Alumni News: Julia Majewska Performs in BBC Young Musician 2026 Live Auditions
We were delighted to see Julia Majewska (violin, Class of 2026) take to the stage for the live auditions of BBC Young Musician 2026, broadcast on Sunday 4 October.
Now in its 25th edition, the prestigious competition showcases exceptional young instrumentalists from across the UK. Presented by Petroc Trelawny, this year’s live auditions featured a distinguished judging panel comprising concert pianist Joanna MacGregor, conductor Ben Gernon and guest judge Peter Moore, acclaimed trombonist.
Julia performed two contrasting works: the first movement of Debussy’s Violin Sonata and Szymanowski’s Tarantella, accompanied by fellow Purcell alumna Phoebe Papandrea (Class of 2025) on piano. Julia’s performance received considerable praise and we are delighted to see her musical talent recognised on this national platform.
You can watch Julia’s performance on BBC iPlayer, from 13:41 to 18:48: Watch BBC Young Musician 2026 – Live Auditions, Part 1.
Julia studied at Purcell with Charles Sewart, and the whole School community is wishing her every success as she progresses through the competition.
Alumni News: Alim Beisembayev Named Among The Telegraph’s Most Exciting Young Musicians
Purcell alumnus and pianist Alim Beisembayev has been named by The Telegraph as one of the 10 most exciting young musicians in the world.
Writing for The Telegraph, classical music critic Ivan Hewett singled out Alim’s remarkable musical journey and the extraordinary talent that has seen him emerge as one of the most exciting pianists of his generation.
Born in Kazakhstan, Alim came to The Purcell School in 2010, where he studied piano with Tessa Nicholson. During his time at Purcell, he won a number of major prizes, including First Prize at the inaugural Junior Cliburn International Piano Competition in the USA.
His international career has continued to gather momentum. In 2021, Alim won First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, as well as its medici.tv Audience Prize and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Award. Two years later, he made a sensational BBC Proms debut after stepping in at just two days’ notice to perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Sinfonia of London and John Wilson.
Alim’s inclusion among The Telegraph’s 10 most exciting young musicians offers further recognition of a career that continues to go from strength to strength.
Huge congratulations to Alim on this wonderful recognition.
Alumni News: BingBing Li Makes Conducting Debut
We’re delighted to share an update from alumna BingBing Li, pianist and educator, who made her conducting debut with the London City Philharmonic this summer.
BingBing has a busy period ahead, with international tours and projects in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China. She is also serving as Artistic Director of the LOML International Piano Festival, while her latest vinyl album was recently named Most Popular Vinyl Record at the Chinese Audio-Visual Exhibition.
We look forward to following BingBing’s forthcoming performances and projects on the international stage.
Purcell Concerts Review
Live at Lunch – W/C 5th October
Our Live at Lunch series continued this week with another varied programme of performances, bringing together repertoire from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic traditions alongside contemporary music.
The week opened with Lilly (Year 13, bassoon) performing Vivaldi’s Concerto in F Major, followed by Trevor (Year 13, French horn) performing the first movement of Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4. On Tuesday, Gabriella (Year 13, piano) presented a programme spanning Bach’s English Suite No. 2 and Beethoven’s ‘Tempest’ Sonata.
Wednesday brought a change of style and setting, with Clara (Year 13, singer/songwriter) performing Bored by Laufey alongside her original song Blood in a Bottle. Albert (Year 13, singer/guitarist) followed with Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On and Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, bringing a soulful and energetic close to the session in the JCS.
The week concluded with Gracie (Year 10, violin) performing the final movement of Brahms’s Violin Sonata No. 3, followed by Chaeyu (Year 12, violin) performing the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.
Another wonderful week of lunchtime music, showcasing the breadth of repertoire and musical styles being explored by our students.
Forthcoming Events
In addition to those highlighted events below, please visit our online Concerts and Events Guide here.
10 October – Hatfield House Concert
Time: 3pm
Venue: St Etheldreda’s Church, 2 Fore St, Hatfield AL9 5AL, UK
Tickets: Tickets are available here
Purcell students will join presenter Maria Thomas, clarinettist Julian Bliss and cellist Guy Johnston at the Hatfield House Music Festival for a relaxed concert on Saturday afternoon.
The programme will feature well-known works suitable for audiences of all ages, with a particular welcome to those with additional needs, including people living with dementia, Parkinson’s, autism and ADHD.
The concert will be interactive, with opportunities for the audience to join in activities such as singing and conducting.
10 October – Saturdays at Six Concert
Time: 6pm
Venue: St Michael’s Church, Highgate, South Grove, London N6 6BJ
Tickets: Free admission with a retiring collection
Purcell piano students perform at St Michael’s Highgate, a beautiful church in North London renowned in the classical music world for its acoustics and exceptionally quiet environment.
Saturdays at Six is a regular concert series at St Michael’s.
Programme will include:
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2 – First Movement
Chopin Scherzo No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 31
Chopin Nocturne in C♯ minor, Op. 27, No. 1
Liszt Étude de concert No. 2, “La Campanella”
Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 24 in F♯ Major, Op. 78, “à Thérèse”
Rachmaninoff Moment Musical in E minor, Op. 16, No. 4
Chopin Nocturne in B major, Op. 62, No. 1
Kapustin Études, Op. 40 (No. 1 and No.3)
4 November – Organ Recital at St Peter’s Church, St Albans
Time: 1pm
Venue: St Peter’s Church, St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3HG
Tickets: For further information, please visit St Peter’s website
Join us at St Peter’s Church, St Albans, for a solo organ recital given by Year 12 organist, Arthur.
