THE Shanghai Conservatory of Music and London’s Royal College of Music said yesterday they would establish a joint institute to give local students access to some of the world’s top music education.

It will be the first such joint venture for the RCM since its birth in 1882 and is part of the SCM’s quest to become a world leader.

SCM president Lin Zaiyong and his RCM counterpart, Colin Lawson, signed the agreement at a ceremony yesterday. A Program of Talent Education will be set up at the new institute, recruiting students from senior high school and above globally, as one of the first steps.