Our thriving Strings department nurtures string players as they work towards acquiring a solid technical foundation and, as well as developing their skills as soloists, become accustomed to working as part of a group. Chamber music and orchestral playing are key to the musical education of our string players. The School runs a Junior String Orchestra, a Chamber Orchestra and a Symphony Orchestra in support…
ExploreFirst study pianists comprise approximately a quarter of the School’s student body, making the Keyboard department a dynamic and inspiring place in which to study. All boarding first study Sixth Form pianists have the use of an upright piano in their study bedrooms. In addition to expert individual tuition, the department runs weekly group classes to allow pianists the opportunity to come together, share ideas and learn from…
ExploreBrass students at The Purcell School enjoy personalised one-on-one lessons with a distinguished team of instrumental teachers who focus on developing technique, musicality and performance skills while covering a broad repertoire from classical to contemporary works. Our comprehensive programme includes specialised instruction in cornet, horn, baritone horn, tenor horn, euphonium, trombone, trumpet and tuba.
Regular recitals and concerts – from solo ventures to large-scale orchestral works – combined with a diverse range of masterclasses with renowned brass players, provide invaluable stage experience and inspiration. Our brass ensembles, Chamber ensembles, Big Band, Wind and Symphony orchestras also provide platforms for collaborative music-making, allowing students to refine their performance skills through dedicated coaching and rehearsals.
The Purcell School’s Brass Department is a vibrant and enriching environment where young musicians can thrive and reach their full potential.
Purcell’s Percussion Department offers a vibrant and comprehensive education tailored to develop versatile, skilled and expressive percussionists capable of excelling in a diverse array of musical settings. We are committed to individual attention and mentorship. Students receive one-on-one lessons from our distinguished faculty, all of whom are accomplished performers and dedicated educators. This personalised instruction…
ExploreThe Woodwind Department is small but hugely rich in diversity, with a range of amazing teachers. Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Classical Sax and Recorder grace the school with a range of wonderful repertoire. All our teachers are performers at a top professional level, and many also work at Junior and Senior Conservatoires. They therefore understand the next level of learning that students may be looking to explore…
ExploreOur Harp faculty consists of distinguished harpists who are not only experienced solo and orchestral performers but also highly skilled educators.
Notable alumnae of The Purcell School include renowned harpists Catrin Finch and Anne Denholm-Blair, both of whom have held the prestigious position of Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales.
The Purcell School offers numerous performance opportunities. Students regularly participate in recitals, concerts, and masterclasses with renowned harpists, gaining invaluable stage experience and inspiration. The school boasts numerous orchestras and ensembles, providing additional platforms for collaborative music-making. Harp students have the opportunity to perform as soloists, in duos or as part of chamber groups, including harp ensembles. These experiences help students refine their ensemble skills through dedicated coaching and rehearsals.
We offer classical singers an exceptional and nurturing environment where they can develop their talents to the fullest.
Our voice faculty comprises top-level professional performers and educators, many of whom also teach at leading Junior and Senior Conservatoires. Our comprehensive approach covers a broad repertoire, from early music to contemporary works, allowing students to explore various styles and genres. This diverse training ensures that our vocalists are well-rounded and versatile performers.
The Purcell School offers numerous performance opportunities for our first and second study voice students. Regular recitals and concerts, chamber choirs and solo performances, provide platforms for students to showcase their talents and gain invaluable stage experience. Additionally, masterclasses with renowned singers and vocal coaches offer students the chance to learn from and be inspired by leading professionals in the field.
At The Purcell School, we are committed to providing a supportive and stimulating environment for our voice students. Whether aspiring to join a professional opera company, pursue a solo career or engage in choral and ensemble singing, we offer the education, resources and inspiration needed to achieve their goals.
