Weekly Highlights 22nd May 2026

Purcell Pianist Makes Solo Debut with Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra

Congratulations to Michael (Year 9, piano) who recently made his debut as a soloist with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra.

Performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K.271 at the historic Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Michael performed under the baton of Stjepan Vuger before a packed audience.

His performance was met with an enthusiastic response, receiving a standing ovation and multiple curtain calls at the end of the concert. Michael studies piano at Purcell with Florian Mitrea.

Purcell Pianist Celebrates Outstanding Competition Results

Congratulations to Elly (Year 8, piano) on an exceptional series of achievements across multiple festivals and competitions.

Recent successes include First Prize in both the Piano Exhibition and Concerto classes at the Ealing Festival, alongside awards for Most Promising Performer, Most Outstanding Pianist, and the Junior Music Award at the Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama.

Elly also received an Outstanding Performance Award at the EPTA Regional Competition, was selected as one of seven Young Musicians at the Milton Keynes Festival of the Arts, and won the Junior Piano Recital Programme category.

A truly remarkable range of achievements! Elly studies at The Purcell School with Danielle Salamon.

Sixth Form Run Club Gets Underway

Purcell’s new Sixth Form Run Club got off to a fantastic start this week.

On Monday 18 May, students completed a scenic 5km route around Aldenham, taking in woodland and countryside surroundings while enjoying the opportunity to exercise together outdoors.

A huge thank you goes to Hannah Noonan, Head of PE and Physical Well-Being, for launching this exciting initiative and encouraging students to support both their physical wellbeing and sense of community.

 

Purcell Students Visit Langley Hall Arts Academy

Last Thursday, Purcell students visited Langley Hall Arts Academy as part of the growing partnership between our two schools.

The day provided opportunities for collaborative workshops and shared music-making, allowing students to explore interpretation, ensemble skills, creativity and expression together. Staff at Langley Hall praised both the musical excellence and the generosity of spirit shown by the visiting students, commenting on the enthusiasm, encouragement and new friendships that emerged throughout the day.

Reflecting on the experience, one member of staff remarked that “there is something incredibly special about being inspired by talented peers . . . it reminds young musicians that music is not only about excellence, but also about connection, communication and shared joy.” It was a rewarding and inspiring day for everyone involved.
 

Incognito Concert Royal Festival Hall

On Friday 8th May, we took a group of Pop and Commercial students (Ezio, Oliver, Gil, Gabriel, Mahla, Willow, Gianntino, Jamie, Miles, Beulah, Clara, Ethan, Jonas and Albert) to the Royal Festival Hall to see the legendary acid jazz funk band Incognito.

The fun started in the minibus with the students producing and playing AI songs with the teachers names in them, rather to Mr Fong, Ms Menday and Ms Shah‘s surprise! We dipped into Leake Street arches on the way to the Festival Hall to enjoy the artwork and spot the Banksy mural.

After some free time to eat, enjoying the Festival Hall surroundings and views over the River Thames we spent the next two hours dancing and thoroughly enjoying the Incognito set. They have been going for 47 years (Incognito not the students!) but you wouldn’t know it with the energy and brilliant performance they put on. The prize for the most enthusiastic dancing for the night definitely went to Gabriel!

Concert Review

Bushey United Synagogue Afternoon Concert, 5th May
On 5th May, two string quartets from Purcell performed to a packed audience at an afternoon concert at Bushey Synagogue.

Zarema, Nina, Lily and Siyue opened the concert with the well-known – but challenging – Mozart work Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, followed by two movements from Haydn’s “Fifths” Quartet.

In the second half, Carla, Ireh, Reeka and Jack performed two masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire: Beethoven’s Op. 18 No. 2 and Dvořák’s American Quartet.

The performances were met with enthusiastic applause and highly complimentary feedback, with audience members inviting our young musicians to return again in the near future.

Congratulations to all the performers on such a successful and memorable concert.
 

Cedars Village Afternoon Concert, 7th May

On 7th May, the Concerts Department had the delight of taking five students from our Jazz and Pop & Commercial Department to perform a concert in the beautiful event hall at Cedars Village.

