After 40 years of recording, Angel Studios sadly closed their doors last year. With rumours of the storied location being turned into flats, the legendary Abbey Road Studios and Abbey Road Institute will be ensuring the music plays on in the historic building.

Angel Studios, the birthplace of records by The Cure, Sam Smith, Adele, Siouxsie and the Banshees, One Direction and Robbie Williams, as well as iconic scores including The Lion King, Downton Abbey and Moulin Rouge, will reopen in Summer 2021 and become the new home for an expanding Abbey Road Institute. Angel Studios will be the new flagship location for the specialist music school that boasts seven separate schools across the globe. Demand for the unique offering at Abbey Road Institute means the London school has outgrown its current home at the iconic St. John’s Wood location, however students will continue to use the school’s dedicated studio at Abbey Road alongside the new headquarters in vibrant Islington.

The team is working hard to ensure the heritage of the Grade II building is intact and will be carefully restoring it to enable the school to move in and bring the space back to life. The existing studios will be returned to use, providing cutting edge facilities for the students to gain practical recording and mixing experience at Angel. The Islington complex will also be home to a working recording studio for hire, managed by the bookings team at Abbey Road. Abbey Road Institute has always had the unique set up of being located amongst commercial working studios and their new flagship campus at Angel will be no different - ensuring the students benefit from the energy and excitement of a professional environment.

Recent alumni of the esteemed school have gone on to work with artists including Little Mix, Madonna, J Hus, Calvin Harris, Pink, James Bay and for employers including Abbey Road, Metropolis Studios, Netflix, Universal Music, Ninja Tune, Anjunabeats and many more. The pathway to employment is something the Institute prides itself on, with 95% of graduates going onto work in the industry. Furthering this commitment to future employment, Abbey Road Studios recently announced a new scholarship for two black British students to study at the Institute, followed by a year-long engineering work placement at the world-famous studios. The Scholarship will fund its first two students to study the Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering this Summer.

Luca Barassi, CEO of Abbey Road Institute says: “Our first home and inception have been at Abbey Road Studios, where we have been able to forge and define the strong relationship between the training we provide and the day to day reality of arguably, the world’s most acclaimed commercial studio. The move into Angel Studios brings many possibilities for our school, our students and our international Abbey Road Institute family, enabling us to start our next chapter. The history and relevance of Angel and the impressive studio space and building full of character, will all play a part in the next stage of Abbey Road Institute’s evolution.”

Isabel Garvey, Managing Director of Abbey Road Studios says: “2021 marks 90 years of Abbey Road Studios and 90 years of incredible music, artistry and legacy, which continues to be created every day inside our studios. I am thrilled that we can ensure a fellow London recording studio can continue its purpose and thrive as a hub of creativity, providing a dedicated space for the next generation of engineers and producers. We’ve seen a huge increase in creativity over the last year, so are proud to take on the management of the commercial studio at Angel to ensure artists and composers have more quality space in which to record.”

Mike Sinnott, Campus Manager of Abbey Road Institute London says: “Myself and the team are incredibly excited to be in the privileged position of moving into a space with such an iconic history. The opportunity for both the Institute and the Studio to expand together at Angel means we’ll be able to maintain our close relationship with Abbey Road, create new opportunities for our students and graduates, as well as expand our portfolio. We’ll also continue to teach and record at our own dedicated studio and Studios One, Two and Three at Abbey Road ensuring that students benefit from the cutting-edge facilities and the experiences offered at both locations.”

Visit Abbey Road Institute's blog to keep up to date with the developments at Angel Studios over the coming months.