Friends Concert Celebrates Students and Supporter, 16 June
On Tuesday evening, members of the Friends of The Purcell School gathered in the CP Hall for their annual dedicated concert, enjoying an inspiring programme performed by our students.
The evening featured music by Britten, Franck, Carmichael, Lehman, Schubert, Schumann, Dvořák and Thelonious Monk, performed by Sonya, Saule, Khanui, Tristan, April, Yulin, Stephanie, Marija, Carla, Ireh, Harry, Jack, Miles and Otto. The breadth of repertoire on display reflected the diversity, creativity and exceptional musicianship of our students, making for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The annual Friends Concert is one of the many ways in which the School thanks those who support our young musicians through the Friends of The Purcell School programme. Friends enjoy a range of benefits, including reduced-price tickets to concerts at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and Sinfonia Smith Square, invitations to exclusive events and regular updates from the School.
Most importantly, membership helps provide vital financial support to talented young musicians who might otherwise be unable to attend the School.
If you would like to become part of this special community and support the next generation of exceptional young artists, you can find out more and join the Friends of The Purcell School here: Friends of The Purcell School.
Congratulations to all the students who performed and thank you to our Friends for their continued support of the School and its young musicians.
St Mary’s Watford, 18 June
On 18 June, Purcell students presented a fantastic and diverse programme for a lunchtime concert at St Mary’s in Watford.
Kate Y opened the concert with a guitar solo, Elogio de la Danza by Brower, which was followed by Mac‘s performance of two arias from Mozart’s well-known operas The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro.The audience was then treated to another guitar solo, Campo from Sonatina Meridional by Ponce, performed by Kate P.
Jack followed with the fourth movement of Elgar’s beloved cello concerto. To conclude the programme, Yakov performed Varlaam’s Aria (“Once in the town of Kazan”) from Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky’s opera, dazzling the audience with his bass voice.
The listeners, who included 60 pupils from a local primary school, were awed by the range of instruments, repertoire, and performances. Congratulations to all the performers, and a huge thank you to Daniel Swain for accompanying the students.
Lunchtime Concerts W/B 15th June
Another varied and productive week of lunchtime concerts began with a charming concert with Zev, Kate and Ostap performing Schumann, Mangoré and Dutilleux.
In the CP Hall on Tuesday, Yoko opened the concert with the Ligeti solo Cello Sonata followed by percussionists Emil, Hanna, Tony, Hannah and Ivan presenting captivating ensemble and solo pieces for timpani, mallet instruments, claves and tom-toms. (*Dr Ryan Hepburn has kindly provided a detailed account of the concert in the feature below).
Clara led the JCS lunchtime concert showcasing her range of self penned songs both old and new, supported by Jonas, Woody and Pawaan. On Thursday, Yoko performed the Debussy cello Sonata in two acts, due to a string breaking in the second movement, valiantly returning after a short break with a new string to complete the piece. The success likened to Harry Kane‘s second take of the penalty the night before, hurrah!
*Lunchtime Concert in the CP Hall, 16 June – Additional Feature
Tuesday’s Lunchtime Concert offered an unusual mix of repertoire. Beginning with an outstanding performance of Ligeti’s Sonata for Solo Cello, the concert was given an assured and communicatively committed start thanks to Yoko’s (Year 11) fabulously engaging performance. An engaging and often quite turbulent landscape, Ligeti’s Sonata falls into several clearly delineated sections. With outer passages characterised by their pizzicato-glissando phrases, the Sonata was given a persuasive and intelligently paced performance that rightly drew a warm reception from the small but appreciative audience.
Following Yoko’s performance, some of Purcell’s percussionists performed alternating solo and ensemble items. Their part of the concert started with Ed Lemley’s snare drum piece, Crazy Army, performed by Hannah (Year 12) and Emil (Year 10), with Dr Ryan Hepburn joining them as a last-minute substitute for another student (who was engaged elsewhere). Written in the American rudimental style, the piece acted as a fanfare that showcases some of the technical patterns (“rudiments”) that form the backbone of technical snare drum playing. The performance was bold and strong (especially in the CP Hall’s boomy acoustic), and it offered a suitable prelude to Emil’s sensitively delivered timpani solo, Nick Woud’s A la Tchaikovsky, a piece based on motifs from Tchaikovsky’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies.
At this point, the concert moved to the largest of the percussion ensemble items — Mozart’s Minuet and Trio from the Clarinet Quintet, arranged for mallet instruments by Matt Hardy (Principal Timpanist of the CBSO). Featuring Tony (Year 11) on glockenspiel, Daria (Year 12) and Emil on xylophones, and Hannah and Dr Ryan Hepburn on marimbas, the performance highlighted both the adaptability of Mozart’s amazing music and the new life that percussion can breathe into well-known staples of the repertoire. The performance was beautifully shaped and balanced, and credit should be given to Tony for his excellent management of changing tempi in the piece. Acknowledgement should also be made of this being Daria’s first performance as a percussionist — a real success for her!
