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Weekly Highlights 25th March 2022

Welcome to the latest edition of Purcell’s Weekly Highlights!

Senior Concerto Competition

The Senior Concerto Competition category rounds were held last week, and we were treated to fantastic performances by students in years 11, 12 and 13. The eminent guest adjudicators were the international solo violinist Tasmin Little; concert pianist, and deputy Head of Piano at the RCM, Ian Jones; and Richard Benjafield, Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion at the Guildhall. It is a remarkable achievement to play any full solo concerto while still at school, and to hear 14 of them played so convincingly was wonderful. The Grand Final will be on Sunday 24th April, when the following students will take part. Two of them will be chosen to perform with the orchestra next year.

Henrietta, Year 12 (Winner, Strings): Khachaturian Violin Concerto
Tianao, Year 13: Haydn Cello Concerto in D
Magdalene, Year 13 (Winner, Piano): Beethoven Piano Concerto no 4 in G
Thomas, Year 12: Shostakovich Piano Concerto no 2
Beste, Year 13 (Winner, Wind, Brass, Voice, Percussion): Séjourné Concerto for Marimba

Special thanks to Purcell’s Accompanists Daniel Swain and Debbie Shah for all their work, rehearsing with the students and performing so many complex orchestral accompaniments.

North London Festival of Music, Speech and Drama

Year 13 singer Carolyn took part in the North London Festival of Music, Speech and Drama Singing Competition on Thursday 17th March, and we were delighted to hear that she won the 1st prize in the song recital programme on the day. Carolyn studies at Purcell with Tom Marandola. Our congratulations!

Purcell Pianist Performs in Bahrain

By the time this edition of the Weekly Highlights has been published, Year 11 pianist Momo will have performed in one of two concerts he is taking part in this week in Bahrain. The first was on Thursday 24th March at the Palace of the King of Bahrain, and the second will take place in a matter of hours (Friday 25th March) at the National Theatre. Momo studies at Purcell under Tessa Nicholson, and we all wish him the very best of luck with these exciting performances.

Purcell Jazz Pianist hits 100M on YouTube

Prior to joining Purcell in 2020, Year 10 jazz pianist Cole created his own arrangements of songs for piano and played them for the public on street pianos. These performances were recorded and posted on YouTube, with one proving to be a firm favourite. In fact, the July 2019 video of Cole playing Bohemian Rhapsody at London’s St Pancras station has just this week hit 100 million views!

Congratulations, Cole, what a milestone!

Awards for Young Musicians Donor Event

On Tuesday 22nd March, Year 8 pianist Celeste played Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 in B minor at Lauderdale House, Highgate. The concert was a donor event organised by AYM (Awards for Young Musicians) which supports talented young people from low income families.

Concert at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery

On Thursday 24th March, a group of Purcell players travelled to Leicester to perform a Lunchtime Concert at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery as part of the Leicester International Music Festival’s series of seven Lunchtime Concerts in early 2022. The eminent international concert series is curated by Purcell alumnus and renowned oboist Nicholas Daniel, and we were honoured to be invited to perform as part of it once again. Of the concert, which included pieces from Mozart, Farrenc and Gounod for wind ensemble, Leicester International Music Festival Trustee, Malcolm Noble, commented ‘Thank you for a really fabulous concert today. I was delighted and the audience raved. Indeed, several asked for you to come once a year.’ Congratulations to all our young musicians who took part.

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Purcell Themed Art

Over the last few weeks, the halls and grounds of Purcell have been peppered with students . . . sketching! Our young artists have made some brilliant renderings of the School, tackling perspective and scale with real confidence.

Well done to all of the Year 7 and 8 art students who took part, and also to Chloe in Year 11. Displays of the Purcell themed building work are now on display in the School’s main building and in Avison House.

Stone Carving

Congratulations to Year 13 artist Bertie on his beautiful and unique stone carving which will soon be displayed in the window of Fortnum & Mason in London. Bertie won a place on the prestigious Stone Carving course run by the creative Dimension Trust, and this piece is a direct result of his time spent there.

Brundibár Set Design

Brundibár is the final event of the Spring term, which will take place on Monday 28th March (19.30). The production has been a fantastic opportunity for different academic departments within the School to come together, with the Drama Department leading the directing of the opera, and the Art Department creating the set design.

Head of Art Victoria Samuel would like to say a huge thank you to Celeste (Year 8), Gaby (Year 8), Carla (Year 8), Willow (Year 7), Cindy (Year 10), Rebecca (Year 10), Elara (Year 7), Saule (Year 7), Artist in Residence Seana McEvoy and Art Technician Helena Thomas for their fantastic enthusiasm and work on the Brundibár set design. We look forward to seeing it up on stage!

Further detail about the Brundibár production can be found below.

Forthcoming Events

Monday 28th March – Brundibár
Time: 19.30
Venue: The Purcell School, CP Hall
Tickets: Free admission. Please email concerts@purcell-school.org to register interest

Brundibár is a children’s opera in two acts by Hans Krása and librettist Adolf Hoffmeister, composed in 1938 for a competition in the former Czechoslovakia. Today it is one of the most widely performed youth operas in the world. The production is particularly poignant this year because it marks the 80th anniversary of its secret premiere at a Jewish orphanage in Prague, which happened after the composer was deported to the Terezín concentration camp.

Monday 27 June – Purcell at Cadogan Hall
Time: 19.30
Venue: Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Square Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
Tickets: Available shortly via cadoganhall.com

Celebrate the end of the year with a barnstorming programme! Further programme details will be published soon.

Friday 1st July – Deal Festival with Alim Beisembayev
Time: 19.30
Venue: St George’s Church, St George’s Road, Deal CT14 6BA
Tickets: Available via dealmusicandarts.com

The Purcell School Chamber Choir and Orchestra join up again with star recent alumnus Alim Beisembayev, for the first time since his triumph in winning the Leeds International Piano Concerto 2021. The programme references both Napoleon and Nelson in honour of their common connections to the town of Deal, where we have the pleasure of opening the annual festival.

Programme to include:
Haydn | The Nelson Mass
Beethoven | Piano Concerto no 5 ‘the Emperor’

Beauty & The 7 Beasts

Alumnus Hamish Mackay, the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Opera Story, will be producing a new multimedia opera entitled Beauty & The 7 Beasts at The Brixton Jamm from 6th to 14th April. Other Purcell alumni, including composers Sasha Scott and Lucie Treacher, are involved in the project which will see Beauty downloading the newest dating app, Magic Mirror, and going on 7 deadly sinful dates.

Tickets are available here.