Senior School
 
Junior Wind Band

Junior Wind Band meets twice a week for a full rehearsal and for sectional work. They perform at the termly Senior Instrumental Concert and their repertoire is a mixture of jazz and more traditional symphonic band music. Membership has grown from around 30 to 50 in the past 12 months. The band is not auditioned and there is no age limit – the only criteria for joining is that pupils must be between Grades 1 & 5 AB standard in their instrument. Recent repertoire has included Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, Surfin' USA, My Girl and It don't mean a thing (if it aint got that swing).

Concert Band

Concert Band meets weekly for an hour after school and for sectionals at lunchtime. The band is open to all wind, brass and percussion players of Grade 5 and above, AB standard. The repertoire includes original symphonic band compositions of the 20th Century (eg. The band suites by Holst) and arrangements of orchestral music, film music and jazz. Recent pieces have included There's No Business Like Show Business (Irving Berlin), James Bond Suite (arr. Erickson) and a Mary Poppins Medley (Sherman & Sherman).

School Orchestra

This ensemble consists of musicians from J4 to Upper Sixth-Form and has grown to 70+ in number. The grade for strings is 5+ and wind and brass 6+. They rehearse each week after school and there are frequent sectional rehearsals at lunchtimes. The orchestra performs a the termly instrumental concert in the school theatre and recent repertoire includes Dvorak's Symphony no. 9, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Holst's Jupiter and Sibelius' Finlandia.

Chamber Orchestra

This ensemble was established only three years ago and involves about 20 pupils from Third to Upper Sixth-Form. It is an advanced group, all post Grade 7. They have performed at the internal Music Scholar concerts and also at the Hammersmith and Fulham festival, Downside School (as part of a tour) and also at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Repertoire has included Elgar's Serenade for Strings, Bach's Double Violin Concerto, Rutter's Suite Antique and Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, 3 and 4.

Chamber Music

There are approximately 25 pupils involved in regular chamber groups from First to Upper Sixth-Form. They have played at internal concerts and the Royal Marsden hospital. Recent repertoire includes Mendelssohn's Octet and Schumann's Piano Quintet. A string quartet took part in a masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music in 2006. A brass chamber group has started in September 2009.

Junior Orchestra

This is open to players Grade 1+ and has pupils from First to Fourth-Form as members. It is essentially a training ensemble, but performs in each term's instrumental concert. It numbers over 40 pupils and has doubled in size over the last three years. It performs simple arrangements of works such as Grieg's Holberg Suite.

Girls' Choir

This is open to Sixth Form Girls and numbers 20 in all. They perform a varied repertoire ranging from scared works by Archer, Rheinberger, Faure and Britten. They have performed several new commissions by Howard Skempton, David Terry and Danny Lesdema. Concerts have taken place at Brompton Oratory, Westminster Cathedral, Hampstead Parish Church and in Ealing. They have also performed in Krakow and Paris.

School Choir

This is set up to allow as many pupils who wish to sing to do so and includes some Junior House boys (J3 and J4, non –Schola). It numbers about 80 pupils and rehearses once a week. It joins the adult Choral Society in a termly concert of Oratorio at different London Churches, with professional orchestra and soloists.

 
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