Jazz is an established and flourishing department. Renowned within and outside the School, it comprises an inspirational team of experienced teachers and performers who are uniquely placed to oversee the development of creative musicians. Ensemble provision is an important part of the Jazz programme. As well as the School’s senior and junior improvisation groups, students can participate in ad hoc ensemble-based…
ExploreThe Purcell School is able to offer exceptional opportunities for young composers who will thrive in the stimulating and creative environment of the Composition Department. First study composers receive up to two hours of individual tuition in composition per week, alongside an agreed programme of instrumental study appropriate to their individual needs. Regular seminars, workshops, group discussions…
ExploreIn addition to the Music Technology component of the Academic Music curriculum, first study Audio Production students will receive up to two hours of individual tuition per week, alongside an agreed programme of instrumental study appropriate to their individual needs (applicants must have a second study instrument to a minimum of Grade 5 standard). They will be taught techniques for developing coherent ideas…
ExploreThe Purcell School is very excited to have launched our Commercial and Popular Music Department in September 2022. The department delivers a program of essential skills necessary for today’s modern commercial musician, taught by a team of industry professionals. Our tutors work with internationally renowned pop and rock artists who record for film and television at all of the top London recording studios…
ExplorePerformance is a cornerstone of the music programme at The Purcell School, and in an average year our students will take part in over 200 concerts. We offer a wealth of performance opportunities from regular concerts, recitals and masterclasses to competitions and festivals. One of the life-changing experiences of attending The Purcell School is our proximity to London and the opportunity to make music with…
ExploreThe goal of the Academic Music Department is to assist students in becoming informed, imaginative and enquiring musicians. It aims to provide a wide range of musical skills and to enable students to use these skills creatively. In addition to musicianship and composition classes, all students in Years 7 to 9 study a series of set works. These form the basis of creative and analytical projects designed to expand their general…
ExploreIn the words of Henry Matisse ‘creativity takes courage’. To encourage a fearless approach to Art we introduce our students to a wide range of different media early. All students study Art until Year 9, with a large number opting to continue their studies to GSCE (Fine Art) and then to A Level (Fine Art and Photography). An emphasis is placed on drawing, visual and contextual study, experimentation…
ExploreDrama is a standard part of the School curriculum from Years 7 to 9, and is also available at GCSE and A Level. The course aims to encourage students to work imaginatively and creatively in a collaborative context in order to generate, develop and communicate ideas. Students come away with an understanding of the social, historical and cultural influences on texts studied and develop a competence…
ExploreWith approximately 20% of Purcell students hailing from overseas, EAL forms an integral part of the curriculum for students for whom English is not their first language, and is offered at no extra charge. The programme is personally tailored and aims to equip students with all the necessary skills, not only to engage in their musical and academic studies, but also to allow them to fully integrate into the student body…
ExploreEnglish at The Purcell School provides growth, knowledge and improvement in the key areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. English seeks to foster creative talent as well as academic success, and each year students engage in creative writing competitions. In an international school we especially seek to work with the EAL Department to further language acquisition and development for our foreign students…
ExploreIn our international school community where languages are at the core of our working life, we have little difficulty persuading our students of the importance of language learning. In recent years we have seen increasing numbers of students who wish to study outside the UK, especially in Germany, as such languages are seen as a valued life skill by many of our students. The department has high expectations…
ExploreThe History department aims to develop skills and knowledge that will be used throughout a student’s life. Students will learn the causes and consequences of historical events and develop the ability to deduce the influence such events may have had on the trajectory of history. The department enriches its curriculum with trips and outings throughout the year…
ExploreIn Mathematics we aim to develop creative reasoning together with a high level of mathematical competency so that our students can solve problems with confidence and logic. We follow the English National Curriculum for Key Stage 2, 3, and 4 with a variety of enrichment opportunities offered to students during their time with us in the form of competitions, investigations and outings. In the Sixth Form, we teach…
ExploreThe Music Technology Department generates and fosters creativity in students using the latest recording and computer technology. With six AV links allowing the recording of our best pianos direct to the studios and all concerts in the School being captured direct to the two automated systems, music technology touches on many areas of music making. The course covers all aspects of creative studio work…
ExploreScience at The Purcell Schools hopes to promote students curiosity about the world around them and develop their ability to explore their interests effectively through investigation and analysis, enabling them to deduce satisfying conclusions. At KS3 all students follow the National Curriculum and are taught by specialists in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Students are then able to select to either study…
ExploreOur vision for PE is to deliver a curriculum that promotes participation, enjoyment and a love of physical activity and exercise. We aim for students to understand the importance of physical fitness and how this can benefit their musical performance and studies. At The Purcell School we aim to offer a balanced and varied curriculum that allows all pupils to achieve and enjoy PE. We aim to provide…
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Our talented students were honoured to perform at the Hatfield House Music Festival Family Concert on 11 October.
#PurcellSchool #HatfieldHouseMusicFestival #YoungMusicians #LiveMusic #FamilyConcert
Voice Masterclass with Louise Crane
📅 Thursday 16 October
🕔 5:00 – 7:30 PM
📍 The Purcell School
All are welcome to attend.
Please email the Concerts Department to confirm your attendance.
We are delighted to welcome Louise Crane to take a masterclass with our vocal students.
