Purcell School for Young Musicians

The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK.[1] The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal in 2003, which was received on behalf of the school by King Charles, who is a patron of the school. Sir Simon Rattle is honorary president of the school. Many of the pupils subsequently study at top conservatories across the country including: the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2015, the School became the first Fazioli Pianoforti Centre of Excellence.

For other uses, see Purcell High School.

The Purcell School
Address
Aldenham Road

Bushey
,
Hertfordshire
,
WD23 2TS

England
Coordinates51.66083°N 0.367248°W / 51.66083; -0.367248
Information
TypePrivate day and boarding
Specialist music school
Established1962
FoundersRosemary Rapaport
Irene Foster
Local authorityHertfordshire County Council
SpecialistMusic College
ChairmanSir Roger Jackling KCB CBE
PrincipalPaul Bambrough
GenderMixed
Age9 to 18
Enrolment~180
Websitewww.purcell-school.org

The School's pupils are funded largely by the Government's Music and Dance Scheme, along with the School's own scholarship funds. It has a consistent success in national and international competitions and has an extensive programme of outreach and community work. The majority of pupils progress to music conservatoires although a small number each year elect to go to University to study both music and non-musical subjects.

History

Rosemary Rapaport and Irene Forster founded the school in 1962 under the original name of the Central Tutorial School for Young Musicians, at Conway Hall in central London. The school later moved to Morley College, and subsequently to Hampstead, then to a large Victorian house in Harrow on the Hill.

The school changed its name in 1973 to The Purcell School (after the English composer Henry Purcell). In 1997, the school relocated to the site of the former Royal Caledonian School campus in Bushey, Hertfordshire.[2]

Notable former pupils

References
  1. Murray, Nigel, and Cox, Neil; Cox, Neil (April 1994). "States of Independence". The Musical Times. Musical Times Publications Ltd. 135 (1814): 247–248. doi:10.2307/1002780. JSTOR 1002780.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Margaret Campbell (27 June 2001). "Obituary: Rosemary Rapaport". The Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2008.


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