Membership of the following groups is open to all boys, whether they learn their instrument inside or outside school.
Jazzmaticians & Junior Brass Ensemble
Jazzmaticians and Junior Brass Ensemble are groups of boys from Years 4 to 7 playing lighter music, performing regularly in assemblies, at College events such as Founder’s Day and at external events such as the Dulwich Youth Gala Concert.
Intermediate Wind Band
Boys who have been playing in Jazzmaticians subsequently join the Intermediate Wind Band. This is a group of approximately 40 boys, ranging in age from Years 6 to 11, standard Grades 2 to 6. The repertoire is mainly light, with an emphasis on training boys to play well as an ensemble, improve sight reading and discover the enjoyment of playing with others.
Brass Sinfonia
Brass Sinfonia performs in the Intermediate Concerts and on Founder's Day. They also perform at outside events and will be taking part in music festivals in the future. The emphasis here is to perform accessible repertoire with a sense of humour!
Symphonic Wind Band
As the boys’ playing progresses, they are selected to join Symphonic Wind Band. This group of around sixty boys – all post Grade 6 – is the showcase of the wind and brass departments and is of an extremely high standard. They have undertaken many overseas tours in the past, for example to Spain, Hungary and Austria.
Big Band
Boys who play in the Symphonic Wind Band are auditioned for the Big Band. This band is also of a very high standard. Recently the Big Band had its own highly successful first jazz evening with Alleynian Blues and other jazz groups.
Other Big Band
From Intermediate Band, boys are selected to play in the “Other” Big Band. This is a lively group of about 25 boys performing in the traditional Big Band format. They perform at the same concerts as the Intermediate Band.
Brass Consort
The Brass Consort is a group of the strongest brass players in the College based on the now traditional ‘Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble’ format. Their repertoire is demanding but approachable. It is a flexible ensemble in that it fits comfortably in concert next to the larger ensembles such as Symphony Orchestra but also suits a more intimate chamber ensemble environment. The group recently performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Concert at the Southbank Centre.
Dixieland Jazz Band
This is a recent addition to the range of ensemble opportunities at the College. It performs traditional Dixieland music from the Harry Gold era. The line-up even includes a sousaphone!
Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra is one of the College’s major instrumental ensembles. Boys are auditioned at the beginning of the academic year for a seat in this Orchestra and will have achieved at least Grade 7 on their instrument. Boys may join the Symphony Orchestra when new to the College or progress to it from the College’s Second Orchestra which has an individual standard of at least Grade 5. The Symphony Orchestra performs works from the core orchestral repertoire and plays at the College’s major concerts given in some of London’s finest venues.
Chamber Orchestra
The Chamber Orchestra comprises the very top string players in the school, regardless of age. Boys are selected from the Symphony Orchestra (for which they must already have reached Grade 6 and have successfully auditioned). Most of the boys in the Chamber Orchestra are post Grade 8 players. In the last nine years the Dulwich College Chamber Orchestra has undertaken some challenging repertoires, including Bartok’s Divertimento for Strings and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. They have also played modern works by composers such as Matthew Hindson.
Alan Morgan Chamber Orchestra
The Alan Morgan Chamber Orchestra (2nd Chamber Orchestra) is for more advanced players in the symphony and second orchestras. This offers them a chance to play more sophisticated music and, most recently, to play commissions by such notable composers as Stanley Glasser.
Junior String Band
The Junior String Band is for Junior School boys from beginners up to about Grade 2. The band performs in Junior School concerts and assemblies.
Intermediate String Ensemble
The Intermediate String Ensemble is for any boy of any age who is of about Grade 2 to 5 standard. The ensemble performs in Great Hall Concerts and assemblies.
Percussion Ensemble
This ensemble rehearses for an hour every week and performs at the annual Percussion Department concert in November, as well as performing as a Samba Band on Founder’s Day.
Alleynian Blues
The Singing Department maintains close relations with the other two Foundation Schools: James Allen's Girls School and Alleyn's School. The College close harmony group, Alleynian Blues consists of members of all three schools and performs in various concerts over the course of the year. It has produced four CDs which were recorded and produced at the College.
Chamber Music
There are many smaller groups across all ages and instruments that come together to perform. The main groups are the String Quartet, the Wind Octet, the Brass Dectet and the Piano Trio.