Springing into New Musical Times

There is nothing like a new musical experience to feed our sense of where we have arrived, our musicality, and, in particular, our confidence in our current playing and cello voice. Everyone has a voice to be honed and valued.

Two fabulous courses are awaiting you here in Lewes, East Sussex, and they are small, personal and friendly. Some people have a fantasy that holds them back, that there will be a horrible moment of having to play on your own. That won’t happen! You can ask!

My intentions at the Unsung Heroes Summer School (July 27th – August 1st) expands on the purpose of my arrangements of choral music – to get people playing great music together in a warm and creative atmosphere, mixing different levels of experience. So, there may be people who’ve been playing for decades, alongside relative newcomers, alongside a professional. In this repertoire, there is a part for everyone to play, and it always works. We have a syllabus of musical, technical, historical and creative ideas that I work on throughout the week. This information comes to you in a pack at the end of our time together so that you can process it in your own time.

The new course Through Coloured Glass takes to the stage for the third time this August 11th – 15th and is for advanced players (Grade 7 standard+) and professionals from around the world. The programme is a variant of those I used to play with String Theory Cello Ensemble a while back, and I have created a musical meditation that tells the story of Everyman throughout history. It speaks of someone seeking refuge, respite and the strength to move forward in a new place.

The music tells this story, accompanied by a subtle soundscape, through musical jewels of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic eras played in a constant cycle. We perform publicly to an entranced audience in an exquisite church, full of stained-glass windows with the evening sun streaming in.

You'll receive the programme two months in advance so you can take time absorbing and listening before we meet to have a great time developing our relationship with the music and rehearsing. I love seeing at the end of each course the high of our cellists and their realisation of the journey they’ve just undertaken.

If you have any questions, do please get in touch. If you are flying here and want to hire a cello, just ask!