News

Pictured above, one of our Sixth Form string quartets playing at the Metropolitan Police Club Commendation Awards Ceremony, held in Bushey on Thursday 8th January.  Fay Ault from Colindale Police Station commented “They were incredible, I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterwards to say how much they enjoyed the music”. 

Isobel Daws has been appointed Solo Trombone with the current London and Southern Counties brass band champions The Friary Guildford Band. ​ Heather Brooks has a place in the National Youth Harp Orchestra and has been invited to be the Conductor’s Assistant for the Training Orchestra.

Year 8 pupils study insect specimens and make observational drawings to inspire their project Some of the specimens selected from the archive at the Natural History Museum, Tring The concertina books filled with drawings of the insect specimens by year 8 pupils On Wednesday 20 January, as part of their art course, the Year 8…

Owl searching in Privet Drive The covered bridge at Hogwarts On the Thursday of Outings’ Week, eleven Muggles (nine Juniors along with Professors Hayward and Jacklin) were transported by the Purcell Bus to Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden for a fun-filled foray around the two studios that now house the Harry Potter film exhibitions.  The…

On Tuesday 19 January,  Year 12 art students visited the Wallace Collection, to take part in ‘Naked Bodies’, a life drawing workshop set within the context of the museum.  Purcellians joined fellow A Level art students from Watford Girls Grammar School for the session which lasted the whole day. The morning started with a tour…

  Many congratulations to our Head Boy and Head Girl, who have received Oxbridge offers for next year.  Tom Sparkes to read Music at Girton College Cambridge and Jenny Clarke to read Music at Christ Church Oxford. Both pupils hold Government Music and Dance Scheme Scholarships at The Purcell School.

16 year-old Joe Parks has reached the Percussion category final of BBC Young Musician, the UK’s leading contest for young classical musicians. After an extensive audition process, judges have announced five finalists for each of its categories – Strings, Keyboard, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion. The Percussion category final will take place on 8 March 2016…

  Hailed by The Telegraph as ‘potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century’, Purcell alumnus Yevgeny Sudbin‘s latest recording for BIS Records has been given an International Classical Music Award (ICMA) alongside 15 other productions from 15 labels in the Audio and Video category.  Yevgeny performs Medtner Piano Concerto No. 3 and Scriabin Piano Concerto on this recording with the Bergen…

European Pianorama logo   Purcell pupils onstage, introducing the Greek piece   Italy – very appropriately represented on our new Italian Fazioli piano!     On Tuesday 12 January, our pianists performed 28 new piano pieces to a large appreciative audience in a concert entitled ‘A European Pianorama’.  The pieces were written by composers from each of…

Kevin Hathway leading a side-by-side orchestral rehearsal with Purcell pupils and the Berkshire Maestros Last Sunday afternoon Mr Hathway and Mr Sewart took 14 Purcellians to Stoneham Court in Reading to present a musical cocktail of chamber music performances, masterclasses, and side-by-side experiences with the Academy @ Maestros, run by Berkshire Music Hub. ​The Berkshire Maestros is…