Welcome to the latest edition of Purcell’s Weekly Highlights!
Purcell Student Wins Elgar Festival’s Young Composers Competition
It is with great pleasure that we share the news that Year 8 clarinettist Samsara has won the Young Composers Competition at The Elgar Festival.
Artistic Director Kenneth Woods awarded Samsara the title following a performance of her composition, ‘Celebration Fanfare in D Major’, by members of the English Symphony Orchestra brass section at the festival’s Gala Concert at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday 3rd June.
The organisers of the festival had asked young musicians to compose a fanfare for brass in celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III and to herald the 2023 Elgar Festival. Of the competition, Samsara said ‘I am very excited and honoured to have won the competition and so enjoyed listening to my fanfare being played by professional musicians. Entering the competition was a challenge because I had never composed a fanfare before; I am so glad I did!’ Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of the Elgar Festival further commented that ‘Samsara’s [composition] stood out as one that we thought showed real personality and lots of ambition. We look forward to hearing more about her musical journey going forward!’
Huge congratulations to Samsara!
(photo credit Michael Whitefoot)
Purcell Pianists Triumph in Elite Musicians International Competition
We were delighted to hear earlier this week that three of our young pianists were awarded prizes in a recent online international piano competition, Elite Musicians International.
Year 10 pianists Lavender and Suna were awarded 2nd and 3rd prize, respectively, in their age categories, while Kevin in Year 8 took both 1st prize in his age category and one of the two special prizes for the entire competition – which saw him compete against conservatoire level pianists! Kevin’s winning performance can be seen below, and he will go on to perform a full piano concerto in 2024 with the Iași Youth Orchestra in Romania.
Congratulations to Lavender, Suna and Kevin! What a wonderful week for the piano department.
Piano Department Trip to Italy & Romania
In more piano department news, Purcell’s Rachmaninoff piano tour of Italy and Romania was hugely successful. For those who were not able to follow the action on Instagram, below is just a brief insight into the amazing experience had by all.
(Click images to expand)
Concerts Week in Review
Following the half term break, we have enjoyed three fantastic Lunchtime Concerts here at Purcell and a stunning violin class concert by the students of Aiste Dvoranaite.
Well done to all performers for their beautiful playing: Von, Lavender, Cole, Suanoi, Aaron, Emma, Yu-Wei, Tori, Birce, Tristan, Jessica, Jacqueline, Minda, Ivan, Herman, Ozel, Seth, Ireh, Madeleine, Sofiia and Barbare.
Alumni Join BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Cohort
Congratulations to alumni pianist Alim Beisembayev and violinist Susanne Schäffer of the Chaos String Quartet on becoming part of BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists cohort.
The BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme helps to support young musicians on the threshold of an international career to reach the next stage of their development. It brings some of the world’s most promising new talent to listeners across the UK through BBC Radio 3 broadcasts.
Truly these New Generation Artists are the stars of tomorrow, and we couldn’t be happier that Alim and Susanne have been recognised and will be nurtured as such.
Alumnae to Perform Earthquake Relief Recital
On Saturday 17th June at 7pm, British-Turkish sisters and former Purcell pianists, Lara Melda and Melis Azra, will perform an Earthquake Relief Recital at St Margaret’s School in Bushey.
Lara, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition 2010, and Melis will raise funds for the Turkey Mozaik Foundation, a grant-giving organisation that provides financial support to small charities registered in Turkey. Recently, Mozaik has been heavily involved with the relief efforts after the devastating earthquakes that have directly impacted around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria.
Tickets for the recital are available here, or if you would like to make a donation please visit their JustGiving page.
The Zone of Interest
Award-winning composer and alumni Mica Levi has teamed up again with British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer on the score for the chilling Holocaust drama, ‘The Zone of Interest’. The film, which premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, won the festival’s coveted Grand Prix 2023 and the FIPRESCI Prize.
With ‘The Zone of Interest’, Levi and Glazer, who previously worked together on the critically acclaimed 2013 film ‘Under the Skin’, have tackled the everyday domesticity of an Auschwitz commandant’s family with the focus being an unflinching look at the banality of evil.
BBC Culture have called the film a ‘masterpiece’, while the Guardian praised Levi’s ‘superb score’, and Variety Magazine lauded it as ‘their career best work’.
