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Music

Shrewsbury School crest

Here at Shrewsbury, we aim to give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to partake in the rich musical life on offer here at the school.

Nearly half the School’s pupils learn an instrument; most learn more than one and the ensemble experience covers almost every style and genre there is.

For those wishing to sing we offer several groups including The Chamber Choir, The Chapel Choir, and Choral, as well as the annual House Singing and the opportunity to audition for and take part in one of the School's regular musical theatre productions.

We strive to get as many students as possible actively involved in music at the school, endeavouring to find the right standard for each individual.

All new pupils are given the chance to have one trial lesson free of charge on the instrument of their choice, in the hope that as many pupils as possible will have a go at something when they arrive, irrespective of previous experience.

For experienced musicians, we offer dedicated music scholarships. Learn more about our music scholarships by clicking the link below.

Music Scholarships

The Maidment Building

The award-winning Maidment Building is a purpose-built music school, opened by the Prince of Wales in 2001, and is ideally suited to concerts and educational courses as well as corporate and private entertaining (200 capacity).

The Maidment Building has acoustic wall panels in the main auditorium, which provide maximum flexibility in terms of sound, making the hall suitable for the spoken word and all forms of music. The building has numerous teaching rooms, most of which are equipped with pianos.  The elliptical-shaped auditorium has fully retractable seating and can be used as a versatile space for social as well as musical occasions. There is also a state-of-the-art recording studio within the building.

Henry Kennedy (OS, I, 2009-14)

As a Music Scholar at Shrewsbury School, Henry took every opportunity he could, whether it was singing in the Chapel Choir or playing in the many chamber music groups and orchestras.

Henry said: "I was entirely immersed in music at Shrewsbury, which completely prepared me for my time at the Royal Academy and now in the profession."

Following his time at Shrewsbury, Henry went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music, London where he graduated with Distinction and Honours in 2020. Since then, Henry has had the opportunity to conduct many of the leading European orchestras and has studied with a number of international conductors such as Christian Thielemann and Riccardo Muti.

In September 2022, he will begin his tenure as Conductor at Wroclaw Opera, Poland.

Henry added: "The inspirational tuition I received at the School, continues to give me the strength and motivation throughout my career."

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School Ensembles

There is an abundance of ensembles and choirs at school and there really is something for everyone. As you would expect there are large-scale ensembles such as:

Running alongside, we have various chamber groups, some of these run year on year, others such as trios and quartets are put together depending on which musicians are keen to work on chamber music.

Choirs

In addition to the impressive Chapel Choir, we also have several other choirs for students to join:

Chamber Choir

Chamber Choir

The Chamber Choir is open to all year groups, by invitation, and rehearses on Wednesday afternoons.

The Chamber Choir enjoys a good reputation for its regular appearances at concerts and on tours with the School and in the community.  The repertoire ranges from madrigals to modern arrangements, from spirituals to sacred works with orchestra.  The emphasis and approach are based on informal excellence.

In recent years the Chamber Choir has contributed to performances at Cadogan Hall in London, Birmingham Town Hall and Elgar Concert Hall, Birmingham.

‘Chamber Choir is a remarkably rewarding group to be a part of. With weekly rehearsals and regular concerts, a firm sense of unity is created. It provides a great opportunity to work with likeminded students and teachers who are equally passionate about performing chamber music to the greatest standard possible. And finally, it’s just a lot of fun – laughs are a regular feature of rehearsals.’ Georgina Cooper (OS) – Former Member of the Chamber Choir

Chapel Choir

Chapel Choir

The Chapel Choir sings choral music to the highest standards for weekly services at school. The choir’s repertoire is drawn from 500 years of European sacred and English Cathedral music and other genres such as opera choruses and song arrangements.

The choir currently has around 60 members. Many ex-cathedral choristers are in the choir, including boys and girls from Lichfield, Gloucester, Wells and Winchester Cathedral choir schools. Several members of the choir have gone on to hold choral or organ scholarships at Oxford, Cambridge and Durham universities.

The choir’s main role is to sing at Sunday morning Chapel services during the term, as well as at occasional special services. The choir also makes visits to sing Choral Evensong at churches in Shrewsbury and elsewhere, as well as at major cathedrals. In recent years these have included Lichfield Cathedral, Jesus College Cambridge, The Queen's College Oxford, Tewkesbury Abbey and St George's Chapel Windsor. In addition, the choir has been involved with other exciting projects, including three filming sessions for the BBC television programme, Songs of Praise, and a Sunday morning service for BBC Radio Shropshire that celebrated the 200th birthday of our most famous Old Salopian, Charles Darwin.

New members are welcome to join the choir at any time. All pupils can join the choir although those with a strong choral background, or those with good sight-reading skills, are particularly welcome.

‘Without a doubt, Chapel Choir is one of the best things I have taken part in during my time at school. There is something incredibly special about 70 pupils coming together to sing such wonderful music. Evensongs, trips to Oxford and Tewkesbury, Morning Prayer, Communion, Robing-up, all of it has been an absolute joy to be a part of.’ Dominic Inglis-Jones (OS) – Choregus Chapel Choir

 

Junior Choirs

Junior Choirs

The Junior Girls’ and Junior Boys’ Choirs are fun and sociable choirs for Third and Fourth form students who meet once a week.

They work on a variety of fun and accessible repertoire that is appropriate for young and changing voices, and perform in a variety of concerts during the year.

They provide an ideal opportunity for young singers to develop confidence in their choral skills and musical teamwork in an unpressured and fun environment and are an early opportunity for the most enthusiastic to develop their leadership skills in music.

There are also acapella vocal groups put together throughout the year for particular concerts and performances.

We are also proud of our Community Choir which provides the opportunity for anyone from the local area to come and sing together on a weekly basis. For further information, please see the Community Choir's website: www.shropshirecharityconcerts.org.uk.

Concerts

Alongside the enjoyment factor, students are also very keen to perform on a regular basis. On a normal year, we aim to have two large Gala-style concerts that feature the larger ensembles.

The Big Band and Jazz Band perform annually in the Barnes Theatre at school and at concerts and events outside of school. For our smaller chamber ensembles, we have external concerts in Manchester and Ludlow booked for next year alongside our regular series in the Maidment auditorium.

Chorally we have an exciting programme every year which would always feature a Cathedral Evensong, more locally an Evensong in St Chad’s Shrewsbury along with the ever-popular Carol Services in our own Chapel at Christmas. The Chamber Choir have their own specialist concert programme throughout the year and on a larger scale, we have the very popular House Singing in October.

Click here to view find a curated collection of videos showcasing the talents of our exceptional artists throughout the academic year.

In the Community

As well as offering our own pupils encouragement in pursuing their musical talents, we regularly welcome younger musicians on site. We offer children aged 7-13 an opportunity to explore their love of music in our state-of-the-art music facilities, build their confidence of performing in both solo and groups settings, all while having fun doing it.  

We offer children an opportunity to develop their musical abilities by hosting termly orchestra sessions called Symphonic Sundays. Concluding with a concert, these sessions give pupils a chance to perform with other young musicians of a similar age, alongside Shrewsbury pupils, to give them the experience of performing as a group.

Symphonic Sundays

Symphonic Sundays Sinfonia

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Scholarships