page_title: Christ's Hospital
section_title: Music
hierarchical_section_title: Christ's Hospital / School activities / Music
caption_attribution_description: English: Christ's Hospital band in Lord Mayor's Show 2008, London
context_page_description: Christ's Hospital, also known colloquially as CH, is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. Founded in 1552 and receiving its first Royal Charter in 1553, Christ's Hospital follows much of the public schools tradition. Since its establishment, Christ's Hospital has been a charity school, with a core aim to offer children from humble backgrounds the chance of a better education.
context_section_description: Christ's Hospital has a long and distinguished musical tradition and has one of the largest school music departments in the country, with around 35 visiting staff and 9 full-time staff. Famous alumni of Christ's Hospital Music School include conductors Sir Colin Davis, Charles Hazlewood, Adrian Bawtree, and Simon Joly, trumpeter David Mason (formerly Principal Trumpet of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), composer Tim Benjamin, and composer and conductor Constant Lambert.
  The school's chapel has a large five-manual Rushworth and Dreaper organ, one of four organs in the School (the others being a 3-manual 1829 Hill in Big School, played on by Mendelssohn and Karg-Elert, a 2-manual Father Willis in the Dining Hall, and a Flight and Robson chamber organ in the Court Room). The near 150-strong Chapel Choir has made many recordings and through these has earned an excellent reputation.
  Throughout the school's history, many pupils have gone on to take up choral and organ scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge universities or have gained places at leading music conservatories. The school has a symphony orchestra, a chapel choir and many other smaller instrumental ensembles and choirs, along with an annual House Singing Competition. The Music Department organises a public concert every February at St John's, Smith Square in London. The school is also famous as the first place in England to host a complete cycle of the chamber music of Brahms, under the direction of the then Head of Piano John Thwaites.
  Christ's Hospital was featured in the first series of the reality television programme Rock School, in which Gene Simmons of KISS helped a group of pupils form their own rock band.
  The school's most famous ensemble is its marching band, simply named Christ's Hospital Band. It plays for the daily parade and performs in the annual Lord Mayor's Show in the City of London. The band also has a regular engagement each summer at Lord's Cricket Ground. The band led the procession at the Queen's 80th birthday parade in London on 21 April 2006 and has played at Twickenham Stadium on a number of occasions.
caption: The Christ's Hospital Band participating in the Lord Mayor's Show in 2008
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