A UK release date is yet to be announced.
Purcell Physiotherapist Update
This week Purcell’s Physiotherapist Sarah Upjohn has been working with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). In addition to working one-to-one with some of the Orchestra Members, the CBSO Orchestra Benevolent Fund Committee invited Sarah to run some Wellbeing Workshops for Orchestra Members and support staff. The workshop, which took place in the orchestra rehearsal space at CBSO Centre, included information on how to sit comfortably in rehearsals, details of anatomy / biomechanics of the arm, and guidance about thinking like a ‘musical athlete’. The latter included the relevance and benefits of warming up before playing, stretching after playing, the importance of looking at overall ‘load management’, and the benefits of scheduling rest and recovery time. Sarah is delighted to be part of the team that looks after this fantastic orchestra and they are very fortunate to have her, as we are.
Forthcoming Events
In addition to those highlighted events below, please visit our new online Concerts and Events Guide here.
Tuesday 20th June – Singers’ Soirée
Time: 6pm
Venue: Recital Room, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Come and hear some of Purcell’s finest singers in a short musical soirée to celebrate the year’s hard work. The concert will feature all first study voice students.
Thursday 22nd June – Class Concert with Pal Banda
Time: 4pm
Venue: The Recital Room, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
The cello students of Pal Banda will be performing to one another in celebration of their hard work and progress this academic year.
Performers:Josh, Ken, Teresa, Jessie, Emma and Ivanna
Friday 23rd June – Lower School Concert
Time: 3pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
This concert will feature a selection of talented soloists from the Lower School.
Monday 26th June – Brass Department Concert
Time: 7pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Wednesday 28th June – Piano Department Concert at St James’ Piccadilly
Time: 7pm
Venue: St James’s Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9LL, UK
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
This group of young performers, all selected to perform by audition, promise a rich and varied pianistic feast including works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin.
Please be aware that the programme is subject to change.
Wednesday 28th June – Purcell Plays Jazz Funk
Time: 7pm
Venue: Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1JZ
Tickets: Tickets are £8 to £15 and available to purchase from the Watford Palace Theatre box office here
A Jazz Department concert featuring The Purcell School Jazz Ensembles and Big Band (plus strings and vocalists), playing the music of Austrian bass guitarist Stefan Redtenbacher. Stefan will be joining us for the concert to direct and play with the ensembles.
Thursday 29th June – Proms at St Jude’s
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: St Jude’s Church, Hampstead, Central Square, London NW11 7AH, UK
Tickets: Tickets are £25 to £35 and available from Proms at St Jude’s box office here
Featuring: James Gilchrist, tenor Chloe Harrison, horn Paul Hoskins, conductor
Programme:
Elgar | Serenade for Strings
Britten | Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Mahler | Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
Beethoven | Symphony No. 2
Monday 3rd July – Purell Parallels III: Midsummer Meze
Time: 7pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
The third concert in the Purcell Parallels series, entitled Midsummer Meze, features new works by Maddie (Year 13), Robert Saxton, Antonia (Year 12), Phil Dutton, Aaron (Year 11), Gareth Moorcraft, Sylvia Lim, Cole (Year 11) with preludes and encores by Tim and Leyla (Year 10), Nemunis (Year 9) and Kaelan (Year 10).
Monday 3rd July – Commercial and Popular Music Dept LIVE at The Horns
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Horns, 1 Hempstead Rd, Watford WD17 3RL, UK
Tickets: Free entry
Come along to the very first gig featuring students from our new Commercial & Popular Music Department!
Expect to hear 60’s Motown hits, funk, rock and original music from our students as they perform in The Horns, a local established music venue.
Dancing is most definitely permitted!
Tuesday 4th July – Rachmaninoff 150 Concert
Time: 7pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
In Rachmaninov’s 150th birthday year, join us in the CP Hall for a concert featuring the Purcell Chamber Choir, Symphonic Wind Orchestra and Sixth Form Pianists.
Wednesday 5th July – Upper Sixth Piano Recital
Time: 7pm
Venue: Recital Room, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required
Student-led concert featuring, for the final time as Purcell students, Djordje, Rujie, Benji, Ozel, Anastasia and Thomas.