The last two items were a marimba solo, played by Ivan (Year 8), and an ensemble item for claves and tom-toms. Ivan played the second movement of Alice Gomez’s Gitano (‘Gypsy’) with his trademark musicality and sensitivity, building and sustaining a beautifully poised atmosphere throughout his performance. The audience clearly appreciated Ivan’s stylish performance, the final resonating notes of which were met with warmly appreciative applause and smiles. The final item, written by Manchester-based percussionist Jan Bradley, is a disarming battle between tom-toms and claves. Throughout the piece, those two opposing groups try to find some common ground (rhythmically), all the while vying for the musical limelight. The piece was performed with energy and vigour by Hannah, Tony, Ivan, Emil and Dr Ryan Hepburn (substituting again for another student), and provided this eclectic programme of hugely contrasting sounds and shapes with a suitably assertive finale.
Alumni News: BingBing Li Releases Debut Vinyl Album
We are delighted to share news from alumna BingBing Li (piano), whose debut vinyl album, Fire and Soul, has recently been released by China Records.
The recording has received enthusiastic praise for its artistic freshness, spontaneity and expressive intensity. Recorded using a live-concert approach, the album seeks to capture the immediacy and emotional depth of Romantic piano repertoire.
Alongside the album’s release, BingBing has recently completed her third international concert and masterclass tour, travelling to 18 cities across several countries. Combining performances with educational work, the tour reflects her continuing commitment to sharing music with audiences and young musicians around the world.
BingBing expressed her gratitude for the artistic foundation she received at The Purcell School and remains proud to carry that influence throughout her musical career.
Forthcoming Events
In addition to those highlighted events below, please visit our online Concerts and Events Guide here.
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.
24 June – Electric Eclectic Concert
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Admission is free of charge. No booking required.
The concert features new, stylistically wide ranging compositions for electronics, string quartet, vocals and visuals. Inspired by the beauty of numbers as a special tribute to our departing Head of Maths, Alex Stone, it includes music for film, esoteric electronica and disco strings with a surprise event for acoustic ensemble titled Enigma, a celebration of the hidden universe of numbers!
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.
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.
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
2 July – Mozart: The Magic Flute Opera
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell Hall
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required.
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.
7 July – The Purcell School in concert with Vanessa Haynes at PizzaExpress Live (Holborn
Time: Doors 6.30pm | Show 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.
8 July – Sumer is Icumen In – Celebrating Alison Cox
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. Please click here to book.
Join us for a panel discussion about The Purcell School over the years. Alison Cox (Head of Composition: 1988-Present), Panos Fellas (former Head of Science and Housemaster: 1997-2024) and Ed Longstaff (Academic Music & Choir: 1993-2024) will walk us through the history of the School, chaired by Paul Bambrough, Principal.
During the evening, the panel will discuss highlights from their vast careers totalling almost 100 years at the School and share insights about the institution in its various forms.
Expect to hear tales of concerts, boarding anecdotes, memorable students and much more as these stalwarts of The Purcell School take us on a journey through the Purcell years!
Following the panel discussion, join us for a very special concert. 38 Composition alumni and staff have each written a one or two minute piece based on ‘Sumer is icumen in’ and will be performed by Purcell students. This is the oldest known musical composition featuring six-part polyphony. The manuscript in which it is preserved was copied between 1261 and 1264.
This will be Alison Cox‘s final Composition Concert before her retirement at the end of this academic year. Alison will retire after 38 years at the School, including 32 years running the Composition Department that she created in 1994.
“Retiring from my position as Head of Composition at The Purcell School has been an immensely difficult and almost heartbreaking decision for me to make, because, when I arrived at the school 38 years ago as a 32-year-old music teacher, it was impossible to imagine the huge impact it would have upon the rest of my career” Alison Cox.
9 July – Lichfield Festival Lunchtime Concert
Time: 12.00pm
Venue: St Michael’s Church, 48 Church Street, Boley Park
Tickets: £16 and available to purchase from the festival’s website.
The Purcell School students open the Lichfield Festival 2026, with pieces for solo piano, string quartet and piano quintet. Part of our America250 season, this programme will include works by Barber, Prokofiev and extracts from Dvorak’s American Quartet.
Programme:
Prokofiev Sarcasms, Op. 17
Barber Waltz from Souvenirs, Op. 28
Dvorak Excerpts from String Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 ‘American’
Three pianists – Kira, Kevin and Stephanie – performed in the stunning St James’s Church, Sussex Gardens, Paddington, on 9 June.
