Weekly Highlights 14th November 2025

Launch of Purcell’s Inaugural Giving Day

Save the Date – The Purcell School Giving Day | 11–12 December
We are excited to share that the School will be hosting our inaugural Giving Day on 11th-12th December. This special day is an opportunity for our community to come together in support of our students and the School’s Bursary Fund. The Giving Day celebrates the spirit of generosity that makes The Purcell School such a vibrant and caring place to study.

At the heart of the day, students will participate in a continuous 24 hour concert. Musicians from all departments will perform in a fundraising concert which will be live streamed, spanning the whole 24 hours. Money raised will directly support the School’s Bursary Fund, helping students without the financial means to receive a musical education. In these particularly difficult times, we want to ensure every student has access to the best opportunities possible.

We would love to partner with businesses, organisations and individuals to make our Giving Day an even greater success. If you, your business or the company where you work, would be interested in being a sponsor of the event, please let us know. Sponsorship is a meaningful way to invest in our students while also giving recognition to your business or brand.

Please visit the Giving Day website to learn how to get involved, and contact the Development Team at development@purcell-school.org or 01923 331131 if you are interested in sponsoring the event.

Giving Day Website

Purcell Student Performs in The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House

We are delighted to share that Year 8 harpist Stephanie recently completed eleven performances in Sir David McVicar’s celebrated production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Running from 10th October to 3rd November 2025, the production featured twelve children’s acting roles, with Stephanie taking part alongside a distinguished cast of international performers.

The production brought together artists including Lucy Crowe, Amitai Pati, Huw Montague Rendall, Kathryn Lewek, Solomon Howard, Gerhard Siegel, Marianna Hovanisyan, Chelsea Zurflüh, Mingjie Lei, Annie Fassea and Timo Riihonen. Performances were conducted by Marie Jacquot, making her Covent Garden debut, and Finnegan Downie Dear.

For Stephanie, this was a significant opportunity to experience the collaborative world of professional opera – observing singers, musicians, directors and backstage teams working together to bring Mozart’s magical story to life. She particularly treasured being part of the performance on 30th October, which marked the 400th Royal Opera performance staged at the Royal Opera House.

Congratulations to Stephanie on this memorable achievement.

Purcell Pianist Performs at the Berlin Philharmonie

On 2nd December, Year 11 pianist Kevin took centre stage at the Berlin Philharmonie Main Hall, delivering a moving rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, the ‘Emperor’. The concert, held in one of the world’s most prestigious classical venues, marked a defining moment in Kevin’s musical journey.

Performing with the Berliner Symphoniker under the baton of Maestro Martin Braun, Kevin brought both technical brilliance and emotional depth to Beethoven’s final piano concerto – a work celebrated for its grandeur, lyricism and heroic spirit. From the majestic opening chords to the tender second movement and the triumphant finale, Kevin’s interpretation revealed a maturity far beyond his years.

More than 2,000 audience members filled the hall and Kevin’s performance was met with a standing ovation and three curtain calls. “It felt like the music was speaking directly to us,” one concertgoer remarked. “He didn’t just play Beethoven – he lived it.”

The Berlin Philharmonie, with its renowned acoustics and capacity of over 2,500, offered a memorable stage for the occasion. Among those in attendance was a piano professor, who praised the remarkable unity between soloist and orchestra: “Kevin seems to breathe together with the orchestra. They listen and respond to one another so naturally – it’s rare to witness such musical partnership in someone so young.”

Our congratulations to Kevin, who studies at Purcell under Florian Mitrea.

Purcell Pianist Success at the Young Livorno Piano Competition

We are delighted to share that Year 10 pianist Ryosuke achieved Second Prize in Category A at the Young Livorno Piano Competition 2025 – Premio Enrico Galletta in Italy. The competition, held as part of the wider Livorno Piano Competition, attracts talented young pianists from across Europe and beyond, offering a valuable platform for emerging performers.

Ryosuke’s thoughtful and accomplished playing earned him the Category A Second Prize, placing him among the leading young performers at this year’s event.

Our warm congratulations to Ryosuke, who studies at Purcell under Vitaly Pisarenko, on this success.

A Strong Start for Sixth Form Netball

This week marked an exciting milestone for sport at The Purcell School as the PE Department hosted its first Sixth Form netball competition. The event drew an enthusiastic turnout, with students embracing the chance to take part in some friendly – and highly competitive – action on court.

