One of the great strengths of music in Charterhouse is the quality of teaching. There are six full-time members of staff, all of whom bring a considerable breadth of professional experience to their teaching, providing pupils with a huge variety of musical opportunities at the highest level.
Music Scholarships are generous and competitive and the Director of Music, Mark Shepherd, usually meets prospective Music Scholars and their parents at the outset of their process of choosing a school. (Details of all bursaries and scholarships are available in the Admissions section). Whatever the musical interest of pupils, Charterhouse offers them a stimulating musical environment to help them reach their potential.
Full details of the curriculum are available in the Under School (Years 9-11) Curriculum and Sixth Form Curriculum sections.
To learn more about Music at Charterhouse please view our video below:
Music for Everyone
Music has a long and fine tradition at Charterhouse, and Ralph Vaughan Williams was a pupil in the early days in Godalming. About half the pupils have music lessons, and many participate in other musical activities, like the House Music Festival or the Oratorio Choir.
Pupils regularly perform in ten minute recitals during quarter (the morning break), and there is a host of choirs and ensembles: Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, Jazz Band and Brass Ensemble and Concert Band. Whatever the musical interest of pupils, Charterhouse offers a stimulating environment to help them reach their potential.
During an academic year, our regularly scheduled musical events include:
| Annual Musical Events |
Oration Quarter (Autumn) |
Long Quarter
(Spring) |
Cricket Quarter
(Summer) |
|
Piano Prizes
Ten-Minute Recitals
Candle-lit Carols
*Celebrity Concerts |
House Music Festival
Oratorio Concert
Brass Prizes
Composition Prize
The Band Show |
Organ Prizes
Concerto Concert
House Concerts
Prep Schools’ Concert |
Chamber Music at Charterhouse
Chamber music has always been an important part of the Charterhouse musical scene, and many Carthusians pursue it later on in life, as amateurs or professionals. Over the last few years many Charterhouse ensembles have taken part in the National Chamber Music Competition for Schools, and a good number have reached the final concert, which is the platform for the winners of the competition. These samples are taken from a CD comprising recordings of some great chamber works, and represents some recent highlights of Carthusian chamber music-making.
Four movements from Wenlock Edge - Vaughan Williams
Brahms & John Ireland
Music for String Orchestra - Vaughan Williams
Music for String Orchestra of Vaughan Williams was recorded in Charterhouse Chapel.
String Music from Charterhouse
The String Orchestra has been for many years at the centre of a long tradition of string playing at Charterhouse. Concerts include regular appearances at both the School and at St Martin-In-The-Fields in London.
Special thanks to John Parsons for permission to publish these samples. All works are Copyrighted.
400th Anniversary CD
To commemorate our 400th year anniversary in 2011, Robin Wells has compiled a varied collection of musical highlights from the last 40 years at Charterhouse, with some newly discovered gems from Bill Llewellyn’s collection of reel to reel tapes made in the 60s, 70s and 80s. These archive recordings include Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Symphony Orchestra, chamber music, and solo performances from Carthusians who are now well-known musicians. A list of contents is available below:
This Musical Memories CD can be purchased from the School Shop or by using the form below:
Contact Information
To make an appointment to meet Mark Shepherd, Director of Music, please contact Fiona Warburton.
Telephone: 01483 291696
Email: music@charterhouse.org.uk