News

Former Purcell pupil and BBC Young Musician 2014, pianist Martin James Bartlett will perform for Her Majesty The Queen at St. Paul’s Cathedral today for the National Service of Thanksgiving.  This special service marked the start of the official celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday.   Live coverage on BBC One https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07fl1tj

The Delegates performing on stage The Delegates – horn section Deputy Head, James Harding addressing the guests The School was invited to contribute to a special award ceremony on Saturday night as part of Hertsmere Council’s annual Civic Dinner. Hosted by the serving mayor, Councillor Martin Worster, the event was an opportunity to reward local volunteers…

Thirty students from Year 10 worked really hard today recording their final GCSE Music compositions.  There were some beautiful pieces, inspired by music from different cultures.  Yasmin Strevens-Chen even wrote a piece including the Chinese guzheng, which she played herself! 

A delightful end to this half of term, with a performance of Vivaldi and Bach from our very own burgeoning Baroque Ensemble.

Year 8 pupils visited the London house of Charles Dickens as part of their programme for this term’s Exams and Outings week.  Here we see pupils taking part in an interactive tour of Dickens’s Doughty Street house.  The tour was followed by a fantastic creative writing workshop at the museum, conducted by the museum’s Education…

​Huge congratulations to Purcell alumna Juliette Bausor, recently appointed Principal Flute at the London Philharmonic Orchestra. After leaving Purcell in 1997, Juliette went on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Conservatoire Nationale Superieur do Musique et de Danse in Paris.   https://www.juliettebausor.co.uk/about/

Yesterday, the pupils of Avison were asked to face their fears and their stomachs by trying some new foods. The tasting sessions started with an example of how misleading food can be. Each pupil was asked to take one jelly bean from a cup. Each coloured bean could either be flavoured with an unappetising option,…

Head of Department, Kevin Hathway with Professor Daphne Boden and the new harp! Today we were delighted to see the arrival of a new instrument to the Harp department.  The harp was made in Chicago, and chosen specially for its sound quality by Purcell harp teacher, Daphne Boden. Manufacturers, Lyon and Healy, have been making such instruments…

eOn the exeat weekend, a group of ten 6th formers made their way to Whitchurch Canonicorum in the heart of the Dorset countryside for the Outreach tour, hosted and arranged by ex-Purcellian Headmaster John Bain and his wife Cynthia. An early start for IMPULSE on Friday morning for a 9:00 interactive assembly at Symondsbury Primary…

Well done to all involved in our concert at London’s Wigmore Hall on Wednesday evening.  The pupils played to a full hall, and it was a fantastic celebration of the music making that happens at the School. The programme included Britten‘s Suite for violin, works for harp by Pierné and Tournier, Mozart arias, and piano works by…