have faced social or educational barriers, and its outreach work has benefited 400 young people in the past month alone, the letter adds.

There is debate over how much of a deficit Cardiff University is running. It said the proposed cuts were in the face of a £31m deficit, although a higher deficit of £65m was feared without action. Cardiff, like other universities, says it is suffering the blows of inflation, a drop in numbers of higher paying international students and flat lined home tuition fees.

The letter follows a similar letter from leading world mathematicians calling on the university not to cut staff from the school of maths. An online petition to save the School of Music has also garned more than 24,000 signatures.

It comes as members of the Cardiff University UCU union also sent a letter today to Cardiff's Vice Chancellor giving the required notice that a ballot on possible strike and action short of strike will open on February 24.

The UCU said the mood among staff was "angry" and the ballot is likely to exceed the threshold needed for action, which would likely take place in the last weeks of this term. Cardiff Universty has stressed that the cuts are "proposed" and has said it faces the same pressures as many other insitutions - a fall in higher paying international students, rising prices and flat lined home tuition fees.

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: "“It’s important to remember that these are proposals – the views and ideas of our community, including staff, students and external stakeholders, will shape the proposals. In the short term there will be no immediate impact on music students nor their ability to complete their studies.

"We will also accept students onto the Music degree programmes in 2025. We want to work with a range of external partners on the provision of music within Wales and will be working hard to collaborate on a sustainable approach to music education.”

Addressing financial reasons for the proposed cuts the university said previously: "The deficit for 2023-24 is £31.2m. If we do nothing this financial year (2024-25) it would increase to £65m because of: a £16m pay award; a reduction of £6m in grants received from Medr; inflationary increases including energy costs of around £17m; offset by a £7m reduction from changes in our USS contributions.

"University Council has allowed the university to budget for our third consecutive year of operating deficits and we set the budget at a £28m underlying operating deficit. We have significant work to do to achieve that budget and get our cost base in good shape so that we are not delivering deficits in 2025-26 and beyond."

The full text of the letter published in The Times on February 14 and the list of signatories:

Sir,

Cardiff University’s proposal to cut music after almost 150 years threatens another devastating blow to music in Wales and the wider UK. The School of Music at Cardiff produces research of world-leading impact. Its graduates are key to the industry’s delivery arm: as international composers, artists, conductors and performers, and as arts leaders, academics, promoters, label managers and heads of professional bodies.

They are the backbone of classroom teaching, music therapy, community music and wellbeing initiatives. With school and out-of-school music provision already in peril, these plans could ultimately erode 70 per cent of this expert workforce in Wales.

Yet the biggest casualty will be aspiration. Cardiff is among the most culturally and racially diverse of music schools. Two thirds of its students have faced social or educational barriers, and its outreach work has benefited 400 young people in the past month alone. Cardiff University may be in deficit, but the School of Music runs an operating surplus. There is no need to make these cuts and every need not to. We urge their abandonment.

