Unsung Heroes Cello Ensemble
Join our international group for a magical week of playing growth and expansion – for cellists of all ages and stages. The minimum age is 16 to infinity.
Time
9.30 am–3.30 pm daily
Location
All Saints Centre, Friars Walk, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2LE (Close to parking and the railway station)
Price
Modules 1 & 2: £725 for 6 days ● Module 1: £365 (Sunday to Tuesday) ● Module 2: £365 (Wednesday to Friday). The fee includes lovely lunches and all drinks & snacks.
Your music is sent out one month ahead of the course. I recommend listening to performances of the original and getting familiar with your part ahead of rehearsal.
Cello's are available to rent for £50 each.
Refunds & Cancellations
Please read our cancellation policy before booking.
Summer School 2025 – Course
Summer School 2025 – Course
Couldn't load pickup availability
The end of all good music is to affect the soul.
INTRODUCTION
A course provides space and time for you to absorb, expand, think, experiment, evolve & grow
I hope that the immersive experience of a course, exploring stunning and inspiring music with other like-minded players, is a wonderful and full experience for you. There are now several courses throughout the year. Each is different. Each will have a theme and their own set of ideas I want to share with you.
Flying or travelling a long way?
If you are joining us from afar, and don’t want to bring your cello, I can have one here for you to rent. We charge £50 per cello + bow. Some cellists bring their bow, but if yours has any ivory on it, please don’t risk it being taken away at customs.
Both Extreme, Icons and Through Coloured Glass is standard-specific
Elsewhere, the ensemble workshops are suitable for cellists from Grade 3 standard (you don’t need to have done an exam) to infinity.
Food on our courses
Playing the cello is very physical and needs a lot of energy. You need proper nourishment and we have a fabulous cook called Tina Deubert, who is also a nutritionist and provides us all with imaginative food that caters for all diets on both of our Summer Courses. It's quite common that people's diets become more sensitive. Tina prepares food that works for you and will send out a dietary requirement sheet to fill in so everything is right for you. Do let me know if you have any special dietary requirements.
SUMMER SCHOOL
I love this week! Although most cellists will be with us for the six-day course, as last year, those cellists with less time can join either module 1 or 2. The whole course is designed so that it can also make sense for those joining for less time, so you feel a sense of completeness.
This is the central course of the year. It has a strong following and friendships are forged in this festival-feel atmosphere. It is attended by players from Grade 3 standard to infinity (including some professionals looking for time for themselves). Players come from America, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain and from around the UK. If you are flying in, you can now rent a cello when booking.
Each year we have an immersive programme of music and ideas. We work on technique as a response to the music each morning in classes. We develop ideas through improvising. We play ensemble games. We look at history and develop our relationship to the music and its writer. We do a lot more besides. As this has to be a holistic week covering body use and care, we look at the illuminating thoughts of and behind, the Alexander Technique.
We prepare for a performance at the course end and we have a phenomenal time together. Our venue is a de-consecrated church. It is a lovely, spacious place and an ideal home for us and this music. In the evenings, those who want to, meet up in restaurants, pubs or cafes. We have a group supper too. Some people come and stay in hotels or B&Bs – others commute in by car or train (we are very close to the station where you can also park).
REVIEWS
READING LIST
We all want to grow as players and musicians and, on a course, there is time to get under the skin of the music we play. Learning more about the composers, their times and other historical references brings everything more into focus. If you want to, why not read more about the repertoire? It’s fascinating.
Here is a small reading list that I think you will enjoy. To help you navigate around so many good books, here are a few good, all-rounders. For each course, I can recommend books for specific composers. Do ask me!
- The Story of Music — Howard Goodall, Vintage Publishing
- Big Bangs — Howard Goodall, Vintage Publishing
- A Concise History of Western Music — Paul Griffiths, Cambridge University Press
- The Master Musicians series — Dent
- The Language of Music — Deryck Cooke, Clarendon
- The Cello Suites — Eric Siblin, Vintage Publishing