TOP jazz musician Courtney Pine, West End wonders Stomp and Travelling by Tuba may already have sold out, but there’s still plenty to enjoy at Ipswich School’s third Festival of Music.

“A number of things have sold out which is always a positive thing. We mentioned last year bigger and better things this year and I think we’re achieving that,” says festival director William Saunders.

“It’s getting more recognition as being a festival of note in Suffolk, breaking new boundaries and educating audiences no matter their age; the school’s already planning for next year.”

Bound to bring the house down on September 21 will be Red Priest’s Nightmare in Venice, 7.30pm, at the Great School. They’re the only early music group in the world to have been compared with the Rolling Stones, Jackson Pollock, the Marx Brothers, Spike Jones and the Cirque du Soleil.

Another highlight on September 22 is a celebrity piano recital featuring Danny Driver, whose’s performed at the Proms, on the school’s stunning new Steinway Grand Piano. He’ll play music by CPE Bach and Schumann from 1pm in the Great School.

At 6pm the same day, the Great School will also host a Family Orchestral Concert. New this year, it’ll feature The Zootube Orchestra with pianists Andrew Leach and William. They’ll be a Carnival of the Animals and Animal Parade, a celebrity narrator and a host of creatures will join the orchestra to provide music, drama and entertainment. A great introduction to live classical music.

On September 23 there’s Afternoon Tea with Chroma Chamber Ensemble, at 3pm, at the Little School. At 5.15pm in the Chapel is Mozart Changes, with Daniel Moult performing on the historic “Father Willis” organ.

Festival Evenson starts at 6.30pm in the Chapel, with prayer and music - including a commissioned anthem by Andrew Wright - led by the chaplain of Ipswich School and sung by the robed Chapel Choir.

Hailed as one of the top ten greatest sopranos by BBC Music Magazine, soprano Emma Kirkby will give a vocal masterclass in the Great School from 1pm-3pm on September 24.

“Emma has been proving extremely popular; I think her concert will be absolutely stunning. The glory of that is she’s working with some pupils, I think it’s absolutely fantastic they have this opportunity to work with some really top notch artists,” adds William.

At 7.30pm the Great School hosts a Jazz Night featuring David Newton, voted best jazz pianist in the British Jazz Awards for the tenth time in 2011; and Alan Barnes who won best instrumentalist at the BBC Jazz Awards in 2001 and 2006.

On September 25 they’ll be a Lunchtime Concert featuring The Gainsborough String Quartet from 1.10-1.50pm at St Mary-le-Tower Civic Church, Ipswich. The Suffolk-based quartet will perform a number of string quartet classics including Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet.

Back at the Great School at 7.30pm, Emma Kirkby will be joined by Old Ipswichian Richard Edgar-Wilson for a very special concert of music by Handel, Pelham Humphrey, Walton, Vaughan Williams, Amy Beach and Faur�.

Rounding festivities off at 7.30pm on September 26 is the Battle of the Big Bands, with Ipswich Musicians’ Union Big Band and Ipswich School Big Band performing big band standards and contemporary jazz.

Visit www.ipswichschoolfestival.org.uk. For more entertainment news follow me on Twitter @WhatsonWayne