Ruth Faber Leads Harp Masterclass
On Monday 9 March, we were delighted to welcome renowned harpist Ruth Faber to lead a masterclass with our harp students.
Ruth Faber is one of the UK’s most accomplished harpists, having studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and later at the Royal College of Music, where she gained her ARCM. She has performed as a soloist around the world and with many of the UK’s leading orchestras. Her distinguished career has included roles as resident harpist at Harrods and Principal Harpist of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
Alongside her performing career, Ruth is a dedicated educator and currently teaches at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Junior Guildhall, Wells Cathedral School, and the Universities of Bristol and Bath Spa. Our harpists – Stephanie, Saule, Selin, Farrah, Queenie and Regina – greatly valued the opportunity to work with such an experienced musician and teacher.
Concerts Review
Purcell Chamber Soloists Perform at Wigmore Hall
On Thursday 12 March, The Purcell School Chamber Soloists performed a special lunchtime concert at Wigmore Hall entitled A History of The Purcell School Composition Department.
The programme celebrated the remarkable legacy of the School’s Composition Department, featuring short works by distinguished alumni and affiliated composers including Oliver Knussen, Joseph Phibbs, Gareth Moorcraft, Kristina Arakelyan, Yiruma, Alexis Ffrench, Edward Longstaff and Alison Cox.
Alongside these works, new compositions by current students Yoko, Gerard and Kaelan were performed, selected through a competitive process adjudicated by composer Mark Bowden.
The concert also marked the forthcoming retirement of Alison Cox, Head of Composition, who will step down at the end of this academic year after 38 years of exceptional service. During her time at the School she has inspired and shaped generations of composers, leaving an extraordinary and lasting legacy.
Lunchtime Concerts
The harps serenaded us with a concert on Monday in the Liszt Room, Farrah, Saule, Stephanie, Queenie and Regina played Nino Rota, Pierné , Ibert, Andrès and Guridi respectively.
In the CP Hall on Tuesday the Chamber Choir and solo organists performed. Well done to singers Alexandra, Alina, Bettina, Craig, Daniel, Dima, Emily, Gabriella, Gerard, Hannah, Ken, Kiah, Lilly, Mac, Marija, Matias, Phoebe, Rose, Sophia, Teodora, Theo and Tristan, and organists Arthur, Patrick and Hannah.
Albert, Gianntino and Jamie delivered a great original set in the JCS on Wednesday, and Thursday in the Recital Room Rebecca, Aleksandra, Ryosuke and Lilly performed Villa Lobos, Poulenc and Nino Rota.
Well done to everyone.
Forthcoming Events
In addition to those highlighted events below, please visit our online Concerts and Events Guide here.
18 March – Session Bands Concert
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission. No booking required.
Join the Purcell Session Bands for an evening of well known covers from artists including Bruno Mars, Daft Punk, Alicia Keys, The Beatles and Michael Jackson.
20 March – South Hill Park Concert
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: South Hill Park Arts Centre, Ringmead, Hanworth
Tickets: Tickets available from South Hill Arts Centre website
Purcell’s Woodwind and Piano students perform at South Hill Park Arts Centre as part of the Conservatoire International Concert Series.
Programme to include:
Lalliet Terzetto Op. 22 for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano 2 first and second movements
Jean-Marie Leclair Sonata in C arranged for two saxophones
Fernande Decruck Sonata in C#
Debussy Syrinx for solo saxophone
Dutilleux Sarabande et Cortège for bassoon and piano
Britten Metamorphoses one to four for solo oboe
Poulenc Trio for bassoon, oboe and piano
Rio Noda Improvisation for solo alto sax
Jean-Baptiste Singelée Duo Concertant Op.55 in Eb Major for two saxophones and piano, first movement
Visit the South Hill Arts Centre website for further info and to purchase tickets.
22 March – Senior Concerto Competition Grand Final
Time: 4.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission
The Senior Concerto Competition Grand Final is one of the most prestigious events at The Purcell School. Our exceptional young musicians, selected as finalists through a competitive process, perform complete concertos for a chance to solo with the school’s symphony orchestra in the following academic year.
The Grand Final is open to public. Entry is free, but please email concerts@purcell-school.org to reserve your place.
24 March – The Music of Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes, Watford Palace Theatre
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1JZ
Tickets: Tickets are available from the Watford Palace Theatre box office here
The Music of Ronnie Scott & Tubby Hayes
Celebrated by The Purcell School with Special Guest Simon Spillett
Also featuring Mark Nightingale
Two giants of British jazz take centre stage in this vibrant celebration of the music of Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes — pioneers whose partnership and friendship helped define the sound of British jazz in the 1950s and 60s.
This special concert sees acclaimed saxophonist Simon Spillett join forces with The Purcell School Jazz Ensembles and Big Band, alongside guest trombonist Mark Nightingale, for an exhilarating programme drawn from the Tubby Hayes Big Band library and the iconic Jazz Couriers repertoire. Together, they bring this thrilling music to life with energy, authenticity and fresh perspective.
For over 15 years, The Purcell School Jazz Department has been at the forefront of training young jazz musicians for professional careers. Its distinguished alumni include Grammy Award winner Jacob Collier, BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year Alexandra Ridout, Jas Kayser, Kit Downes and Seth Tackaberry. Under the leadership of saxophonist and Head of Jazz Simon Allen, and a faculty of leading performers and educators, students develop exceptional instrumental and compositional skills, gaining places at major conservatoires before going on to successful performing careers.
Special guest Simon Spillett is one of the UK’s most respected jazz saxophonists, celebrated for his commanding tenor sound and deep-rooted connection to the British jazz tradition. An award-winning musician and a fiercely swinging improviser, he has worked with an array of leading figures from the British jazz scene, including Sir John Dankworth, Stan Tracey, Alan Barnes, Bobby Wellins and the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, and has performed at major venues and festivals across the UK and internationally. Alongside his performing career, Simon is an acclaimed jazz writer, historian and broadcaster, the author of the definitive biography of Tubby Hayes and a presenter on BBC Radio 3.
Mark Nightingale is an internationally acclaimed jazz trombonist, highly respected writer and one of the UK’s most in-demand studio musicians. He has performed with an extraordinary range of jazz and popular music artists, including John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, Georgie Fame, Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Charlie Watts, Steely Dan, Sting, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra. A multiple winner of the British Jazz Awards, Mark is also widely recognised for his educational work, producing a substantial catalogue of study material and concert repertoire for musicians of all standards.
An evening of superb music-making, rich jazz heritage and outstanding young talent — not to be missed.
Tickets are available from the Watford Palace Theatre box office here.
25 March – Bartók and Stravinsky at Folkestone New Music
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: The Green Room, The Grand, The Leas, Folkestone, CT20 2LR
Tickets: Tickets are available here
Students of The Purcell School join Director of Music Paul Hoskins for a programme of 20th-century orchestral masterpieces at this year’s Folkestone New Music Festival.
Bartók’s Divertimento
Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks
The programme will also include a new work by a current Purcell student, showcasing the next generation of musical talent.
Join us at this very special concert. Tickets are available to purchase via this link
