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 Sinfonia 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 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. In addition to 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 France, Belguim, Holland 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 end of term concerts.
Large Ensembles
The Symphony Orchestra works towards a performance each term, including its annual concert at Sinfonia Smith Square in London. Repertoire focuses on classical masterpieces, with recent programmes featuring Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Saint-Saëns’ Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, alongside film scores from Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and Star Wars. Students also have the opportunity to perform concerto movements accompanied by the orchestra in the Spring Concert.
The Symphonic Wind Orchestra and Concert Band comprises all Senior School wind and brass players, numbering more than 75 musicians. Preparing for a concert each term, the ensemble performs a varied repertoire, including traditional band works, film soundtracks and arrangements of popular music.
The Sinfonia is the training ensemble for our string players before they progress to the Symphony Orchestra. The group performs engaging, rhythmically driven music that develops confidence, ensemble awareness and collaborative musicianship.
The Jazz Band comprises the College’s leading brass, woodwind and rhythm-section musicians. Rehearsing weekly, the ensemble performs at formal concerts throughout the year, including the highlight of the annual Cabaret event.
Chamber Music
Complementing larger ensembles, Ardingly offers specialist chamber music training, creating smaller ensembles for unique musical development. String quartets, wind and brass ensembles, and chamber groups 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 popular Café ABC concert series, the annual Hello Yellow charity concert, the Anything But Classical (ABC) concert, and the House Ensemble Competition focus on contemporary music and ensembles. 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.