In a closely contested match, the Blue Team secured victory with an impressive late surge, taking the lead in the final two minutes of play. The afternoon showcased excellent teamwork, commitment, and sportsmanship from all involved, and it was a pleasure to see so many Sixth Formers engaging with the new programme.

Our thanks to Head of PE and Wellbeing, Hannah Noonan, for organising the competition, and congratulations to every student who took part.

Sarah Burnett Bassoon Masterclass

On Thursday 13th November, we were delighted to welcome bassoonist Sarah Burnett to deliver a masterclass. Sarah, Principal Bassoon of the Britten Sinfonia and Professor at the Royal College of Music, gave a wonderful class which featured superb playing by Ostap, Lilly, Elsa, Prince, Rowena and Elsa – well done all!

A huge thank you to Sarah for coming to visit and for Debbie Shah for her wonderful accompanying as always.

Irina Walters Visits the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna

Over the half term break, Purcell’s Aural, Choral Conducting and Piano teacher, Irina Walters had a very special visit to the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.

She observed the group choral conducting classes directed by Professor Alais Glasner, where the students worked on the choral compositions by J.S. Bach, and the orchestral conducting class by Professor Simeon Pironkoff, where the students had a rehearsal with the orchestra, playing Haydn’s Symphony number 52. In the choral conducting class the group of students took turns in playing the scores on the piano, sight-singing and conducting, and in the orchestral conducting class each of the students had 25 minutes’ contact time with the orchestra.

Irina observed the advanced aural class, taught by the conductor and composer Christoph Huber, and found it absolutely fascinating! The students effortlessly sang a number of complex melodies, sight-singing them individually and in a group. The absolute highlights were the exercises where the students were required to sing the melodies in the retrograde order and also sing the exercises, which included quarter tones! Irina cannot wait to share the above exercises with our Purcell students!

She had an absolutely unique experience, where she was offered to teach two classes of advanced aural training to semester 5 and semester 7 (out of the 8 semesters course) orchestral and choral conducting students. Irina demonstrated some of the worksheets that she developed, such as the tuning fork exercises and the charts demonstrating the structure of the advanced chords.

The students were invited to take a one-part memory dictation, where they were tasked to memorise a melody upon looking at it for a minute and a three-part dictation. They listened to Irina’s improvisation and were asked to identify the chord progression and then play it on the piano. The students analysed ‘Melody’ by Grieg from his ‘Lyrical Pieces’ and took part in the quizzes, where they had to identify 20 compositions, as well as answer general knowledge questions as part of the Intellectual Quiz.

Christoph and Irina are hoping to continue their collaboration and discussion over the methodology for teaching aural skills in future.

Irina is very grateful to Christoph Huber, Alois Glasner and Simeon Pironkoff for the unforgettable experience she had at the University of Music and Performing Arts. She is confident that the experience gained will benefit the Purcell students in their preparation for studying music at the Conservatoires around the world.

A Busy Month of Presentations for Dr Sarah Upjohn

November has been an exceptionally active month for Dr Sarah Upjohn, Purcell’s Physiotherapist, whose expertise in musicians’ health and wellbeing continues to be recognised nationally and internationally.

Last week, Dr Upjohn was invited to speak at the National Youth Music Organisations (NYMO) Away Day at Cecil Sharp House, Camden. The event brought together representatives from Arts Council England and fifteen major youth music organisations – including the NYO, NCO, Orchestras for All, and Music Mark – where she presented her research on the wellbeing of young musicians.

Today (Friday), she will travel to The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage), Gateshead to contribute to the symposium Making Every Note Count: Excellence, Equity and Access in Music Education, as part of her ongoing research collaboration with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the University of Liverpool.

The following week, she will present at the National Physiotherapy Conference in Newport, South Wales, sharing A Symphony of Good Sense – Guidelines for Physiotherapists Working with Musicians. This resource has already been well received at several major events this year, including an international performing arts webinar, the National Occupational Medicine Conference in Brighton, and the World Performing Arts Medicine Association Symposium in Washington, DC.
 

From Classroom Idea to Studio Release – Natty Purbrik’s Jazz Collaboration

We’re delighted to share the latest musical release, entitled BIRD SONG, from alumnus Natty Purbrick, whose new jazz fusion video brings together an inspiring mix of current and former Purcell students.

“It’s here!!! The big jazz fusion collaboration is now fully released,” says Natty. “It’s been a long time coming, so I hope you enjoy it and share it with everyone imaginable – in school and out!”

