Yehudi Menuhin School

The Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, founded in 1963 by violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. It stands on fifteen acres of parkland in a Victorian Neo-Gothic house, easily reached from London by road and train. Around eighty-five students aged nine to nineteen attend, most as boarders, with specialist tuition on strings, piano and classical guitar. The school aims to train musical all-rounders, not just soloists, preparing pupils for careers in teaching, chamber groups, orchestras or solo work. It is one of five musical schools for children in the United Kingdom, funded mainly by the Music and Dance Scheme and supported by donations and the Friends of the Menuhin School. The school’s founder wanted outstanding teachers, plenty of practice time and frequent performance opportunities within a family-like community. Natasha Boyarsky, recruited in 1992 from the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, became a landmark appointment in its musical development. In 2006 the Menuhin Hall opened, designed for concerts, master classes and recordings, with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting the first concert and later serving as president. The Friends of the Yehudi Menuhin School, started in 1971, now has over seven hundred and fifty supporters worldwide who help fund bursaries and attend pupil concerts. Visitors to the school find the Menuhin Hall hosting regular concerts and master classes by established musicians as well as pupils. The grounds contain many large trees and open greenery, offering peaceful walks between buildings. The Victorian Neo-Gothic house remains the principal building, with later additions blending into the parkland setting. The school’s strategic plan for 2022 to 2027 sets out values of excellence, curiosity, integrity, community and kindness.