New Sailing Sounds: A Special Performance for the Shipping Forecast Centenary
On Tuesday 1st July, the talented young winners of the New Sailing Sounds competition, Samuel (age 11) and Tamara (age 13), had their original compositions performed at a special maritime summit in Central London to mark 100 years of the Shipping Forecast.
Hosted in collaboration with the Met Office, the event was attended by Met Office staff, including CEO Professor Penny Endersby, members of the BBC and government ministers – all of whom praised the young composers, the musicians and everyone involved in this unique project.
In a lovely gesture, the Met Office has also confirmed that Samuel’s and Tamara’s scores will be preserved in the Met Office archives as part of this centenary milestone.
Heartfelt congratulations to Samuel and Tamara, and a special thank you goes to our senior students Teressa (cello, Year 12) and Fabienne (violin, Year 12), who performed the winning works beautifully as part of the quartet on the day.
Robin Collingwood Exhibiting in Watford Pop Art Show
We’re delighted to share that our Art Specialist Assistant, Robin Collingwood, has been invited to take part in a vibrant new exhibition celebrating Contemporary Pop Art.
The exhibition runs from 4th to 27th July at The Picture Maker | Art in Herts, a new community gallery located on St Albans Road, Watford (WD17 1SJ). Robin’s works — including her P for Purcell piece shown here — will be displayed alongside works by other contemporary artists.
If you’re local to Watford, why not pop in and show your support? The show promises to be a colourful celebration of pop-inspired creativity, right on our doorstep.
Congratulations to Robin – we hope many in the Purcell community will stop by to enjoy her work!

Concerts Review
Clare Teal and The Purcell School at Watford Palace Theatre – Tuesday 24th June
On Tuesday 24th June, a packed out audience spent an evening with acclaimed Jazz Vocalist and Broadcaster Clare Teal, supported by students from the Jazz, Commercial and Pop Music, and Classical departments. Every size of ensemble from vocal trios and Jazz ensembles up to Big Band and the specially formed “Hollywood Orchestra” (Big Band plus strings and woodwinds) featured, playing music especially chosen by Clare for this special 25th Anniversary Tour concert.
Inclusivity Concert – Monday 30th June
Organised by Suanoi (Year 13) and the Inclusivity Group
This was a wonderful concert featuring a diverse range of music from various genres, with the intention of celebrating and highlighting the vast range of identities and cultures represented within the School.
Well done to Suanoi, Thomasine, Dianna, Martin, Matias, Anna, Filip, Leo, Clarisse, Angelica, Ramona, Sam, Clem, Flo, Hannah, Shlomi and Fabienne for your performances.
Brass Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Orchestra Concert – Tuesday 1st July
On Tuesday evening (1st July), the Wind, Brass and Percussion (WBP) Department were delighted to put on a showcase concert, albeit in an extremely warm CP Hall! The first half was all about our Brass Ensemble, an ensemble curated at the beginning of the academic year by Head of WBP, Mike Cavanagh. Our Brass Ensemble performed a mix of music, including John Iveson’s arrangement of Susato Suite (written for and made famous by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble), Elgar’s Chanson de Matin, Gade’s Jealousy and Stuart Malcom’s arrangement of Malaguena. It was also a chance to feature three of our trumpeters, Mason, Rhys and Joshua, to perform Leroy Anderson’s Bugler’s Holiday. In the second half our Symphonic Wind Orchestra took to the stage and delivered spectacularly on some very demanding repertoire: Masque (Hesketh), Manx Dances (Ellerby), Vesuvius (Ticheli), finishing with Folk Song Suite (Vaughan-Williams). The whole evening was conducted by HoD, Mike Cavanagh, who wants to say a huge congratulations to all WBP students involved on a terrific evening!
Jazz Day – Wednesday 2nd July
On Wednesday, the Recital Room was transformed into a cosy, low-lit Jazz club setting, for a day of mini sets from our students. The concerts featured Jazz and Classical students performing everything from student compositions based on Miles Davis’ solos to a Jazz Bassoon suite, with pieces including vocals and strings in between. Special thanks to Ramona and Ms Menday for curating the day, and to all the students who performed.