The track has a special connection to Purcell. Natty first wrote the tune on his very first day at the School, during a creative ‘getting-to-know-each-other’ task set by Paul Hoskins, Director of Music. Two years later, that spark of inspiration evolved into a full studio recording – a testament to the collaborative spirit that thrives among Purcell musicians.

The video features a line-up of talented Purcellians – Sam, Clem, Albi, Ramona, Albert, Marcus, Otto, Lucas, Alex and Keir – who together deliver an energetic and beautifully layered performance that perfectly captures the essence of jazz fusion.

You can watch Natty‘s video here

Congratulations to Natty and all involved on this fantastic achievement!

Concerts Review

Remembrance Concert – Tuesday 11th November
On Tuesday 11th November, The Purcell School commemorated Armistice Day with a special lunchtime concert organised by Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion, Mike Cavanagh. Featuring Arthur (organ, Year 11), the Chamber Choir and Symphonic Wind Orchestra, it was lovely to see the CP Hall packed, both on stage and in the audience, as our school community came together to pay its respects on Remembrance Day.

Programme:
Coutain Westron Wynde
JS Bach Trio Sonata No. 1 in E flat Major, BWV 525 ii) Adagio iii) Allegro
Rob Wiffin Evening Hymn and Sunset
Elgar Nimrod
John Williams arr. Paul Lavender Hymn to the Fallen

 
Wind, Brass & Percussion Department Concert – Wednesday 12th November
On Wednesday 12th November, it was the turn of the Wind, Brass & Percussion department to have their showcase concert in the CP Hall. The first section of the concert featured soloists Ayman (clarinet), Yulin (saxophone), Brad (horn), Hannah (marimba) and Ostap (bassoon), before the department was able to showcase some of its fantastic chamber ensembles. Featured chamber groups were Brass Quintet, Oboe Duo, Bassoon Quartet, Trumpet Ensemble, Saxophone and Piano Trio, Clarinet Quintet and finally our Symphonic Brass Ensemble. See photos from the event below!

Lunchtime Concert
Lavender set a dramatic and sombre scene on Monday with the very atmospheric ‘From the Streets’ sonata by Janacek. On Tuesday, as detailed above, we commemorated Remembrance Day with a special concert in the CP Hall with our Symphonic Wind Orchestra and Chamber Choir. We welcomed many visitors, staff and students to this successful event. Thank you additionally to Arthur for your solo organ performance which complimented the choir and orchestra perfectly.

On Wednesday, the Jazz Department put on a fantastic concert of arrangements of much loved Jazz Standards with visitors from Bushey Synagogue joining us in the audience. Thank you to performers Ethan, Paawan, Otto, Flo, Marcus, Ezio, Ivan, Gil, Oliver, Miles, Mahla, Julianna and Marija.

Thursday’s concert was a wonderful balance of solo pieces performed by Kateryna, guitar, Teresa, cello and Tracy on the piano.

Well done to everyone who performed this week.

Forthcoming Events

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

21st November – Lower School Concert
Time: 2.45pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required

26th November – Session Bands and Songwriters Concert
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required

Students from the Commercial and Popular Music Department present an evening of exciting original music mixed with soulful covers, from the 1960’s through to today’s hit songs. Tonight we feature songs from our talented Songwriters, followed by sets from the dynamic Session Bands.

27th November – An Evening at Malverleys
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: Malverleys Farm & Dining, East Woodhay
Tickets: Ticket information is available here

An exclusive evening of inspiring food and remarkable music featuring a canape reception, 3-course meal and intimate performance by the Purcell students.

Don’t miss the chance to purchase your ticket for this special event.

3rd December – Lunchtime Concert at St Mary le strand
Time: 1.00pm
Venue: St Mary le Strand, Women’s Royal Navy Service Church, St James’s
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required.

Purcell’s talented pianists perform a lunchtime concert at St Mary le Strand.
Take a break in your day and join us for an hour of exquisite music-making.

Free entry – all are welcome.

3rd December – An Evening of Jazz, with special guest Anthony Kerr (Vibraphone)
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required.

The Jazz Department presents an evening of Jazz, featuring the Purcell Jazz Ensembles and Big Band, who will be joined by special guest star Anthony Kerr. A multiple BBC Jazz Award winner, Anthony is known as one of the UK’s finest Jazz Vibraphone players. He has performed and recorded internationally with Georgie Fame, Charlie Watts, BBC Big Band, Robbie Williams, Joe Lovano, Jacqui Dankworth and Courtney Pine. Tonight features student-led arrangements of well known Jazz Standards, showcasing their improvisation and ensemble interaction.

8th December – St Paul’s Evensong
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required.