David Adams, concertmaster, Welsh National Opera; Prof Robert Adlington, Royal College of Music; Prof Cristina Aguilera Gómez, Conservatorio Superior de Música, Valencia; Giselle Allen, soprano; Sir Thomas Allen, director and singer; Deborah Annetts, CEO, Independent Society of Musicians; Elizabeth Atherton, soprano; Iain Ballamy, saxophonist; Prof Yves Balmer, president, Société Française de Musicologie; Issie Barratt, artistic director, National Youth Jazz Collective; Elinor Bennett (Baroness Wigley), harpist; Margaret Bent, Emeritus Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford; Lord Berkeley of Knighton, composer and broadcaster; Ian Bostridge, tenor and writer; Prof Julie Brown, Emerita, Royal Holloway, University of London; Stuart Burrows, tenor; Jessica Cale, soprano; Eurico Carrapatoso ComIH, composer; Prof Tim Carter, Emeritus, University of North Carolina; Philip Cashian, head of composition, Royal Academy of Music; Phil Castang, CEO, Music for Youth; Harry Christophers, founder, The Sixteen; Prof Eric F Clarke, Emeritus, Oxford University; Dame Sarah Connolly, singer; Stephen Connolly, former co-director, The King’s Singers; Prof Jonathan Cross, Oxford University; Lucy Crowe, singer; Prof Joe Cutler, head of composition, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire; Prof Michael Daugherty, University of Michigan; Iestyn Davies, countertenor; Neal Davies, baritone; Prof Annette Davison, University of Edinburgh; Evan Dawson, CEO, National Youth Arts Wales; Dr Nathan James Dearden, composer; Prof Stephen Downes, Royal Holloway, University of London; Prof Michel Duchesneau, Université de Montréal; Lucy Durán, broadcaster; Prof Katharine Ellis, Cambridge University; Prof Salwa El-Shawan Castelo-Branco, Emerita, Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Rebecca Evans, singer; Rian Evans, writer and critic; Prof Annegret Fauser, University of North Carolina; Catrin Finch, harpist; Michael Francis, conductor; Marion Friend; Paula Gardiner, bassist; Sahana Gero, founder, World Heart Beat Foundation; John Gilhooly, director, Wigmore Hall; Rebecca Gilliver, principal cello, London Symphony Orchestra; Fiona Goh, director, British Arts Festivals Association; Elaine Gould, music editor and author; Lucy Gould, violinist; Yvette Griffith, CEO, National Youth Jazz Orchestra; Helen Grime, composer; Sally Groves, chair, Vaughan Williams Foundation; James Hall, countertenor; Prof Rachel Harris, SOAS; Ursula Harrison, bassist, BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024; Prof Denis Herlin, IReMUS/CNRS; Gavin Higgins, composer; Martin Holmes, Bodleian Library; Simon Holt, composer; Sir Stephen Hough, pianist; Jeffrey Howard, director of music, Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral; Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor; Steffan Hughes, broadcaster and singer; Beverley Humphreys, broadcaster and singer; David Jackson, artistic director, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World; Sir Karl Jenkins, composer; Prof Julian Johnson, Royal Holloway, University of London; Andy Jones, co-founder, FOCUS Wales; Julian Joseph, pianist; Rosemary Joshua, soprano; Laura Jurd, trumpeter and composer; Aminata Kanneh-Mason, violinist; Braimah Kanneh-Mason,
violinist; Isata Kanneh-Mason, pianist; Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, cellist; Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, author; Konya Kanneh-Mason, pianist; Mariatu Kanneh-Mason, cellist; Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cellist; Stuart Kanneh-Mason, business executive; Prof Simon Keefe, president, Royal Musical Association; Prof Barbara Kelly, University of Leeds; Sir Nicholas Kenyon, writer and critic, former director, BBC Proms; Deborah Keyser, CEO, Tŷ Cerdd; Tom Kiehl, CEO, UK Music; Richard King, CEO, Faber Music; Karen Lawton, CEO, Mindsong; Sarah Lianne Lewis, composer; Sophie Lewis, CEO, National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain; Dame Felicity Lott, soprano; Prof Richard Marcus, College of William & Mary; Patrick McCarthy, artistic director, Ulster Orchestra; Paul McCreesh, director, Gabrieli Consort & Players; Sir James MacMillan, composer; Prof Paul Mealor LVO, composer; Prof William Mival, composer and broadcaster; Gillian Moore, writer and educator; Prof Christoph-Mathias Mueller, conductor; James Murphy, CEO, Royal Philharmonic Society; Suzanne Murphy, soprano; Alice Neary, cellist; Prof Cormac Newark, Guildhall School of Music & Drama; Prof Barley Norton, Goldsmiths, University of London; Prof Roger Parker, Emeritus, King’s College London; Adrian Partington, director of music, Gloucester Cathedral; Dr Alexis Paterson, producer, Oxford University Cultural Programme; Catryn Ramasut, ie ie productions; Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Ben Rayfield, chair, International Artist Managers’ Association; Gruff Rhys, musician; Rupert Ridgewell, president, IAML; Prof John Rink, Cambridge University; Revd Dr Jonathan Roberts, succentor, Hereford Cathedral; David John Roche, composer; Prof Holly Rogers, Goldsmiths, University of London; Prof Philip Rupprecht, Duke University; Gwenno [Saunders], singer-songwriter; Robert Saxton, composer; Dougie Scarfe, CEO, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Prof Gareth Schott, University of Waikato; Prof Emanuele Senici, Sapienza Università di Roma; Howard Skempton, composer; Nicky Spence, tenor and president, Independent Society of Musicians; Prof Michael Spitzer, University of Liverpool; Dr Désirée Staverman, chair, Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis; Jac van Steen, conductor; Prof Jonathan Stock, University College Cork; Prof Martin Stokes, King’s College London; Atholl Swainston Harrison, CEO, International Artist Managers’ Association; Prof Eero Tarasti, University of Helsinki; Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano; Neal Thompson, co-founder, FOCUS Wales; Nick Thorne, executive director, Orchestras for All; Mark-Anthony Turnage, composer; Magdalene Usikaro, founder and CEO, Music Relief Foundation; Prof Kate van Orden, president, International Musicological Society; Philippe Vendrix, directeur de recherche, CNRS; Guy Verrall-Withers, artistic director and CEO, Waterperry Opera Festival; Errollyn Wallen, composer; Huw Warren, pianist and composer; Huw Watkins, composer; Cleveland Watkiss, vocalist; Judith Webster, CEO, Association of British Orchestras; Dame Judith Weir, composer; Bridget Whyte, CEO, Music Mark; Mark Wigglesworth, conductor; Sam Wigglesworth, performance music director, Faber Music; Huw Tregelles Williams, former director, BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Dr Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone; Prof Justin Williams, University of Bristol; Debbie Wiseman, composer and conductor; Dr Simon J Wright, music publisher; Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano; Susie York Skinner, CEO, Gabrieli Consort & Players

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