S. Peter's Collegiate School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England, all-ability Technology College for eleven to eighteen year olds. The school was founded in 1847 and is the oldest established educational institution currently in the state sector in Wolverhampton , with a tradition of academic, cultural and sporting excellence nourished by Christian spiritual and moral values.
Within the Diocese of Lichfield, the school educates children of all abilities from every electoral ward within the Borough of Wolverhampton, together with children from neighbouring authorities. The total population of the school is currently 1050 pupils.
Music at S. Peter's Collegiate School
A large proportion of S. Peter's pupils are involved in the school's musical activities. The wide variety of ensembles in school includes a Junior Orchestra, a String Orchestra, Junior and Senior Brass Ensembles, Senior and Junior Choirs, a Gospel Choir, Worship Band and a Concert Band.
In recent years, the schools musicians have performed in many varied events and places. In addition to venues in the local community, they have performed in both S. Asaph's Cathedral in Wales , Lichfield Cathedral, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Royal Festival Hall & the Royal Albert Hall.
Among the highlights of performances given by S. Peter's pupils are the two occasions on which they have performed for members of the Royal Family. In 1992 the Senior Brass Ensemble and String Orchestra played at the 'Children of Europe' awards at the Savoy Hotel, London, in the presence of Princess Diana. In 1994 the Queen visited Wolverhampton , to mark the Millennium of St. Peter's Church, and musicians from the school were privileged to play for her.
Conductor: Claire Hale
Claire Hale was appointed as assistant music teacher at S. Peter's School in 1991. She studied euphonium and piano at the Birmingham Conservatoire. In her final year of studies Claire was awarded the distinguished Birmingham and Midland Institute prize for Brass playing, and won the Rollason Music Award for Recital Performance. She was formerly a member of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain. Claire has been a member of the famous Desford Colliery Brass Band, featured in the tv documentary series 'The Real Brassed Off', for a number of years. She has toured extensively in Europe, USA , Singapore and Thailand giving master classes and workshops to young people, with an aim of developing brass players of the future. She has been involved with numerous CD recordings and radio broadcasts and participated in many National and International festivals and contests. She has had the privilege of performing alongside world-renowned ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra Brass and Wallace Collection. Claire is responsible for the brass teaching at S. Peter's, as well as a number of other musical ensembles.
S. Peter's Collegiate School Concert Band is a 69 strong ensemble of pupils playing brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. Its conductor Claire Hale formed the Band in 1991. Members range from the age of twelve to eighteen. The Concert Band performs regularly in concerts both in the local community of Wolverhampton and beyond. It has participated in the Music for Youth Festival Series and in 1997 the Band was privileged to perform the first ever live concert given by a school on the Internet, in the UK .
In February 2000, the Concert Band embarked upon their first concert tour abroad, performing a number of concerts in a variety of venues across Belgium . The Concert Band also recorded their first CD 'Sound Waves' in March 2001.
In April 2001, they travelled on a more ambitious twelve-day tour to New York and Massachusetts in the USA . During the tour the Concert Band were hosted by the Church Community of All Saints' Episcopal Church, Chelmsford , near Boston , MA where they shared in the Eastertide celebrations, contributing to the Easter Services. They also performed a series of concerts in the Chelmsford community, which included a festival concert and a concert at the Chelmsford Senior Centre. The young people of the Band were great ambassadors for the City of Wolverhampton . In March 2002 the Concert Band returned from another successful European tour where they performed in Holland and Germany and appeared on local Dutch television. 2003 saw the Concert Band travelling to both Strasbourg in France and then onto Barcelona in Spain for a seven day concert tour. In February 2004 the Concert Band returned from a successful eight day tour of the Czech Republic where they performed a series of concerts around Prague and Eastern Bohemia, the highlight of which was performing in the home of the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the City of Prague itself. The band also released their second CD recording 'Intrada' in May 2004.
A musical highlight and achievement for the Concert Band was when, in July 2004, they were invited to perform at the National Festival of Music for Youth in the Royal Festival Hall, London and participate in the largest music festival for young people in the world!
The Concert Band has been greatly looking forward to this return visit to the USA . They are very much looking forward to sharing the international language of music, renewing old friendships and establishing new ones .
The repertoire of the band encompasses a wide variety of styles from musicals & shows, films, classical to big band, as well as original works for symphonic wind band.
In addition to raising funds for the band itself (music, instruments, equipment and tours etc) the Concert Band has supported a number of churches and charities in a variety of projects.
The Concert Band hopes to release its third CD recording of live concert performances later in the summer term of 2005.
