Emphasis on art, music and drama has long been an important element of Hutchins life. The School was closely associated with St David’s Cathedral Choir following its founding in the 1870s, with the founding of a Literary and Debating Society (), a Drama Club () and a dance program (1990s) also providing encouragement in artistic personal expression over the years. Some of these clubs/societies have been reimagined throughout the years.
Choral singing and musical productions became a strong feature of the School program from the 1950s onwards, after singing and drama were introduced as part of the annual inter-House competition in . Music expanded its influence during the 1960s and 1970s, when school musical productions became a co-operative affair with girls from local participating schools. The School of Performing Arts was inaugurated in and the building of a new home for the Music Faculty took place in .
The opening of the Chapel of St Thomas () — with its own organ — and the later founding of a Chapel Choir () were significant, eventually leading to sesquicentenary and memorial performances, public broadcasts, the release of commercial choral recordings, and overseas tours and performances by the School Choir. The pipe organ had been built in London by William Hill and Son in and was purchased from the decommissioned Davey Street Congregational Church.
Recent theatre and dance performances have taken the performing arts at Hutchins to new levels of excellence. The opening of a purpose-built dance and drama studio in assisted in the overall development of students with an interest in the arts.
