Music at Malvern

At Malvern, music is celebrated and is an intrinsic part of College life. We have a large and busy Music School where approximately 300 individual music lessons are taught each week.

Central to all this activity are the 90-strong Chapel Choir, College Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble. The Chamber Choir has enjoyed an excellent reputation and recently took part in the Barnardo’s National Choral Competition at the Royal Festival Hall, London, where they were categorised as outstanding in the adjudicators’ comments. Pupils take part in the ever-popular annual House Singing and House Music competitions and we regularly stage ‘Unplugged’ concerts of contemporary and popular music.

In the Foundation Year (Year 9), all pupils follow a short course in music. Pupils in the Remove and Hundred (Years 10 and 11) can opt to follow the GCSE course in Music, and the subject is offered in the Sixth Form at A level and within the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Malvern is also a regular rehearsal and concert venue for many local and national ensembles including the Malvern Festival Chorus and Malvern Winds, as well as being the home of the National Schools Symphony Orchestra.

Many of our musicians win instrumental and choral awards to university or music college and a number of former pupils are well known professional musicians in their fields, ranging from composers to organists and music directors.

Music at Malvern College with Jacob

An All-Steinway School

Malvern College is an All-Steinway School, a prestigious accolade given by Steinway & Sons to schools who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and an unparalleled educational experience. These beautiful instruments inspire pupils to realise their full musical potential and prepare them for performance at a professional level. There are 30 Steinway pianos at the College, including an upright piano in each of the 11 Houses and numerous practice pianos in the Music School. In total there are eight grand pianos in teaching and performance spaces, with two gold standard performance grand pianos, including our showcase concert grand - a spectacular nine foot ‘Model D’, destined for recitals in Big School, the College’s main performance space. The project is part of an ambitious multi-million pound refurbishment of Malvern’s historic Music School, supporting the next generation of exceptional musical potential.

Director of Music - Jonathan Brown