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The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist private 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.
| The Purcell School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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Aldenham Road , , WD23 2TS England | |
| Coordinates | 51.66083°N 0.367248°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day and boarding Specialist music school |
| Established | 1962 |
| Founders | Rosemary Rapaport Irene Foster |
| Local authority | Hertfordshire County Council |
| Specialist | Music College |
| Department for Education URN | 102256 Tables |
| Chairman | Sir Roger Jackling KCB CBE |
| Principal | Paul Bambrough |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 9 to 18 |
| Enrolment | ~180 |
| Website | www |
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.
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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]
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- Martin James Bartlett, BBC Young Musician of the Year 2014
- Katharine Blake, Kelly McCusker and Jocelyn West, vocalists and founder members of the a cappella ensemble Miranda Sex Garden
- Adiescar Chase, multi-instrumentalist and composer
- Daisy Chute, singer with classical-pop group All Angels
- Robert Cohen, cellist
- Jacob Collier, five time Grammy awarded singer, arranger, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist
- Nicholas Daniel, oboist
- Anne Denholm, harpist, Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales 2015
- Julius Drake, pianist
- Catrin Finch, harpist
- Teo Gheorghiu, pianist and actor
- Ploypailin Mahidol Jensen, pianist, a granddaughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
- Sona Jobarteh Gambian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist
- Oliver Knussen, composer and conductor
- Oliver Lewis, violinist
- Jack Liebeck, violinist
- Tirzah, singer-songwriter
- Lara Melda, BBC Young Musician of the Year, 2010
- Micachu, experimental pop musician
- Leona Naess, singer-songwriter
- Sarah Oates, violinist and associate leader Philharmonia orchestra
- Joseph Phibbs, composer
- Paul Sartin, oboist, violinist and singer with Bellowhead, and others
- Yevgeny Sudbin, pianist
- Alexander Ullman, pianist
- Yiruma, South Korean pianist
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