NEWS

Over 250 students entered our annual House Music competition this year, and on Thursday, 14 March, we saw the culmination of the event with the Young Musician of the Year Final. The audience was treated to impressive performances across all instrumental classes in both Junior (Years 7–9) and Senior (Years 10–13) categories.

Whilst Mark Stone, ...

The members of the Music Department at Wilson’s are feeling very lucky. In the last year, not only did they move into their brand new, purpose-built home, the Britton Centre, but they also became the proud owners of myriad new instruments. From a four-strong set of timpani and a professional standard bass drum to a pair of grand pianos ripe for virtuosic ...

From Monday 29th January to Thursday 1st February, the annual Wilson’s School House Music competition took place. This year, we had a bumper entry, with nearly 250 students from across the school taking part!

We were fortunate to have some extremely distinguished judges visit the school to adjudicate the seven different instrument categories ...

On Wednesday night in the penultimate week of term, over 200 students participated in the Winter Concert, a musical extravaganza raising money in aid of this year’s chosen charities, Lives Not Knives and Mind. A jam-packed programme was performed to a packed-out hall, and the delight of students, teachers, family and friends was palpable throughout ...

All who attended the annual Carol Service this Monday in Croydon Minster were treated to a beautiful and uplifting beginning to the final week of term.

Pupils from Years Seven to Thirteen performed a range of classic and modern Christmas pieces, directed as ever by Mr Hann. From the pure voices of Year Seven students singing Rutter’s Angels’ ...

The Year 7 Music Programme has been for years now a staple of every Wilson’s boy—taking on a new creative skill and learning an instrument or singing for a full year in year 7, for free! Every year we have a showcase in both the Autumn and the Spring terms for parents to watch and listen to their sons make music with each other. It’s a great opportunity ...

There is never a dull moment in the Music Department’s calendar.

Our first big event of the year was the second annual Battle of the Bands, the brainchild of Mr Kramer. Bands of all styles and sizes took to the stage of the John Jenkins Hall to do battle and rock the crowd! The panel of judges, comprised of both teachers and students, were ...

Alexander (Year Ten), who is participating in the Young Reporter Scheme, wrote this fantastic article about the recent Battle of the Bands competition. You can see many other articles written by Wilson’s students for this scheme on Young Reporter | This Is Local London; over ...

Battle of the Bands 2023 is nigh! Last year was the exciting inaugural Battle of senior and junior bands, supported by a wonderful crowd of family, friends and teachers and next week we see who will be crowned the literal rock-stars of the school.

With junior bands (Year Seven - Nine) such as Shard VI, Rhythmic Rebellion, and (defending victors) ...

On Saturday, 16th September, Mr Hann had the great privilege of conducting Berkshire Youth Choir and Berkshire Youth String Ensemble at the opening concert of the Windsor festival at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where the repertoire included Handel's glorious coronation anthem Zadok the Priest and JS Bach's Wachet Auf.

The enduring ...

The first week of term for Year 7 at Wilson’s is undoubtedly a busy and exciting experience. Students experience their first secondary school lessons in different subjects, try out new skills for the first time, and begin their participation in our extensive programme of musical activities.

We are very proud of our Year 7 programme, in which ...

Last Thursday, the entire Wind Band and Odyssey Big Band made their way to the Horniman Bandstand. In the morning, it had just rained, and this created a cool and calm atmosphere, setting us up for our annual performance. We knew that no matter what, we would play our hearts out!

At 9.20am, we assembled in the Britton Centre, all lined up, ...

We were delighted that some of our Year 7 singers were invited to join Kensington Symphony Orchestra in a triumphant performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.3 at Fairfield Halls last weekend. Conductor Russell Keable remarked on the boys’ focus and work ethic during rehearsals and in performance, where they did an excellent job!

Thanks also to ...

The Young Musician of the Year Final took place on Tuesday evening in the presence of our adjudicator for the evening: Sam Jackson, Controller of BBC Radio 3. The Junior Young Musician of the year was awarded to Joshua (Year 9), who played Grovlez’s Sarabande et Allegro on saxophone, and the Senior Musician of the Year was Han (Year 11) who played ...

Thursday, 30 March was a red-letter day for very many musicians and sportsmen at Wilson’s, with three teams making it to the annual Sutton Cup Finals at Northey Avenue (1st XI, Year 11 and Year 7 teams) and the hotly anticipated Spring Concert the very same evening. We are especially ...

The recent Year 7 Celebration Evenings were—as always—joyful and entertaining occasions! Introduced by Dr Hayley Burton (Director of Music) and compered and directed by Mr Karl Kramer, who runs the Year 7 instrumental programme, the evenings proceeded with the usual wide range of musical performances showcasing the instruments that are taught to ...

Wicked visit

Forty-two pupils and four members of staff enjoyed a night in the West End last Wednesday, at a performance of Wicked. The show has been running at the Apollo Victoria Theatre for nearly 20 years but with a brand new cast (featuring the amazing Alexia Khadime as Elphaba), staff and pupils remarked on the particularly ...

SENIOR WOODWIND (9-13)
1 Philip, 10H
2 Aayush, 13G
3 Leo, 13H
HC Tito, 10C
HC Ray, 11C
HC Aaron, 12G

JUNIOR WOODWIND (7-9)
1 Joshua, 9S
2 Farell, 9G
3 Sudersen, 8C
HC Chengcheng, 8C

SENIOR PERCUSSION (11-13)

We were delighted to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new music and sports facilities in the Britton Centre on Tuesday, in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie. It was fitting to welcome a direct descendant of King James I, who gave permission for Edward Wilson to found our school in 1615, on this most special occasion.

The ...

An exceptionally varied series of musical events in the last four weeks of term began with an invigorating GCSE and A level Recital Evening, and culminated in a joyful Carol Service at Croydon Minster in mid-December, with the school’s choir of over 100 singers performing the usual range of ancient and modern Christmas choral masterpieces, directed ...

We were delighted to take part in Sutton Sings, a very special event held by our friends at Sutton Music Service, last Thursday. The Barbershop Ensemble stepped away from its normal repertoire to perform Pinkzebra’s Shine Like Stars. We look forward to hearing them perform again at Prize Giving early next term and as part of the Grand Opening ...

Wednesday’s Charity Winter Concert offered the usual very eclectic range of musical styles from some of the school’s top ensembles, culminating in some impressive outings from the Senior Orchestra and Wind Bands. The Odyssey Big Band goes from strength to strength, with some rich festive fare following the arrangement of Ain’t Misbehavin’ ...

When the Battle of the Bands event was first announced at the end of last school year, I was eager as a keen guitarist to get involved. Once our band was formed, we had to pick a song that we could all learn quickly and that people could enjoy with us. We eventually decided on ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ by Coldplay, which proved to be a good choice! ...

Last week’s performances at Southwark Cathedral gave a fantastic foretaste of music-making at Wilson’s this term, but concert season is now well and truly under way, following a superb Year 9 Musicians’ Evening on Thursday night!

Some exceptional performances included Harry’s Bach (Partita No.3) on the violin, Marko’s Villa-Lobos (one of ...