Choral & Orchestral Concert Blackheath Halls, March 2025
Choral & Orchestral Concert
Blackheath Halls, March 2025
Introduction From The Director of Music
Welcome to the Eltham College Music Department calendar for 2025/26. It is shaping up to be another wonderful year of music-making here at Eltham, with over 80 concerts and events across the Senior and Junior schools involving a huge number of our musicians.
Many events you will recognise, albeit perhaps at different times throughout the year; we know how much our pupils and parents look forward to our ‘regulars’. The Celebration of Musical Theatre, for example, is now a staple in the calendar, growing larger every year, and internal events such as Jazz Night, the Christmas Cracker and our Carols by Candlelight services are always highlights of the Eltham College music calendar. Our collaborations with the Art Department remain, with a number of joint events in the Gerald Moore Gallery, and our termly internal choral services offer something slightly different to our regular concerts.
As ever, there are a number of exciting additions for the 25/26 academic year. In September, former pupil and current professional organist Stephen Farr joins us to present an organ recital alongside our pupils; this is to celebrate the recent refurbishment and extension of the chapel organ. The Chamber Choir will visit Oxford in February to sing choral evensong alongside the choir of Magdalen College, and, presenting something slightly more modern than Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, March 2026 sees us put on a concert version of Guys & Dolls. Particularly excitingly, our pupils will perform in two new external venues this year – Sinfonia Smith Square and the Royal Overseas League. This upgrade and extension to our flagship external concert series comes at a really exciting
time for our large-and small-scale ensemble programme, and we’re really looking forward to these events.
As last year, we have organised our concerts within specific series, so that it is really clear what each of our many events actually is. For those looking for a very casual opportunity to get some performance practice ahead of an upcoming grade exam, for example, our Informal Concerts offer a relaxed concert perfectly suited for this. Those wishing to showcase advanced repertoire can enter our section Solo Platforms, and pupils looking to perform in our larger high-level ensembles concerts can look to our Celebration or Flagship concerts. Whatever you’re after, do look to the series list, and there’ll be multiple events that fit!
All of our concerts are open to all, with parents, friends and guests warmly invited to attend. With the exception of our Flagship Concerts and our two Carols by Candlelight services, tickets are not required at any of our events; for information on our ticketed events please do contact the Music Office directly.
I very much look forward to seeing you at a number of these events over the coming academic year, and to seeing this wonderful Music Department continue to thrive. If you ever have any questions about anything to do with music here at Eltham, please reach out to us on music@eltham-college.org.uk
Sebastian Johns Director of Music
Choral
Concert Series
Senior School Series:
Flagship (large-scale ensembles concerts at external/ one-off locations)
Choral & Orchestral Concert I @ Sinfonia Smith Square
Chamber Music Concert @ Royal Overseas League
Jazz Night
Choral & Orchestral Concert II @ Blackheath Halls
Elthambury 2K26
Celebration Series (large-scale internal ensembles/ solo concerts)
Year 7 ShowStoppers
Christmas Cracker
Celebration of Musical Theatre
Guys and Dolls in Concert
Songs on a Summer’s Evening
Summer Ensembles Concert
Choral Services
Michaelmas Evensong
Remembrance Service
Carols by Candlelight I & II
Lent Evensong
Chamber Choir joint Evensong with Magdalen College, Oxford
Summer Compline
Solo Showcase (solo concerts for Music Scholars & Exhibitioners and/or auditionees)
Scholars’ Concert I
Scholars’ Concert II
Scholars’ Concert III
Concerto Competition
Eltham College Young Musician of the Year Final
School Section Solo Platforms (open to all, circa Grade 5+, pupil/VMT sign-up)
Lower School Solo Platform
Middle School Solo Platform
Upper School Solo Platform
Informal Concerts (open to all, circa Grade 1-5, pupil/VMT sign-up)
Informal Concert 1
Informal Concert 2
Informal Concert 3
Chamber Music Week (small-scale chamber ensembles, organised by the relevant HoS)
A number of concerts across the week, showcasing the wide range of small-scale ensemble music happening at Eltham. This year’s programme will be released in January 2026, but features as its highlight event our first ever Chamber Music Concert at the musically renowned Royal Overseas League.
