Paul McCartney joins the Abbey Road Institute Global Graduation

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On this day, Paul McCartney made a visit to Abbey Road Studios and participated in the Abbey Road Institute Global Graduation ceremony, which was held in Studio One. The ceremony also honoured Abbey Road microphone custodian Lester Smith upon his retirement, celebrating over 50 years of his invaluable service to the studio. His contribution was acknowledged on stage with a special recognition from Sir Paul McCartney.

One day in 1968 my mother told me that EMI was looking for a technical engineer to work in the Tape Record’s division at Hayes, Middlesex. I immediately applied for the job and got it. Here I was involved with looking after rows of tape machines copying the master tapes coming up from Abbey Road and being transferred to reels of ¼ inch tape for sale to the public. […]

The joy of working at Abbey Road is that no two days are alike. Artists and celebrities from all over the world arrive to record here and I have got to meet quite a few. 30 years ago, I met Slava Rostropovich the famous cellist and mentioned that Stephanie and I were going to his home city of St Petersburg to visit the Hermitage museum. Straight away he said that he knew the director there and wrote a letter of introduction for me to take.

Another time Tony Bennett and his son and manager Danni came to record Christmas songs in Studio One. During the lunch break Danni asked me if I could show him around and later took my photograph with Tony in the garden. Also Paul McCartney comes by occasionally and likes to have a chat… […]

Lester Smith – From Lester Smith’s Abbey Road Story, November 29, 2021

About the Abbey Road Institute:

Abbey Road Institute is a specialist music production school and the training ground for the next generation of music producers and sound engineers.

Our foundations are the expertise and innovation created at Abbey Road Studios. Through collaboration with industry experts, we created a professional one-year Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering and a 5-month Advanced Diploma in Audio Post Production for Film and TV. In 2021, we moved into and reopened the historic Angel Recording Studios in Islington, near Kings Cross.

We work closely with engineers and producers to design and deliver a broad, hands-on, cutting-edge curriculum. This prepares you to launch a career in the music industry as unique as you are. A love of music and a passion to create unite our students and team.

You will learn from creative, cutting-edge producers, technical experts, business professionals and established and experienced names across the music industry. Studying at Abbey Road Institute is a life-changing decision and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our graduates are the future of the music and recording industry and have received multiple nominations and awards, including Grammy, Billboard and MPG recognition.

Last updated on June 27, 2024