Arthur studies at Purcell with Tom Winpenny.
5 November – Alex Redington and The Purcell School Chamber Soloists at Wigmore Hall
Time: 1pm
Venue: Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore St, London W1U 2BP
Tickets: Tickets are available here
The Purcell School Chamber Soloists return to Wigmore Hall for the first of three concerts in the 2026–27 season, presenting a programme of chamber music for string ensembles.
Led by Head of Strings Alex Redington, the students will perform George Enescu’s monumental Octet, following a virtuosic quartet for four violins by acclaimed Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz.
Internationally acclaimed British violinist Alex Redington is widely known as the founding member of the Doric String Quartet, as well as for his distinguished solo and teaching career.
7 November – Lunchtime Concert, St James Muswell Hill
Time: 12pm
Venue: St James Church, St James’s Ln, Muswell Hill, London N10 3DB
Tickets: Entry is free, all are welcome
Purcell pianists perform a one-hour lunchtime concert at St James, Muswell Hill.
9 November – The Purcell School Jazz Musicians at Benslow Music
Time: 3pm
Venue: Benslow Music, Benslow Ln, Hitchin SG4 9RB
Tickets: Tickets are available here
The Purcell School Jazz Department presents an afternoon concert Benslow Music Trust.
The concert will be one hour in duration, followed by tea and cakes.
11 November – Remembrance Day Lunchtime Concert
Time: 1.10pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free to attend, no booking necessary
The Purcell Symphonic Wind Orchestra present a Concert of Remembrance.
Please do come and join us for this special concert.
13 November – Purcell Woodwind Players at University of Birmingham
Time: 1.00pm
Venue: Elgar Concert Hall, Bramall Music Building, Birmingham B15 2TT
Tickets: Free admission, no booking necessary
Purcell Woodwind students present a one-hour lunchtime concert at University of Birmingham’s beautiful Elgar Hall.
Programme:
Poulenc Sonata for Two Clarinets
Mozart Serenade No.12 in C minor, K388
Louise Farrenc Sextet in C minor for Winds & Piano, Op. 40
Further information is available here.
18 November – Jazz Live at Lunch Concert
Time: 1.10pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission, no booking necessary
25 November – Reich@90 Concert
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Free admission, no booking necessary
In Autumn 2026, The Purcell School will mark Steve Reich’s 90th birthday with a term-long celebration exploring one of the most influential musical voices of the past century. Taking place in parallel with wider international celebrations of Reich’s work, the project will bring together performance, composition, production, songwriting, jazz and commercial students through the school’s Centre for Creative Practice. Across the term, students will engage with Reich’s distinctive musical language through workshops, lectures, seminars, and collaborative creative projects.
The project will culminate in a mini-series of concerts and events presenting key works by Reich alongside a series of world premieres by Purcell students & staff responding to his output. Repertoire will include works such as Radio Rewrite, Quartet, Nagoya Marimbas, Electric Counterpoint and Clapping Music, with student responses ranging from chamber and percussion works to electronic pieces, collaborative rewritings, and online releases. The project will also acknowledge Reich’s dialogue with popular music through performances of Radiohead songs connected to Radio Rewrite, creating a broad, interdisciplinary celebration of influence, reinterpretation and new creative work.
2 December – St Mary le Strand Lunchtime Concert
Time: 1.00pm
Venue: St Mary le Strand, Strand, London WC2R 1ES
Tickets: Admission is free and all are welcome
Join us at the historic church of St Mary le Strand, in the heart of London, for a relaxed one-hour midday performance by Purcell Six-form students.
The programme will feature solo works for guitar, piano, cello and saxophone.
2 December – Session Bands Concert
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Admission is free, no booking required
3 December – Cedars Village Afternoon Concert *PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE*
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Cedars Village, Finch Green, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire WD3 5GL
Tickets: Limited ticket availability, email concerts@purcell-school.org to enquire
Purcell’s Jazz and Pop students perform a 1-hour afternoon concert at Cedars Village in Chorleywood.
5 December – Purcell Choirs at St John the Baptist Aldenham
Time: 11.30am
Venue: St. John The Baptist Church, Church Lane, Radlett WD25 8BE
Tickets: Admission is free, with a retiring collection
We are delighted to return to St John the Baptist, a beautiful church in our local community. Led by distinguished mezzo soprano and Purcell staff, Dr Chloë Allison, students will be performing the repertoire studied over the Autumn term, alongside some festive music to celebrate the holiday season.
7 December – Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Tickets: Admission is free, no booking required
8 December – Brass Christmas Concert
Time: 1.10pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Admission is free, no booking required
9 December – Jazz Department Concert
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: CP Hall, The Purcell School
Tickets: Admission is free, no booking required
10 December – Leicester International Music Festival Concert
Time: 12.00pm
Venue: Hansom Hall, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester LE1 6QL, UK
Tickets: Tickets are available here
Purcell students are invited back to the Leicester International Music Festival to perform as part of its lunchtime concert series. This year’s concert will take place in the historic Hansom Hall, the temporary home of the festival, which is reputed to have hosted concerts by both Franz Liszt and Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