House Events
House Singing Competition
House Music Prelim 1 - Chalmers
House Music Prelim 2 - Moffat
House Music Prelim 3 - Carey
House Music Prelim 4 - Livingstone
House Music Final
Workshop Series (ad hoc)
Section Workshops
Vocal Department Informal Concert
Music in the Gallery
Eltham College Student Music Society (ECSMS)
Ad hoc, student-organised Wednesday lunchtime concerts
Music Calendar 2025/26
Michaelmas
August Tuesday 26
Friday 29
September Wednesday 3, Friday 5
Tuesday 2, Thursday 4
Music pre-season - Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Choir All day Music Department
VMT INSED 10.30am Music Department
Choir auditions Various Music Department
Musical - auditions 4pm Music Department
Monday 8 All ensembles commence
Friday 12
Saturday 13
Monday 15
Monday 29
October Wednesday 1
Monday 6
Thursday 9
Tuesday 14
Thursday 16
November Monday 3-Friday 7
Wednesday 5
Thursday 6
Monday 10
Tuesday 11
Thursday 13
Monday 17
Monday 17-Friday 21
Friday 21
w/c Monday 24
December Wednesday 3
Friday 5
Friday 5
Monday 8
Wednesday 10-Friday 12
GCSE Parents Information Evening 5pm Old Library
Senior School Open Day 9am Various
House Singing Competition 4pm ABT
Organ Recital + workshop with Stephen Farr 4pm Chapel
Concerto Competition 5.30pm Old Library/Central Hall
Year 11 GCSE Performance Recital 6pm Chapel
Scholars' Concert I 6.30pm Central Hall
Michaelmas Evensong (Chamber Choir) 6pm Chapel
Year 7 Showstoppers 6pm ABT
Parents' Week 1 - Meet the VMT Music Department
Informal Concert 1 5.30pm Music Department
Music in the Gallery 5pm Gerald Moore Gallery
House Music prelim 1 & 2 4pm Music Department
Remembrance Service 11am Chapel
Middle School Solo Platform 6pm Old Library
House Music prelim 3 & 4 4pm Music Department
ABRSM/Trinity exams Various
Choral & Orchestral Concert I @ Sinfonia Smith Square 7pm Sinfonia Smith Square, London
GCSE Ensemble performance recording week 4-5pm every day
Carols by Candlelight I 7pm Chapel
Carols by Candlelight II 5pm Chapel
Choir Dinner 7pm KGH
Christmas Cracker 6.30pm KGH
Young Voices - concert tour to Disneyland Paris
Lent
January Monday 19
Thursday 22
Piano Department Showcase 5.30pm TBC
Upper School Solo Platform 6pm Old Library
Monday 26 House Music Final 4pm Old Library
Friday 30 Celebration of Musical Theatre 6.30pm ABT
February Wednesday 4 Scholars' Concert II 6.30pm Central Hall
Friday 6 Lent Evensong (Chamber Choir and Young Voices) 6pm Chapel
Monday 9-Friday 13
Wednesday 11
Wednesday 25
Chamber Music Week 5.30pm Music Department
Chamber Music Concert @ Royal Overseas League 7pm Royal Overseas League, London
Joint evensong with Magdalen College Choir, Oxford All day Magdalen College, Oxford
Saturday 28 Jazz Night 6.30pm ABT
March Wednesday 4 Informal Concert 2 5.30pm Music Department
Wedesday 11, Thursday 12 Guys and Dolls in Concertdress rehearsals 6pm ABT
Friday 13
Monday 16-Friday 20
Guys and Dolls in Concert 7pm ABT
ABRSM/Trinity exams Various
Monday 16 A Level Recital 6pm Chapel
Wednesday 18
Saturday 21
Choral Society, College Choir & Young Voices Joint Rehearsal 7pm Chapel
Choral & Orchestral Concert II @ Blackheath Halls
All day Blackheath Halls
Wednesday 25 Eltham College Young Musician of the Year - Final 6.30pm Central Hall
Summer
April Thursday 30
Summer Ensembles Concert 6.30pm
May Wednesday 6 Songs on a Summer's Evening 6pm Chapel
Monday 11-Friday 15 Parents' Week 2 - Meet the VMT Music Department
June Monday 1
Lower School Solo Platform 6pm Old Library
Thursday 11 Informal Concert 3 5.30pm Music Department
Friday 12
Monday 15-Friday 19
Summer Compline 6pm Chapel
ABRSM/Trinity exams Various
Wednesday 17 Scholars' Concert III 6.30pm Central Hall
Friday 26
Saturday 27
July Saturday 4
Elthambury rehearsals 4pm Marquee
Elthambury 2K26
All day Marquee
Music in the Gallery Afternoon Gerald Moore Gallery
Monday 6 Music Scholars'/Symphony Orchestra Residential
Listen Now!
Eltham College’s Music Department has multiple album releases available to listen to online, from studio jazz albums to brand-new classical arrangements.
The Lark Ascending
Alice Jinks Quintet – The Album
A Night in Tunisia
Contact and Keep Up-to-date
How to keep in contact
If you every have any questions about anything to do with Music at Eltham, the first port of call is our Music Administrator, Mrs Lewis; she can be reached on music@eltham-college.org.uk
The Music Department maintains a regular presence on X/Twitter, and you can follow us on @ElthamMusic. If you would like to contact the Director of Music directly, Mr Johns’ email address is saj@eltham-college.org.uk
All of our communication regarding concerts and events goes out via ElthamPost; this includes information about concerts and which pupils/ ensembles are performing, upcoming events, and any one-off rehearsals etc.
NB our Visiting Music Teachers communicate directly with parents concerning anything to do with 1-1 lessons.
Music at Eltham – general information
We also publish a brochure that outlines the huge range of 1-1 and ensemble music-making that happens here at Eltham. If you’d like more information on our ensemble programme, 1-1 music lessons, music in the Junior School, and more, please head to the Music page of the school website where you will be able to find this brochure. @ElthamMusic
@ElthamCollegeMusic
Gloria Filiorum Patres