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Last week we welcomed eminent British composer Robert Saxton to School to give an inspiring seminar to composition pupils. Currently university Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford, his recent works include radio opera, The Wandering Jew, released on NMC in June 2011 and Quartet No. 3 for the Arditti String Quartet commissioned by…

Decided to wander round after prep tonight and, after a tour of Gardner with Mr Hutchings, went to the gym to watch some volleyball. A nice way to relax and get fit at the same time! Also saw a yoga class, so lots going on this evening.

Do children get enough music in school, or out of school? Has the Government got the balance right between the arts, the humanities and the sciences in the curriculum? Do other countries have a better approach? Can the music hubs make a difference, at a time of falling budgets?  On Monday 30th June, The Purcell School took part in a fantastic event with…

Chamber Choir rehearsing last night for this evening’s concert at St Albans. Wonderful to have such a generous acoustic to play with. There’s still time to get tickets!(Photo: Mr James Harding)

These new additions to the Purcell community seem to have taken up residence in the school grounds. I wonder what instruments they play? (Photo: Mr J. Harding)

Our school play, Gogol’s comedy The Government Inspector, is in the final stages of rehearsal. Mr Elliott invited me to visit last night’s run-through in costume, and I really enjoyed it. There are some wonderfully funny comic performances, and it looks terrific on stage. Do come and see it on Tuesday and Wednesday next week…

Some of the Upper Sixth organised a flash dance mob event at morning break time today to mark V-Day and to encourage awareness amongst pupils of the international campaign ‘One Billion Rising’.  This event coincided with similar events up and the down country which seek to promote positive relationships between men and women, and end…

Congratulations are in order to all performers for last night’s concert at  Milton Court Concert Hall, Barbican.The programme included music for harp by Pierne and Grandjany, Tchaikovsky’s Méditation for violin from Souvenir d’un Lieu Cher, songs by Gershwin and Cole Porter and works for piano including preludes by Debussy and Rachmaninov, Haydn’s Sonata No. 39, Schumann’s Abegg Variations…

Well done to the seven Purcell pupils who have taken up places in the National Youth Orchestra for 2014 (six of them pictured above!). Gyu-Nam Kim (bass)Victoria Gill (violin)Matthew Paris (bass)Francesca Cox (oboe)Jessica Price (bass)Matthew Higham (flute)William Gough (bassoon)The orchestra starts 2014 with two concerts under the baton of Paul Daniel, performing Mahler’s 5th Symphony and a new commission by…

Great concert last night at the amazing new Milton Court, courtesy of GSMD. Here is Assistant Concerts Manager Sam marshalling the troops as we head back to school.