Weekly Highlights 8th October 2021

Of the festival, which is in its 10th year, Artistic Director Guy Johnston commented that ‘Education and outreach work have always been an integral and vital part of the Festival . . . But from early on it was always one of my ambitions to increase the scope of this work, to reach more children and work with the local community to provide more musical inspiration and opportunities for engagement’. To this end, in addition to the live free schools concerts, the festival will provide recordings of the performances to all Hertfordshire schools, along with packages of support materials.

Purcell performers:
Maria (violin, Year 13), Laura (violin, Year 13), Henrietta (violin, Year 12), Niamh (violin, Year 13), Ava (viola, Year 12), Sifiso (cello, Year 13), Emmaline (cello, Year 13), Bethany (double bass, Year 13), Madeleine (flute, Year 13), Lily (clarinet, Year 13), Connor (bassoon, Year 13), Ekaterina (oboe, Year 12), Chloe (horn, Year 12), George (trumpet, Year 13), Jamie (tuba, Year 13), Firoze (piano, Year 13) and Joshua (percussion, Year 12)
 

London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) Junior Artists

We were so pleased to hear earlier this week that flautist Elise (Year 11) has been selected to be one of the LPO Junior Artists in the 2021/22 programme.

LPO Junior Artists is a free orchestral experience programme for talented young musicians from backgrounds currently under-represented in professional UK orchestras. The programme offers support, advice and professional insight to exceptional players of orchestral instruments, aged 15–19, and at a minimum Grade 8 playing standard. Congratulations to Elise.
 

Chineke! Junior Orchestra

Last year, violinist Kutay (Year 7) was invited to join the Chineke! Junior Orchestra. As part of this, he attended a residential programme at the end of the summer, where he played in the 1st violin section, and was selected to write the programme notes for Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture in the orchestra’s 2021 Reunion Concert. It was at this concert, conducted by Jose Luis Gomez with Chi-chi Nwanoku, OBE on double bass, that Kutay made his debut at the Royal Festival Hall.

What a fantastic list of achievements! Well done to Kutay.

New College of Humanities (NCH) Essay Writing Competition

Philosophy student Laura (Year 13) has added another impressive essay writing prize to those mentioned in previous Weekly Highlights here. She has been Highly Commended in the New College of Humanities (NCH) 2021 Essay Writing Competition for ‘an outstanding essay in humanities or social sciences’. Congratulations to Laura.
 

Video of the Week

At the end of each summer term, Purcell celebrates the close of the academic year and showcases the astonishing creativity of our talented students with a Sound Image Movement (SIM) concert. Due to Covid restrictions, it proved impossible to have a live audience for the 2021 show, so we are doubly delighted to be able to share it now to brighten a cold and somewhat grey October day.
 

 

RAM Émile Sauret Professor of Violin

Violinist and alumnus Jack Liebeck has been named as the Royal Academy of Music’s (RAM) first Émile Sauret Professor of Violin and, also, as the new Artistic Director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music from 2022.
 

Prince’s Trust Day Composition

To mark the Prince’s Trust Day on 6th October, composer, pianist and alumnus Alexis Ffrench composed an original piece to reflect the power and life changing work of the charity. The piece entitled Future Bright Ahead premiered on Scala Radio on Wednesday (06.10.21).