Summer School Courses - Week 2

31 July – 07 August

We continue our voyage through Handel’s dramatic oratorios with Alexander’s Feast – and what a feast with Bach’s Magnificat included! And Telemann also – with the Cantatas for the Times of the Day to be performed at their appointed hours – the sort of thing you can only do at a residential summer school. Telemann will also feature in the concerts of the Baroque Orchestra and Peter Sheppard Skærved.

Britten’s Turn of the Screw will be staged in the old Dartington Hall graveyard, and a fully staged production of Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum will be presented in St Mary’s Church, Totnes. The Royal Opera House returns for its teacher’s course on creating new opera. Composing for piano will be the focus of Martin Butler’s course with Stephen Gutman, whilst Julian Marshall leads a programme for Singer Songwriting. The week will be rounded off with the Jive Ball.

Courses marked with a plus+ are suitable for those with little or no musical experience. Those marked with one asterisk* are for advanced participants only. Those classes marked with two asterisks** are for advanced participants only and are subject to an application process. See Advanced Courses for details.

ONE WEEK COURSES

Choir

Director James Weeks
Handel Alexander’s Feast (Bärenreiter, sung in English)
Bach Magnificat (Bärenreiter, sung in Latin)

Orchestral Workshop

Director Leigh O’Hara
Telemann Tafelmusik
The all-comers orchestra will study a selection of works from Telemann’s Tafelmusik. Players of all levels are welcome.

Vocal Ensembles

Directors Stile Antico
A course for singers of all abilities exploring the wealth of sacred music written for private performance rather than liturgical use. Using a collection of music ranging from simple metrical psalms to some of the most complex sacred madrigals, and including works by Cornysh, Byrd, and Tomkins, participants will be divided into small groups (though pre-formed groups are welcome) with the aim of singing one to a part for those confident to do so. A booklet of the course music, costing £10, will be available for participants to buy at the beginning of the week. Places are limited to 60, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Chamber Choir

Director John Hancorn
The chamber choir will study Telemann’s Cantatas
“Die Tageszeiten” (The Times of the Day) TVWV 20:39.
The course will culminate in an end of week performance.

Ordo Virtutum Chorus

Director Michael Fields
Michael Fields will direct two short choruses for staged performances of Hildegard von Bingen’s music drama, Ordo Virtutum. This course will run directly after the Chamber Choir. Chamber Choir participants are welcome to take part in either or both of these courses.

Chamber Music

Coordinator Rhiannon Evans
with the Brook Street Band directed by Tatty Theo
Please see Week 1 for course description.

Instrumental and Vocal Classes

Evelyn Tubb Voice*
Stephen Varcoe Voice
Stephen Gutman Piano*
Leigh O’Hara Piano
Peter Sheppard Skærved Violin
Michael Fields Lute and Lutesong
Stephen Preston Baroque Flute
Benny Aghassi Baroque Bassoon
Please note that participants for Evelyn Tubb’s class will be chosen by audition at the start of the week.

Harpsichord Masterclass*

Director Colin Tilney
J.S.Bach: The Six French Suites
Choose six different kinds of dance, one from each suite. (There should be one allemande, one courante and one sarabande in your selection.)

Organ Masterclass**

Director David Titterington
François Couperin: Messe pour les Convents.
Participants can prepare any section or movements
of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria etc).
J.S.Bach: Free choice of work.
Please note this class is subject to a process
of application – See Advanced Courses for details.
Closing date for applications: 9th April.

Try the Harpsichord

Director Colin Booth
Colin Booth will again this week offer some hands-on introductory sessions for pianists interested in trying that exotic beast: the Harpsichord!

Exploring the Roots of Music – Ecosonics+

Director Stephen Preston
A course for players interested in exploring the sounds their instruments make as a basic form of communication. Ecosonic improvisation focuses on ideas of natural soundmaking, on birdsong, and on dialogues, or relationships between sound and emotion. Of particular value to teachers who work with people with little experience of musical instruments.

Writing for Piano: Aubades, Serenades and Nocturnes

Directors Stephen Gutman & Martin Butler
This course will explore models that refer to the times of the day, exploring a wide range of techniques used by composers in different ages. We will then use this as a basis for writing short new works culminating in an end-of-week concert.

Modern Jive Dance+

Director Alina Hancorn
Modern Jive is one of the fastest growing and most popular partner dance styles, with over 400,000 people dancing it in the UK alone. With no complicated footwork Modern Jive is extremely easy to learn and can be danced to a variety of music styles, from swing and rock-n-roll to Latin and modern charts. The course is designed for complete beginners, and will take you through the most popular moves, stylish combinations and seductive turns. We string these together at the end of each class – you’ll be able to “freestyle” in no time! The course culminates in a Ball where you’ll be able to dance the night away to a blistering set of tunes.

Singer Songwriting

FULL TIME
Director Julian Marshall
This course will cover all aspects of writing songs, including melody, harmony, sequences, lyrics, form, arrangement and production, and will provide plenty of opportunities to workshop ideas. This course is open to all who are interested in beginning or developing their songwriting and performance skills.

Write an Opera: Professional Development for Teachers

Directors Royal Opera House
We welcome again the Royal Opera House to lead their internationally acclaimed course for school-teachers. Led by a team of professional artists, the course equips teachers with practical skills to support the development of their students’ learning through the arts. It provides the tools and structures to enable the undertaking of an in-school project in which students are able to devise and stage their own opera from scratch. Prior booking is essential for this course. To request an application form, please contact ROH Education directly on 020 7212 9410 or email education@roh.org.uk

TWO WEEK COURSES

Baroque Orchestra*

FULL TIME
Director Walter Reiter
The Baroque Orchestra will perform works by Bach and Telemann, as well as repertoire for this week’s choral concert. This is the second week of a two week course. We prefer participants to commit to both weeks, but will consider applications for one week only.
Please note that this course is subject to an application process – See Advanced Courses for details.
Deadline for applications: 16th April.

Early Brass: Trumpets and Trombones

FULL TIME
Directors David Staff & Emily White
This course is for those who are interested in the history, development and playing of the late seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century trumpet and trombone. Trumpeters will focus on trumpet ensembles, working without vent holes as much as possible. Trombonists will focus on trombone choir music and will have the opportunity to play period instruments encompassing five hundred years of the instrument’s history. This is the second week of Early Brass, and it is possible to attend just one or both weeks of this course.

Jazz and Improvised Music

FULL TIME
Directors Keith Tippett & Lewis Riley
with
Julie Tippetts Voice
Ben Clark Drums
John Richards Double Bass
Ben Waghorn Saxophone
This is the second week of a two week course.
Please see Week 1 for further details.