Some early engagements were Don Giovanni with Opera Factory (filmed for Channel 4), and Dialogues des Carmelites for the Opèra de Lyon (recorded by Virgin Classics), since when her many and varied roles have included Mother Goose (The Rake’s Progress) at the Aldeburgh Festival; Giovanna (Ernani), Ismene (The Siege of Corinth), Death (Le Rossignol) and Smaragdi (Francesca da Rimini) for Chelsea Opera Group; Florence Pike (Albert Herring), Third Lady (The Magic Flute) and Mistress Quickly (Falstaff) for English Touring Opera; Marcellina (The Marriage of Figaro) and Third Lady for both Opera Brava and European Chamber Opera; Flora (La Traviata) for Mid-Wales Opera and the Irish Operatic Repertory Company, Jocasta (Oedipus Rex) and Filipyevna (Eugene Onegin) for Oxford University Opera; The Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) for Palace Opera, Minerva (Orpheus in the Underworld) and Praskovia (The Merry Widow) for Opera Holland Park. She made her debut with English National Opera in Joanathan Harvey’s Inquest of Love and subsequently took part in the opera’s revival at the Brussels Opera.
In demand for concert engagements at home and abroad, Louise has broadcast Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, appeared on Friday Night is Music Night and toured with the Basque Symphony Orchestra of Spain and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She has recorded extracts from Handel’s Messiah for Classic FM and performed the same work in Britain and the Far East. She has sung the B Minor Mass in Salisbury Cathedral, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem under Stephen Cleobury at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge and A Child of Our Time at Warwick University.
For further info visit The Purcell School website (link in bio).
We have just published Purcell`s latest #WeeklyHighlights!
(See link in bio)
#SchoolNews #AlumniNews #PurcellNews #StudentNews #PurcellMusic
🎹 Piano Masterclass with Nellie Seng
📍 The Purcell School
🗓️ 15 October | 🕐 12:40–3:40pm
Don`t miss this chance to learn from the brilliant Nellie Seng!
📩 Free to attend but please email in advance: concerts@purcell-school.org
#PurcellSchool #PianoMasterclass #NellieSeng #YoungMusicians #ClassicalMusic
A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, Dr Seng has performed internationally, garnering prizes at the Puigcerdà International Piano Competition and the Juilliard–Gina Bachauer Competition. She has appeared with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and continues to perform actively in recitals, festivals, and world premieres, with a strong focus on contemporary and Southeast Asian repertoire.
As an educator, Dr Seng is dedicated to developing reflective, expressive, and socially engaged musicians. She has taught across diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, specialising in Principal Study (Piano), Collaborative Piano, Musicianship, and Performance Pedagogy. Her teaching integrates values-based education, cross-cultural perspectives, and artistic inquiry.
Dr Seng’s educational philosophy is closely linked to her research and artistic practice. She is co-author of “Courage to Create” (Education Sciences, 2024), a publication that outlines a values-driven model for music teacher education in Asia. Her engagement with NAFA’s A/R/Tography initiative further explores the intersection of movement, memory, and sound in music learning and performance.
Internationally, she is active as a festival artist, adjudicator, and masterclass clinician, with recent engagements at institutions including the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing), China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and Chetham’s School of Music (UK). These activities reflect her ongoing commitment to artistic exchange and to nurturing the next generation of musicians across cultural and educational contexts.
Dr Seng is also closely involved with major initiatives such as the Nanyang International Music Competition and the Nanyang International Piano Academy.
Our fabulous band at Hatfield House Music Festival - Schools Concert
Churches of St Etheldreda and St Luke Hatfield
9 October 2025
Purcell pianists after the piano dept concert on 8 October 👏👏👏
The Purcell School CP Hall
🎹🎶🎹🎶Purcell piano students shined at the departmental concert on 8 October.
A little treat from Liszt`s Hungarian Rhapsody no.11
#purcellschool #pianoconcert #liszt
#purcellschoolofmusic #pianorecital
#ukmusicschool #londonmusicschool
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on Sunday for our Woodwind Accelerate Afternoon - what a fantastic afternoon of music-making!
It was wonderful to welcome so many talented young players to The Purcell School to work alongside our brilliant tutors, take part in rehearsals and masterclasses, and round off the day with a joyful informal concert.
👏 A big thank you to our Purcell Woodwind team and to Mike Cavanagh, Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion, for leading such an inspiring day.
Swipe to see some highlights from the event!
#PurcellSchool #Woodwind