The Nine is Harrow’s senior (and more advanced) string orchestra which at present consists of twenty-two players, all of whom are music award holders. The name of this ensemble harks back to its conception, when there were only nine members. It has certainly grown in recent years and all members are at least of Grade 7 standard.

Mr Dimitar Burov, the Head of Strings, directs this ensemble. The following is an extract from a review in the School's weekly pupil newsletter, The Harrovian, of a recent concert performance:

“Mr Dimitar Burov’s marvellous string ensemble made their mark early in this concert with the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade in C major. The playing was movingly beautiful and surely never better, even in this group’s distinguished history. There is a distinctly professional edge to these twenty-five or so players, which comes of course partly from their talent, and partly from their great loyalty to Mr Burov himself. The most impressive aspect of this playing was the way that it captured the varied, subtle and complex emotions of the music…this was music for itself, not any kind of academic exercise."

Being the elite string orchestra, it has a very wide range of repertoire, including the major string orchestra works by:

• Mendelssohn
• Rossini
• Dvorak
• Janacek
• Elgar
• Tchaikovsky
• Sibelius
• Britten