Concerts
At Ardingly College, we understand that the world is our stage so as well as regular performances in our College venues, we take our musicians to iconic locations such as St John's Smith Square and Westminster Abbey in London.
The Music Department presents various performing opportunities: both the Prep and Senior School host a formal concert each term, including ABC (Anything But Classical) and Cabaret (with fine dining).
On a weekly basis, there are informal lunchtime and formal evening recitals, alongside masterclasses and workshops conducted by visiting artists.
Choirs
Ardingly boasts a rich tradition of choral excellence, offering various choral opportunities for students across the College.
The Chapel Choir is the College’s largest musical ensemble including pupils and staff from the lower, middle and senior schools. With over 100 members, the Chapel Choir rehearses once a week for their weekly College chapel service as well as an annual autumn tour abroad and a spring concert in London.
Schola Cantorum is the chamber choir of Ardingly College, a vocal ensemble that comprises strongest and the most vocally mature singers in the College. It includes pupils from all years in the Senior School and explores a wide variety of vocal genres from the Renaissance through to a cappella arrangements of contemporary popular numbers. Aside from their duties in the Chapel Choir, they rehearse once a week in preparation for regular concerts both at the College and locally, alongside visits to Oxbridge colleges and prestigious cathedrals for Evensong and other services. Annually, there is a choir tour to European destinations, and in recent years the choir have toured Vienna, Prague and Malta and various UK cathedrals.
Pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 enjoy timetabled choir sessions each week, contributing weekly to Prep School chapel services and key events including Remembrance, Harvest Festival, Grandparents' Day, Christmas Concert, Carol Service, and the Spring and Summer Concerts.
Large Ensembles
The Symphony Orchestra works towards a performance each term including its full concert at St John's Smith Square in London. Repertoire focuses on classical masterpieces with recent concerts featuring Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", Saint Saens' "Bacchanale Suite", Beethoven's "Symphony no. 5" as well as film soundtrack scores like Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and Star Wars. Students also have the opportunity to play concerto movements in concerts accompanied by the orchestra, last year's soloists playing Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto" and Marcello's "Oboe Concerto".
The Concert Band comprises all of the Senior School's wind and brass players numbering upwards of 75 musicians. Preparing a concert each term, they perform traditional band repertoire, film soundtracks and arrangements of popular music.
The Sinfonia is the "training" ensemble for our string players before they are ready to play in the Symphony Orchestra. They play rhythmically-driven music focussed on building confidence and collaborative skills.
The Jazz Band comprises the College's best "horn section" and rhythm section. Rehearsing once per week, they perform at formal concerts and the highlighted annual Cabaret Concert.
Chamber Music
Complementing larger ensembles, Ardingly offers specialist chamber music training, creating smaller ensembles for unique musical development. String quartets, wind ensembles, and the saxophone ensembles perform both within and outside the College throughout the year. Chamber ensembles foster independence, cooperation, and valuable ensemble skills.
Contemporary Music
Performance opportunities including the Lower School Unplugged concert series, the Anything But Classical (ABC) Concert and the House Ensemble competition focus on contemporary music and ensembles. Rock Bands are created from house and year groups, while creative students are encouraged to compose and record their own solo music in the Music Department recording room and studio.