The performers were Julianna (saxophone), Otto (keyboard), Gianntino (piano), Beulah (vocals) and Albert (guitar), who put together a wonderful set highlighting well-loved jazz standards, including Cry Me a River, Ain’t No Sunshine and What a Wonderful World.

The audience was incredibly engaged, and smiles could be seen throughout the hall. One of the residents — who produced the BBC documentary Man on the Moon – gave a heartfelt vote of thanks at the end, describing it as a highly entertaining and memorable concert given by our students. Another resident commented that she would NEVER forget the afternoon.

There is no doubt that our students will be invited back for another performance in the near future. Many congratulations to everyone involved for putting on such a wonderful concert.
 
Benslow Concert, 11th May
On Tuesday a group of students travelled to perform at Benslow Music Trust. Kate, Kateryna, Rebecca and Ezio, Rebecca, Lily, Gabriella, Elly, Sophia, Zoe and Bettina delighted the audience with their performances of Leo Brouwer, and a traditional Bulgarian tune, Villa-Lobos, Beethoven, Beethoven, Granados, Mozart and Hahn, Kabalevsky, Bach and Debussy, and Bartók respectively. They then happily tucked into the Benslow after concert tradition of tea and cake. Well done to all the students involved.
 
Lunchtime Concerts W/B 11th May
Once again a fabulous week of performances by the students.

Sonya, Saule, Luca and Marija performed duos and Milou a piano solo on Monday. Queenie, Kateryna and Emily presented solos on Tuesday.

Oliver‘s Galjazzer Quartet with Julianna, Gianntino and Rebecca, and band Loose change with Lia, Woody, Julianna, Ginntino and Rebecca were our JCS hosts on Wednesday.

The week was completed with a wonderful concert performed by Ezio, Tymofii, Knanui and Tristan.

Well done to everyone.

Lunchtime concerts W/B 18th May
We were graced with many piano performances this week. Zoe and Asher performed Liszt pieces on Monday, Elizabeth performed Bach, Chopin and Prokofiev on Tuesday, and on Friday Anna performed Schubert and Chopin and Gui Chopin.

Alongside the pianists, Patrick, on viola, performed Telemann and Bridge and on Wednesday we listened to four pieces written by Purcell composers Hannah, Marcus, Kaelan and Victor performed in the Liszt Room by Hannah, Marcus, Emil, Hannah, Oliver and Victor.

Well done to everyone this week.

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Forthcoming Events

In addition to those highlighted events below, please visit our online Concerts and Events Guide here.

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3 June – Florian Mitrea Piano Recital
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

Internationally acclaimed pianist and member of The Purcell School Keyboard faculty, Florian Mitrea, will perform a solo recital in Purcell’s CP Hall.

Further details about the programme will follow.

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9 June – Lunchtime Concert at St James’s Church Sussex Gardens
Time: 1.00pm
Venue: St James’s Church, Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

Purcell pianists perform two dates in the popular concert series at St James’s Church Sussex Gardens.

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16 June – St Bride’s Lunchtime Concert
Time: 1.15pm
Venue: St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, London
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

Purcell students perform at a lunchtime concert at St Bride’s Church, in the heart of London.

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18 June – St Mary’s Watford Lunchtime Concert
Time: 12.30pm
Venue: St Mary’s Church, 1 Church Street, Watford WD18 0EG
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

Purcell guitarists and singers present a lunchtime concert at St Mary’s Church in Watford.

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23 June – Claire Martin with The Purcell School at PizzaExpress Live (Chelsea)
Time: Doors 6.30pm | Show 8.00pm
Venue: Pizza Express, The Pheasantry, 152 King’s Rd, London SW3 4NX, UK
Tickets: Tickets are £20 and available from PizzaExpress Live

Join us for a special evening of world-class jazz as acclaimed vocalist Claire Martin performs alongside the exceptional young musicians of The Purcell School at PizzaExpress Live in Chelsea.

