2013 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten; this concert celebrates the occasion with a wonderful song recital performed by the Tenor Adrian Thompson, accompanied by our Director of Music John Moore.  Please see more information about Adrian Thompson below.

The concert is raising funds for the Lingden Davies Cancer Centre, and there will also be a display of artwork by Penny Timmis, who will be donating 20% of any proceeds from orders taken on the evening to the charity.  Viewing will be possible both before and after the concert, and during the interval.

Tickets are £10 from sponsors Salop Sheet Music (01743 365561), Millard & Lancaster, or Darren Wood (dkwood@shrewsbury.org.uk / 01743 280810).

Adrian Thompson
London-born Adrian Thompson is an artist of extraordinary versatility, with a wide-ranging repertoire of music from the Renaissance to the present day.

He has appeared at Glyndebourne and with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Badishes Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Staatstheater Stuttgart, New Israeli Opera, Netherlands Opera, Opera Zuid and at festivals and with orchestras throughout the UK and Europe, including the Royal Philharmonic and the BBC Symphony and Philharmonic orchestras.

A very experienced recitalist, Adrian regularly appears at London's Wigmore Hall with the Songmakers' Almanac and on BBC Radio.  He is a frequent visitor to the Aldeburgh Festival and has given recitals in the South Bank's major Schubert and Schoenberg series and in Northern Ireland, Geneva, Stuttgart and Amsterdam.

The Leavers' Concert, which will take place in the Alington Hall, is a chance for parents, pupils, staff and visitors to bid farewell to this year's Upper Sixth leavers, all of whom have played such a significant part in the Musical life of the school during their time here.

It will be an evening of ensembles and solo performances which will celebrate a talented group of young musicians. it begins at 7.30 p.m. and will last approximately one and a half hours.

Tickets are free, available from Dawn Dunn in Reception: dldunn@shrewsbury.org.uk  01743 280500.

‘So what? So what if they’re all dead. Eh?  Look. Look over there. There’s fruit on those trees. And there’s fish in the sea. And it’ll be like... it doesn’t matter. We can do whatever we like can’t we?’

A group of schoolboys, stranded on a deserted island.  There are no lessons, no adults and no rules - apart from those they make for themselves. Faced with working out how to survive and get rescued, the boys must choose whether to join the organized society proposed by Piggy or the gang of choirboys-turned-hunters led by the charismatic Jack.

A terrifying insight into the violent potential of adolescents, this theatrical retelling of William Golding’s seminal novel, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, is given the Salopian treatment for an apocalyptic and visceral Junior School play.

Performances in the Ashton Theatre are at 7.30pm on Tuesday 25th and Thursday 27th June, and at 5.30pm on Friday 28th June.

Tickets are free, available from Dawn Dunn in Reception: dldunn@shrewsbury.org.uk 01743 280500.

Our annual pupil-led charity concert, which this year is being held under cover for the first time, is raising funds for Young Minds and the Motor Neuron Disease Association.

An evening of the very best of Shrewsbury's song-writing talent, the concert is both directed and performed by our own singers and instrumentalists, often performing their own songs as well as some great covers too.

Please bring along your own seating and picnics, from 6.30pm onwards.  Admission is free, but please give generously to the pupils' chosen charities.

The performers at this year's concert will be:

George Bates
Awen Blandford
Tim Atkins
Tom Lloyd
House Band
Alex Moore
Daisy McConnel
Joe Bell
Ali Webb
Will Hargreaves
Ed Shawe-Taylor
Three Story Boulevard
Connie Osbourne

A five-day residential and non-residential course. English Camerata offer extensive coaching in an exciting classical chamber music environment for ensembles and instrumentalists playing the following instruments and more:

 - Piano and Harpsichord
 - Strings (violin, cello, viola, and double bass by arrangement)
 - Wind (bassoon, clarinet, oboe, cor anglais, flute)
 - Brass instruments (French horn, trumpet, trombone)

More information can be found at www.englishcamerata.org.uk.

NCCGB courses are held twice each year, during the Easter and summer holidays.  All courses are residential. The children in the choir are able to join from ages 9 – 14, and an appropriate level of family care is offered for these young people. 

Each child is encouraged to develop their ability within a caring environment, with plenty of opportunites for practice and performance. Talented young singers from throughout the United Kingdom have the opportunity to work together and enjoy making music under the guidance of inspired teachers.  Please see www.nccgb.com for more information.

English Brass Academy offers learning and performance opportunities for brass and percussion players of all ages and abilities. Paul Archibald, a trumpeter with an international reputation for his work as a performer and educator, is supported by a team of tutors renowned for their performing skills and for their holistic approach to education.

English Brass is one of the most innovative brass groups in the world and the Academy is a natural extension of its educational philosophy.The Brass Academy summer course will offer the opportunity to children of all abilities up to Grade 8 to work with highly experienced performers and teachers. Every player will:

- work in small ensembles
- work in large ensembles
- create a collaborative work for all ability levels with the Brass Studio
- receive individual feedback in a performance workshop
- take part in performance preparation workshops
- enjoy an sports and activities programme devised by a sports coach
- work towards a Final Performance.

All parents will receive written feedback from the course tutor

The aim of the course is to develop the musical, technical and mental approach to performing and to develop a real sense of community and teamwork through sports and activities. All the sessions will be personal, inclusive and part of a process to raise self-awareness, self-esteem and confidence.

Please see www.englishbrassacademy.co.uk for more information.