Music

This is one of our largest ensembles and is open to any instrumentalists that are Grade 6 standard and above.

The group tackets big and exciting pieces of orchestral repertoire and leads at many of the high-profile concerts throughout the year. In the past year we’ve played the Maestoso and Finale from Saint Saens’ Organ Symphony No. 3 and Danse Macabre.

The group has an early lunch straight after period 5 and then rehearses for an hour on Tuesdays in the Auditorium.

This group is run by our Head of Instrumental Performance, Mike Wilson.

They tackle pieces of Big Band repertoire and feature at many of our biggest concerts.

The group consists of our top woodwind, brass and percussion players and the general standard of the group is Grade 8.

This group is also run by our Head of Instrumental Performance, Mike Wilson.

The group tackles upbeat, fun, and big repertoire for brass and wind instruments. This is a brilliant group to join if you are looking to improve your ensemble skills as you work your way up the grades. Lots of students have gone on from this group to join Big Band and perform as top instrumentalists in Concert Orchestra.

This group is a brilliant place to be for all budding string players that are around the Grade 3-6 standard.

You will work with Beth Britt, a violin teacher at WHS, performing chamber music together, enhancing your musicianship and sight-reading skills. Lots of our students have gone on from this group into Concert Orchestra and Sinfonia.

This group is made up of our top instrumentalists.

The group tackles a varying chamber orchestra repertoire, and often are tasked with accompanying choirs, soloists and concertos in our highest profile concerts.

This group is auditioned for each project, ensuring that we have the correct chamber set up for each piece of repertoire chosen.

This choir is for students in Y10-13, features at most of our flagship events throughout the year and tackles a whole host of repertoire. In the past year they have performed a SSA arrangement of the Faure Requiem, led our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service, travelled to Rome to sing at the Vatican and sung alongside the Blues and Roots Ensemble in a feature jazz summer concert.

Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and sing is all you need to join this group.

This choir is for students in Y7-9 and features at most of our flagship events throughout the year. There is an inclusive and energetic approach to rehearsals.

Lots of singers go on to join Chamber Choir and A Cappella.

This choir features our top singers from Years 7-9. There are around twenty currently in the choir, and they tackle repertoire that stretches their sight reading and musicality, exploring 4-part music that is often unaccompanied.

They have the opportunity to sing regularly at concerts throughout the year.

This is a highly selective group of our top singers in Years 10-13, run by our Head of Singing, Ms. Prowse and Director of Music, Mr Ford.

Students learn the art of singing as 1-2 per part, in close harmony and often without accompaniment. Repertoire varies across a number of genres and allows students to develop and stretch their musicianship skills at a top level.

Many students in this group will be looking at pursuing singing further as they leave school.

Run by our oboe teacher, Alasdair Hill, this auditioned group features our top wind instrumentalists who tackle small chamber music written specifically for their set up.

Repertoire varies hugely, and this is a brilliant place for more advanced players to hone their musicality and ability to play chamber music.

Jazz Ensemble is open to Woodwind and Brass players of Grade 3 standard together with an auditioned rhythm section consisting of Piano, Bass, Drums and Guitar.

This is a brilliant group to be involved in if you love jazz. Mr Whelan is a jazz specialist and trumpet teacher at WHS. He adapts the pieces he chooses to the instrumentalists in the group and provides wonderful tuition for all those involved.

It is a great place to learn about improvisation, the Blues, how to play in a group without a conductor, and a whole host of jazz skills.

This is run by one of our flute teachers, Nico Bricht. This is a brilliant group for flute players who want to work on musicianship skills, sight reading and performing in a small group without a conductor.

This is run by one of our clarinet teachers. The group performs a variety of clarinet arrangements. This is a brilliant group for clarinet players who want to work on musicianship skills, sight reading and performing in a small group without a conductor.

This lively and vivacious group perform classic djembe pieces that are arranged and taught by our percussion teacher, Stephen Hiscock. The group feature in termly concerts and work together to create an array of rhythmic shapes, patterns and sounds.

This is a group for our budding conductors to learn the ins and outs of how to lead a rehearsal and conduct.

Mr Lavelle will introduce you to a range of repertoire and give you a chance to conduct passages of music in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Conductors in this group will also get the occasional chance to take parts of rehearsals with Concert Orchestra, Swing Band and Canto, working with fellow students on current repertoire with music staff on hand to help.

We group students of the same ability together to allow them to explore how to play in a smaller chamber music group without a conductor, and they all pick up a huge number of musicianship skills whilst having fun.

The groups are auditioned at the beginning of each academic year and comprise of our finest chamber musicians.

This group is run by Mr Hutchinson, a violin teacher at WHS, and will feature some of our top instrumentalists. The pianist will work with two other string players as they tackle chamber repertoire and work on their sight reading, musicality and ability to play in small chamber groups.

This position involves accompanying Canto in their weekly rehearsals. They will need to be confident piano players, willing to work collaboratively with the choir and Ms Prowse, and adapt their playing to suit the needs of the choir.

This position involves playing in our Concert Orchestra, often tackling big, exciting but challenging piano parts that are integral to the success of the piece!

You will no doubt end up featuring as a pianist at events such as Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and St John’s Smith Square.

This position involves playing the continuo part in Sinfonia. The group often tackle Baroque repertoire, and the student will have the chance to learn how to read figured bass and accompany the chamber group.

There may well be a chance to play the harpsichord/chamber organ at high profile events, though this will be dependent on the project.

This club is open to any ABRSM candidates who want help preparing for their aural part of the examination. There are two clubs to allow flexibility in which club students attend, and both sessions are run in a similar manner.