Purcell Pianist Wins First Prize at EPTA Competition
Congratulations to Regina (Year 7, piano) who was awarded First Prize in the Under 12 category at the Regional Final of the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) UK National Piano Competition.
The competition took place on 15 March at the Royal Academy of Music, where Regina’s performance impressed the panel and secured her top place in a highly competitive field.
This is a wonderful achievement — bravo to Regina on her success.
Purcell Violinist Named Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year
Congratulations to Reeka (Year 12, violin) who has been named Milton Keynes Young Musician of the Year.
This fantastic accolade recognises Reeka’s outstanding musicianship and performance.
We are delighted to celebrate this achievement — very well done to Reeka.
Composition Students Visit LSO Panufnik Workshop
On Monday 16 March, first and second study composers (Years 10-13) visited LSO St Luke’s to observe the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Composers’ Workshop.
Accompanied by Dr Daniel Fardon and Mr Archie John, students experienced a public workshop of six newly commissioned orchestral works by early-career composers, performed and explored in detail by the LSO under conductor Jack Sheen. The scheme, guided by Colin Matthews with support from Christian Mason and Hannah Kendall, offers an exceptional platform for emerging composers.
The visit was particularly special as it included a new work by Purcell alumna Laila Arafah. Students gained valuable insight into the rehearsal process and the collaboration between composer, conductor and orchestra.
The following day, Jack Sheen visited the School to continue discussions with students in Composition Seminar, making this a truly enriching experience.
Irina Walters Leads Dvořák Masterclass
Irina Walters, Purcell’s Aural teacher and choral conducting specialist, was recently invited to lead a masterclass with the North London Chorus in preparation for their upcoming performance of Dvořák’s Stabat Mater.
The session explored the rich musical and emotional landscape of this monumental work, with a focus on stylistic features, harmonic language and the relationship between text and music. Working in detail on extracts from across the piece, Irina helped singers deepen their understanding of Dvořák’s expressive writing and bring greater clarity and intention to their performance.
The workshop also broadened the choir’s musical perspective, incorporating Rachmaninov’s Ave Maria and Irina’s own arrangement of the Russian folk melody My Maple, before concluding with a performance of a traditional Cossack song.
The chorus responded enthusiastically to Irina’s engaging and insightful approach. As one participant reflected: “Irina demonstrated a deep knowledge of and passion for choral music . . . helping make the musical and emotional structures of Dvořák’s Stabat Mater more transparent in a way that informed our singing going forward.”
It was a rewarding and inspiring collaboration for all involved.
