Welcome to the latest edition of Purcell’s Weekly Highlights!
Tel: 01923 331100 Email: info@purcell-school.org
Welcome to the latest edition of Purcell’s Weekly Highlights!
A big thank you to all students who entered this year’s Design a Christmas Card Competition.
The Art Department received some fabulously festive designs, which made Purcell’s Principal Paul Bambrough’s special seasonal job that much harder . . . so much so that instead of picking one winner, he picked four!
Congratulations to Samsara (Year 8), Willow (Year 8), Sonya (Year 8) and Ireh (Year 9) for your wonderfully wintry designs.
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Year 11 jazz pianist Cole was recently filmed playing London St Pancras’s famous street piano for the French TV Show 66 Minutes. The full programme is available here with Cole featured at 23:03.
This recording follows previous footage of Cole performing his own arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody at St Pancras which garnered an astounding 111,829,281 views on YouTube.
The close of the autumn term is always incredibly busy in the Concerts Department, and this year proved no different. Our talented young musicians took part in a community lunchtime concert, gave a recital at the Steinway Hall, the Session Bands put on their first lunchtime concert, Elton House Care Home Concert, St. James’ Advent Carols, St. Mary’s Watford Christmas Concert, NHS Support Group Concert at Stanborough Centre, Three Rivers Music Society Lunchtime Concert, Lower School Choir and Purcell Conductors’ Choir Lunchtime Concert and lunchtime concert.
Well done to all the performers for their outstanding performance: Djordje, Zaki, Benji, Anastasia, Angelica, Megan, Mahla, Cole, Johnathan, Ozel , Vasile, Rujie, Luca, Francisca, Hana, Fiona, Theadora, Emma, Ivanna, Freddie, Clara, Rocco, Yoel, Elise, Danya, Lower School Choir, Conductors’ Choir, Noah, Ted, Alex, Freddie, Djordje, Mr. Owen, Chamber Choir, Sixth Form Choir, Sixth Form Strings, Middle School Strings, Y12 Baroque Ensemble, Mr. Montgomery, Miss. Alsey, Samuel, Elara, Sofiia, Skye, April, Tessa, Mikhail, Shlomi and Zev.
We were thrilled to hear at the end of term that alumnus Tyler Hay triumphed in the 2022 International Dudley Piano Competition with his winning performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2.
Tyler studied at Purcell under Tessa Nicholson. Our heartfelt congratulations!
What a treat for 2023! From January to July, Purcell’s Composition Department will celebrate our 60th anniversary with the brilliant PurcellComposers@60 festival. Students, staff and alumni will come together on multiple groundbreaking projects and performances.
The festival kicks off with the first of the Purcell Parallels concerts on Thursday 19th January at 7pm in the Recital Room.
Purcell Parallels is a unique collaboration between The Purcell School’s composition teachers and first-study composition students. The staff-student pairs will work in parallel to write pieces for the same forces, exploring various connections. The final compositions will be programmed together in their pairs in a series of three concerts.
This is the first of the Purcell Parallels concerts, entitled ‘Chamber Expressions’, and will feature new works by Francesca (Year 13), Simon Speare, Edward (Year 12), Edward Longstaff, Joseph Howard and Oscar (Year 13), as well as preludes and encores by Ilya (Year 7) and Luca (Year 8).
All are welcome! Please do join us.
It is a pleasure to share the recording of our recent Jazz and Big Band Winter Concert. The students put on a sensational evening of swinging standards and hot new releases, showcasing the music of Herbie Hancock and new works by Jazz and Commercial and Popular Music teacher Pete Billington, as well as Big Band music from Derek Nash, Laurence Cottle, Redtenbacher’s Funkestra, and Purcell student Zaki Osahn (Year 13).
With thanks to special guests Mark Armstrong, Alex Garnett, Sammy Mayne and Tom Dunnett.
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Celebrated pianist, composer, presenter and alumnus Alexis Ffrench performed recently at the Royal Family’s Christmas Carol Service. The event, which took place on Thursday 15th December, was organised by the Princess of Wales in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. Alexis performed alongside contemporaries such as Craig David, Samantha Barks, Alfie Boe and Melanie C.
A recording of the concert will be broadcast on ITV1 on Christmas Eve.
The work of Purcell Physiotherapist Sarah Upjohn has been featured in a leading Physiotherapy publication, Frontline. The article expounds upon the research of Sarah’s doctorate – preventing injuries in young musicians – for which Purcell was the main source. The article is available here.
We are looking forward to welcoming prospective students and parents to our forthcoming Open Morning on Sunday 26th February. Those in attendance will meet staff and students, take in the campus facilities and enjoy the outstanding music-making that characterises the School.
Please feel free to share news of the Open Morning.
Registration is open now, please click here to attend.
Sunday 15th January 2023 – Flute Day
Time: 2.00 to 5.00pm
Venue: The Purcell School
Tickets: Free of charge. Registration for the event is open on our website here
Requirements: For flautists in Years 5-11, of approximately Grade 4 standard and above
We are delighted to be able to invite young flautists (in years 5-11) to a free afternoon of workshops dedicated to all aspects of playing and performing this stunning instrument.
The afternoon, which begins at 2pm, will be run by our superb instrumental teachers, Clare Jefferis and Mark Taylor, who will share their expertise in a series of workshops covering all aspects of the flute and culminate in a group performance opportunity
To register your interest, please complete the following form here. Please share news of this event.
Registration Deadline: Friday 6th January 2023
Wednesday 18th January 2023 – Lunchtime Concert at St Peter’s Church, St Albans
Time: 1.00 – 2.00pm
Venue: Church of St Peter, St Peter’s St, St Albans AL1 3HG, UK
Tickets: Free admission with retiring donations for Rennie Grove Hospice Care
Wednesday 18th January 2023 – Sixth Form Concert
Time: 7.30 – 8.30pm
Venue: CP Hall
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Thursday 19th January 2023 – Purcell Parallels I
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: Recital Room
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Wednesday 25th January 2023 – Tasmin Little Public Masterclass
Time: 7.00 – 9.00pm
Venue: CP Hall
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Friday 27th January 2023 – Middle School Concert
Time: 3.00 – 4.15pm
Venue: Recital Room
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Saturday 28th January 2023 – Amadeus Chamber Orchestra Concert
Time: 7.30 – 9pm
Venue: Church of St Peter, St Peter’s St, St Albans AL1 3HG, UK
Tickets: Discounted admission in advance is £15 (£3 accompanied school children) online here. Booking fees apply. Admission on the door is £18; £3
The Amadeus Chamber Orchestra (the orchestra of St Albans) and Purcell soloist Chloe Jiang (piano) will perform at St Peter’s Church, St Albans.
The programme will include:
Salieri | Overture to La Grotta di Trofonio
Mozart | Piano Concerto No.23 in A
Beethoven | Symphony No.7
