News

The Trio rehearsing Yesterday evening, our Debussy-inspired composition project, created by The Purcell School’s Composer-in-Residence, Professor Robert Saxton, culminated in a fascinating concert. Five talented young composers wrote pieces for flute and harp, inspired by Debussy’s wonderful Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp.  Their pieces were performed by young professional artists Rachel Wick (harp), Tom Hancox…

Year 9 ‘cellist, Willard Carter performed at Buckingham Palace with Guy Johnston last Thursday. Willard was invited to play in a short concert designed by The Duchess of Kent in support of the charity Future Talent, held at Buckingham Palace on Thursday 5th May at 7:30pm. Stephen Cleobury opened the concert, conducting the choristers of Kings College, Cambridge. The…

Year Six pianist Magdalene Ho has been awarded the ABRSM Silver Medal and Sheila Mossman Prize following her distinction in the ABRSM Grade 8 examination this year.   The Sheila Mossman Memorial Prize is awarded to ABRSM candidates who achieve the highest marks in practical exams at grades 6, 7 and 8.  The award is endowed by the friends and former…

It was a pleasure to welcome the string department from Trinity Laban today to work together on a project to be performed tomorrow as part of the Greenwich Festival. They kindly stayed on at the end of the day to perform Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for our pupils. Many thanks to Nic Pendlebury and his team.

​Bursting onto the stage in typically spectacular fashion was this year’s first Sound Image Movement concert on Wednesday 9th March.  With a breathtakingly eclectic mix of performances showcasing the creative breadth of our most inventive Purcellians, the event remained true to its ambition of presenting original ideas in a spectacular setting.  The capacity audience was…

Yesterday afternoon, we were delighted to welcome eminent pianist Bernard d’Ascoli to give a class to our piano students.  Head of Keyboard, William Fong said “His class was not only inspiring and illuminating, but also given with the generosity and elegance that distinguish his own concert performances and recordings.”  The three Purcell School pianists, Gabriele Bekeryte, Kenny Fu and Leah…

Richard Taylor, centre, surrounded by pupils and colleagues in the Purcell School picture, 1981. ​It is with great sadness that The Purcell School learned of the death of former Headmaster Richard Taylor. Mr Taylor made a key contribution in developing the school to be an internationally recognised centre of excellence. From its humble beginnings in…

With induction week at the London music colleges drawing to a close, and with university terms about to get underway, it’s time to focus on the superb achievements of this summer’s Purcell School leavers.  The statistics below are a reminder of how effectively and consistently our school prepares pupils for the next stage of their…

Thirteen Purcell School pianists took part in the Royal Northern College of Music’s Keyboard Festival, Dancing Fingers: A Portrait of Russian Music, on Sunday 21st June.  Our pianists performed the complete Preludes Op. 32 by Rachmaninoff, which was extremely well received.  William Fong, Head of Keyboard said “We were very well looked after and it was a…

Congratulations to former Purcellian, Kristina Arakelyan, winner of this year’s NCEM Young Composers Award presented in association with BBC Radio 3. The new pieces were performed by Theatre of the Ayre, directed by one of Europe’s leading lutenists Elizabeth Kenny , with tenor Nicholas Mulroy and mezzo soprano Anna Starushkevych . The winners were announced after the concert by Les Pratt, BBC…