 He caused controversy in 1988 by what Nicholas Kenyon called "plans to create a high level conservatory … for soloists on the model of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia", cutting the academy's total number of students.Kenyon added that "the plan caused a huge row with the other music colleges", which felt that this was an attempt to benefit the academy at their expense.Lumsden caused further controversy by bringing in world-famous musicians to "International Chairs" to pass on their knowledge.