Week 4 Courses, 11-18 August 2012

This week has many opportunities for pianists; a workshop with William Howard, a masterclass with Stephen Kovacevich, a Jazz Piano course with Steve Lodder and a multi-piano class with Clive Williamson. We have a new course in Choro, a Brazilian music that offers something for guitars and mandolins, as well as other instruments. It’s the first week of the Advanced Composition course with Detlev Glanert (to get a flavour of his music, you can catch the UK premiere of his opera Caligula at English National Opera in May). As part of our series of talks, and to celebrate his 80th year, Hugh Wood is here, and Midori will also give a special masterclass this week. Nicholas Kraemer continues the Advanced Conducting course. Markus Däunert’s masterclass welcomes a group of students from Latin America, supported by the Summer School Foundation.

One Week Courses

Choir

Director Sian Edwards
Berlioz L’enfance du Christ
(Bärenreiter BA5451-73)

Orchestral Workshop

Director Benjamin Ellin
This week’s course will focus on works by Percy Grainger and his contemporaries. Specific repertoire will be chosen in late spring to best suit the forces and instruments signed up for the course. This course will work towards an end of week performance.

Chamber Music

Coordinator Barbara Sue White
with The Callino Quartet
Any one, at any level, may play in chamber music groups. Ensembles are formed at an initial chamber music meeting and through open sign-ups. Players select their own timetable and repertoire. Some people prefer to remain with the same group all week, whilst others participate in a variety of ensembles. If possible, please bring your own music stand and some chamber music, or borrow music from the Summer School Library.

Coaches are often willing to play and coach from within groups, offering all participants, of every standard, the opportunity to play with professionals. For pianists who prepare a specific chamber music work, the coordinator will arrange a play-through. Coaching will also be available if desired. In addition, the early morning 9.15 am session will be solely dedicated to a daily, mass play-through of tutti works including the Mendelssohn Octet, Bach Brandenburgs, a Brahms Sextet, and Elgar Serenade.

Instrumental and Vocal Masterclasses and Workshops

Della Jones voice
Stephen Varcoe voice*
Stephen Kovacevich piano**
William Howard piano
Steve Lodder jazz piano
Markus Däunert violin**
Daniel Pioro violin
Lowri Blake cello
Peter Buckoke double bass
John Harle saxophone
N.B. John Harle will take a masterclass and a workshop.

Chamber Choir

Director Benjamin Ellin and Stephen Varcoe This week’s chamber choir will focus on songs by Grainger. Benjamin Ellin will direct the course, while Stephen Varcoe who has a wealth of experience performing Grainger’s songs will offer additional coaching.

The music for this course is demanding and there is a lot to cover in a short rehearsal time before the concert so is suited to experienced singers who are confident sight readers or quick learners. Auditions will be held on the first day straight after choir, after which there will be time to buy the music before the first class in the afternoon.

Advanced Chamber Music: Piano Trios**

Director Stephen Kovacevich
This course offers a rare and invaluable opportunity for piano trios – of advanced student or professional standard – to receive a week’s intensive coaching from internationally renowned pianist Stephen Kovacevich. Please note, this course is subject to a process of application. Please Click here for details.
Closing date for applications: 13 April

Multi-piano Class

Director Clive Williamson
This course is designed for individuals (though groups are welcome) who would like to play piano pieces written for more than two hands. The repertoire will include the core repertoire for piano duet (two players at one piano) as well as two-pianos and multiple-piano repertoire. Repertoire will include Percy Grainger, Ravel/Grainger, Feldman, Gottschalk and more and will be suited to participants around Grade 8 standard.

Improvisation

Director Daniel Pioro
This daily improvisation session is suitable for confident, competent players of any instrument or voice-type, who wish to lend their skills to this specific art form. It is also an ideal opportunity for classical players to have a first go at free improvisation. The only requirement is imagination.