Under the direction of saxophonist and Head of Jazz Simon Allen, and supported by a faculty of leading jazz performers and educators, students at The Purcell School refine their craft to an outstanding level. Many go on to study at top conservatoires and build successful careers as professional musicians.

An eight-time British Jazz Award winner, Claire Martin has been a defining voice in UK jazz for over three decades. She began her career at just 19 and soon fulfilled a lifelong ambition to perform at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho. Since signing with Linn Records in 1990, Claire has released 18 acclaimed albums and collaborated with some of the most celebrated names in jazz, including Martin Taylor, John Martyn, Stéphane Grappelli, Kenny Barron, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Jim Mullen.

Claire has toured extensively around the world with her trio and has appeared as a featured soloist with leading orchestras such as the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Big Band and BBC Concert Orchestra. She also co-presented BBC Radio 3’s flagship programme Jazz Line-Up for 17 years.

For this one-night-only performance, Claire joins forces with The Purcell School’s outstanding jazz musicians to present a specially curated programme celebrating highlights from her remarkable career.

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26 June – St James’s Piccadilly Concert
Time: 1.00pm
Venue: St James’s Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, St James
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

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29 June – Lunchtime Concert at Proms at St Jude’s
Time: 12.00pm
Venue: St Jude’s, Central Square, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London NW11 7AH
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.

Purcell students perform a one-hour lunchtime concert of chamber music at the Proms at St Jude’s.

Programme to include:
Chopin Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante Op.22
Franck Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano
Rachmaninov Trio élégiaque No. 1

For further information about the venue, visit the Proms at St Jude’s website.

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1 July – Anna Avramidou plays Tchaikovsky with The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Milton Court, 1 Milton Street, London EC2Y 9BH
Tickets: Tickets are £22 / £11 (Conc.) and can be purchased here

The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra returns to Milton Court with a vibrant programme featuring the first symphonies of Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Prokofiev composed his Symphony No. 1, the ‘Classical Symphony’, in 1917 during the upheaval of the Russian Revolution. The work draws on the clarity and charm of Haydn while adding Prokofiev’s distinctive neoclassical wit.

Shostakovich wrote his Symphony No. 1 at just 19 as his graduation work at the Leningrad Conservatory. Both symphonies reveal the striking brilliance and individuality of these composers in their youth—an inspiring reflection of the creative potential nurtured at The Purcell School.

Featured soloist, Anna Avramidou, a Year 13 pianist at The Purcell School, is rapidly gaining international recognition. She won the prestigious Cooper International Piano Competition in 2025 and has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra. Her accolades also include prizes at the Clara Haskil Piano Competition and the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar.

As the winner of The Purcell School’s Senior Concerto Competition, Anna will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, one of the most thrilling and monumental works in the piano repertoire.

Programme:
Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 Classical
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23 Anna Avramidou, piano
Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10

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5 July – Last Night of the Proms at St Jude’s with Helen Charleston
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: St Jude’s, Central Square, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London NW11 7AH
Tickets: Tickets are from £40 and available from the Proms at St Jude’s website

The Purcell School Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the dazzling mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston for the Last Night of Proms at St Jude’s.

Traditionally a sold-out occasion, the Last Night promises all the excitement and spectacle of a classic prom celebration. This year’s programme includes:

Walton Spitfire Prelude and Fugue
Elgar Sea Pictures
Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 “Classical”
Mozart Così fan tutte: “Ah scostati! . . . Smanie implacabili”

Conducted by Paul Hoskins, Director of Music at The Purcell School.

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7 July – The Purcell School in concert with Vanessa Haynes at PizzaExpress Live (Holborn
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: PizzaExpress 99 high Holborn, London WC1V 9LF
Tickets: Tickets are from £20 and available from the PizzaExpress Live website

The Purcell School Session Bands team up with acclaimed UK vocalist Vanessa Haynes for a special concert of Soul classics and original songs. Cutting her teeth as backing vocalist for artists such as Van Morrison and Chaka Khan, Haynes became front woman of legendary jazz funk outfit, Incognito, in 2008, touring with the band for over 14 years.