Explore the Summer School & Festival
Our 2023 Festival runs from 22 July – 19 August – and we’ll be celebrating our 75th year of Summer School!
If you’re new to the Festival, or need a refresher on how it all works, we recommend you read through this page before you get started, and you can also read Artistic Director Sara Mohr-Pietsch’s welcome message here.
Decide whether you’re attending courses, concerts or both, and then choose a package that’s right for you. You can also choose from a range of accommodation options on our beautiful estate as required.
Useful Links
Latest from @dartingtonarts
We're pleased to announce some brilliant additions to Week 1 and Week 4 of our Music Summer School programme.
If you’re a musician or music teacher interested in making classical music more accessible, join Lucia of @theminimusicmakers and @robgildon for Music in the Community in Week 1 (22 - 29 July) and work towards a family friendly performance at the end of the week.
Singers, we’ve added two fun and feelgood courses to Week 4 (12 - 19 August): Hollywood Songbook and Songs from the Musicals Choir. Explore the last century of Hollywood tunes, from established favourites to forgotten gems with @sarahgabriel___ ; and let Sarah and @stephen_depledge guide you through some of the best-loved chorus numbers from some of your favourite musicals.
Woodwind, brass and percussion players: come and join our Week 4 Wind Band with Steve Dummer. Daily sessions will explore and rehearse original wind band repertoire both classic and new, and work towards a public performance at the end of the week.
We've also added Chamber Music to each of our three sessions in Week 4 so there will be plenty of opportunity to practise and play together!
Check out the full course programme via the link in our bio.
#dartington #musicians #DartingtonSummerSchool #music #totnes #Choir #musicteachers #Devon #devonmusic #hollywoodsongs #windband #musicals #DartingtonMusic
Join our Summer School artistic director @saramohrpietsch on BBC Radio 3's Night Tracks tonight for a special International Women's Day programme featuring some of today's most exciting female composers and artists, including Cassandra Miller, Anna Meredith, Thea Musgrave, Faten Kanaan, Tuulikki Bartosik, Nala Sinephro and My Brightest Diamond. Many of whom we have been lucky enough to join us at the Summer School - plus the legendary Thea Musgrave (pictured) is with us this summer.
A huge congratulations to @annalapwoodorgan for winning the coveted Gamechanger Award at last night's @royalphilsoc Awards!
She was praised by RPS Chief Executive James Murphy ‘for inspiring generations of younger musicians to see how they too might rise up to meet the world.’
We're incredibly excited that Anna will be joining us for Week 4 of Music Summer School 2023 (12 - 19 August) to lead our participants towards a performance of two complementary works for choir: Gabriel Fauré’s much-loved Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine, and the ravishingly beautiful Missa Brevis by composer in residence, Thea Musgrave.
#classicalmusic #DartingtonSummerSchool #music #dartington #musicians #classicalmusicians #DartingtonMusic #choralmusic #organ
Are you an emerging musician or music student that would benefit from an immersive week of advanced tuition at our world-renowned Summer School? Or do you know someone who fits that description?
There's 1 month to go until our application deadline for advanced courses and bursaries!
We're thrilled to be welcoming so many incredible artists to lead our life-changing advanced courses and to be able to offer generous bursaries to selected students.
Early music: @fretworkviols, Emily White & Conor Hastings, Lynda Sayce
Composition: @cevannemusic, @larrygoves
Piano: @ivanapiano, @annatilbrook
Strings: @matthewbarleycello, @thomasgouldvln
Conducting: @alice.farnham.14
Baroque Orchestra: @rachelpodgerofficial, Gail Hennessy, Rachel Brown, Richard Tunnicliffe, Richard Thomas
Vocal: @marycbevan, James Gilchrist, @mhairiealawson
Jazz: @peteredwardsmusic, @jihad_darwish_ , @horn_identity, Ellie Smith
Applications are now open with a deadline of 27 March, find out and apply on our website by searching advanced courses and bursaries.
Please tag or share this post with anyone that might benefit from this opportunity.
#music #totnes #dartington #DartingtonSummerSchool #classicalmusic #classicalmusicians #musicians #DartingtonMusic #musicbursary
Some of our amazing 2023 Music Summer School artists have been nominated for @bbcmusicmag awards!
In the opera category, Lampe’s Dragon of Wantley featuring @marycbevan (Week 1) and @brookstreetband (Week 2), in the instrumental category, @rachelpodgerofficial Tutta Sola disc (Week 2)
and in the vocal category, Battle Cry featuring @toby_carr_music (Week 1 with @luxmusicaelondon)
Voting is open to the public and closes on Tuesday 28 February, so get voting now via the link in the @bbcmusicmag bio.
#classicalmusic #opera #instrumental #awards
In Week 4 of the Dartington Music Summer School, taking place from 12 - 19 August, we can't wait to welcome some very exciting new and returning artists.
We're thrilled to be joined by @annalapwoodorgan – Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge – to lead the Big Choir in a performance of Faure’s beautiful Requiem. Andrew Watts reprises his popular vocal class, and Black Voices return with their sensational open gospel choir. Dartington favourite Steve Dummer will be leading the Big Band and Wind Band in week 4, and we’re delighted to welcome back pianist and bandleader Peter Edwards to lead our Jazz programme. For families, recorder player Jill Kemp will be our Pied Piper, leading towards a promenade performance of a newly-devised piece of music theatre in the Dartington grounds.
Courses and Concerts passes are on sale now. Visit the link in our bio to find out more about our exciting Summer School course programme and book your place.
#DartingtonMusic #DartingtonSummerSchool #Choir #choirmusic #Gospel #Jazz #music #totnes #dartington
Image description: Celia Wickham Anderson leads the open Gospel Choir in the courtyard, credit: Chris Leedham, 2018