Songs from the Musicals

Director Robert Purvis
This course, aimed at singers of all abilities and experience, will take a boisterous journey through the world of musical theatre. We will focus on a particular musical, looking at chorus and solo numbers and show structure. This course will culminate in a performance with opportunities for solo numbers as well as choruses.

Write an Opera

Directors Royal Opera House
Write an Opera is a professional development programme for teachers. It equips teachers with the skills, resources and knowledge to support students’ learning across the curriculum through the arts and creativity. Following this intensive residential course, teachers lead in-school projects in which students devise and stage their own opera from scratch. For more information and to request an application form, please contact the Royal Opera House Education Department on education@roh.org.uk or call 020 7212 9410.

Choro

Director João Bosco de Oliveira
Choro is a Brazilian instrumental tradition, a kind of Brazilian interpretation of the Polka world. It evolved at the end of the 19th century but is still very popular in Brazil. It is a style of music that relates to virtuosity in the part of the soloists and it has close links with classical or art music. The instrumentation is mainly acoustic guitar, cavaquinho (a kind of ukulele), mandolin, clarinet, flute and percussion but it can also be played on other string instruments. The soloists could also be trombone, saxophone and trumpet.

Samba+

Director João Bosco de Oliveira
Discover the rhythmic secret of Samba, the most popular Brazilian style of music. The course is percussion based and looks at the rhythmic concept of Samba and the interlocking layers of patterns of different percussion instruments with its corresponding techniques. The result will be an energetic ensemble on the mold of the Samba parading Carnival groups from Rio de Janeiro.

Alexander Technique for Instrumentalists

Director Peter Buckoke
This daily group Alexander course will deal predominantly with how to apply the technique to playing your instrument. You will develop your understanding of all the basic elements of the technique. There will be some ‘hands on’ experience given by the teacher. Everyone will play to the group and be given personally tailored Alexander strategies.

Alexander Technique for Singers

Directors Judith Kleinman
These introductory classes to the Alexander Technique for singers will work with the principles of the Alexander Technique applied to voice work and singing. Theory, anatomy and hands on work will combine to give the participants a good working knowledge of Alexander’s ideas and ways of applying them to looking after ourselves and our students whilst singing. The emphasis will be on vocal ease, good practice and confident communication in performance. There will be group singing as well as solo work. The classes in the morning will be ideal for all singers, the emphasis in the afternoon classes will be on teaching singing with the Alexander Technique in mind.

Recording Production and Live Electronics in Contemporary Music

Director Moritz Bergfeld
This course will look at the principles of musical, room and instrument acoustics in the context of Contemporary Music recording. Both practical and seminar sessions will look at the aesthetics of Contemporary Music recording and applying this to the use of electronic music in Contemporary composition as well as live performance and practical aspects such as microphone characteristics, placements and mixing methods. This course is suited to students of recording techniques and engineering and those with an interest in recording or performing their own and others’ Contemporary Music with or without electronics. N.B. There will also be a daily seminar session suited to those who are simply interested in having a greater understanding of this invaluable area of work.

Two Week Course

Advanced Composition**

FULL TIME
Director Detlev Glanert
Detlev Glanert will lead daily seminars on composition for a selected number of advanced students and professional composers. In the second week, pieces written on the course will be rehearsed for performance by the Composers Ensemble. This course is subject to a process of application, and participants must commit to both weeks. Please “click here”/summer-school/2011-advanced-courses for full details.
Closing date for applications: 16 March

Three Week Course

Advanced Conducting **

FULL TIME
Director Ilan Volkov (Week 3)
Nicholas Kraemer (Week 4)
Pierre-André Valade (Week 5)
This week is directed by Nicholas Kraemer.
This is the second week of a h2. Three Week Course. This course is subject to a process of application and audition. Please “click here”/summer-school/2011-advanced-courses for full details.
Closing date for applications: 16 March

+ These courses are suitable for those with little or no musical experience.
* These classes are for advanced participants only.
** These courses are for advanced participants only and entry is subject to an application process. Click here for details.