§ Azbuka International Children's Orchestra in London Information & Application form

Dear Parents,

We are happy to announce that the Azbuka International Children’s Orchestra in London will launch in the Spring Term 2022 at the Azbuka Russian-English Bilingual school in Ravenscourt Park. Azbuka is a unique educational and cultural project in the UK, the leading Russian-English bilingual school and a charitable foundation open to the wider community of families in London and beyond. Azbuka Orchestra is open to all young musicians both from Azbuka and schools in the surrounding area.

To apply for entry please read the check-list below and fill out our application form. Completing the form at this stage does not commit you; it is simply to register interest and understand whether we have the minimum required number of pupils. We will be in contact shortly once we have processed applications.

Your information will be held in strict confidence and will never be shared with third parties. Once we are running smoothly, your information will help us in our day to day administration of the operation of the orchestra.

If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

Our aims and vision -

  • All instruments will be considered for entry to the orchestra, making the ensemble unique. (excluding piano)

  • The orchestra will be overseen and lead by professional international musicians and offers a unique experience for students to discover and play repertoire from different countries and a wide range of cultural and musical backgrounds.

  • We wish to empower our students through musical performance to reach new levels of artistic expression and to learn to work together as a team playing and performing music together.

  • We hope to bring our work into the public eye through regular concerts.

Key points -

  • The musical sessions will be on Tuesdays after School.

  • Directly before the learners orchestra begins there will be a 30 minute musical appreciation club, running from 3.30 - 4.00pm. This is an opportunity for younger children to learn in a relaxed atmosphere after school, we will cover some basic music theory, take part in musical games and explore a variety of music from a listening list.

  • The learners orchestra is 45 minutes and will run from 4.00pm - 4.45pm.

  • The Age range for both groups is from 4 years old - 14 years old. Generally younger pupils will be in the learners orchestra and older pupils in the main orchestra but any combination is possible if it makes sense with the appropriate level.

  • Fees for the orchestra are £12 per session and the musical appreciation club is £4 per session. It is also possible to take part in the musical appreciation club and the learners orchestra for a reduced fee of £15. Fees are invoiced for and paid termly in advance.

  • As an independent school, Azbuka has a responsibility to support the state sector. As such we are able to offer fee discounts to those applying from state schools.

  • All children are expected to be learning an instrument or beginning instrumental tuition to enter either orchestral group. Unfortunately we cannot accept pupils that are not having instrumental lessons.