Archive / 2019 / Courses

The Feast of the Ascension (Fèsta de ła Sènsa) was, and remains, a major public celebration of Venice’s glory. It culminates in the renewal of the ritual marriage between the city and the sea, as a symbolic gold ring is thrown into the lagoon. Andrew Griffiths has assembled a mouthwatering ‘fantasy’ Vespers for Dartington, bringing together music from Monteverdi’s later publications with sumptuous motets – including Giovanni Gabrieli and Giovanni Croce – reflecting both the religious and political pomp of this lavish festival.

This course is open to singers who are comfortable working from a vocal score. Music will be available to purchase in advance and you will be expected to sing from the score from the beginning of the course. Each session will start with a brief warm up and the piece will be rehearsed throughout the week, leading up to Friday performance.

We strongly encourage that you attend Big Choir Plus in addition to the Big Choir rehearsals, especially if you are a less experienced choral singer or are unfamiliar with the work.

We are creating a booklet of these works for the course; please check the Music Supplies page where we will add more information when it becomes available.

A chamber choir course exploring Renaissance gems, aimed at both confident and less confident singers, we will work on lots of material, without the pressure of a performance, and the singers from Stile Antico will join in with the participants. Directed by bass Will Dawes (Director of Chapel Music, Somerville College Oxford), our main focus is the extraordinary Missa Puer natus est nobis by Thomas Tallis, a work composed to celebrate the then-thought pregnancy of Mary Tudor. To represent her husband, Philip II of Spain, we’ll be looking at wonderful Marian antiphons by the Spanish composers Victoria, Guerrero, and Alonso Lobo.

This is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to sing alongside Stile Antico, and would feel happier working in a larger group.

Scores will be available to buy at the beginning of the course for £10.

Do you struggle with the demanding multi-tasking activity that is sight-singing? Is recognising rhythms, pitching intervals and reading the text all at once a daunting challenge? This course is open to all, especially singers who are not fluent readers, and anyone wishing to brush up on their sight-singing skills.

The irrepressibly witty and wise teacher and countertenor Nicholas Clapton encourages his participants to perform a wide repertoire, working both technically and interpretatively. Singers can choose between two sessions.

These workshops will be taught on a one-to-one basis in front of the group. Equal time will be given to all participants, and piano/harpsichord accompaniment will be available. Participants should expect to attend all sessions in full, learning from their own coaching as well as from observing others.

You should bring 2 or 3 pieces with which you are already familiar, but which will allow you to work on the development of interpretation and technique.

William Lyons and the ever-popular City Musick members return for their ensemble course. This year we will focus on music for cornetts, shawms, dulcians and trombones from the varied and exciting repertoire of the civic and court bands in Renaissance Europe. We’ll also be preparing music for Friday’s Venetian Feast of the Ascension, as well as the legendary Medieval Tavern Night.

This class explores in depth the historical approach to playing sacred and secular music. Attendees of this class should be of a good ability, be able to sight read and be comfortable with varied clefs and transposition. Players of all historical instruments, wind, brass and strings are all welcome. Tutors will be available, by informal arrangement, to give additional coaching Sessions on a one-to-one or ensemble basis: useful for addressing technical issues and exploring repertoire.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for more details.

David Miller’s course provides a unique opportunity for advanced and experienced players of early plucked instruments to develop their accompanying and continuo skills, whilst recreating the lush and sumptuous qualities of a large 17th-century continuo group, with lutes, archlutes, chitarroni and guitars. There’ll be opportunities to collaborate with singers from Emma Kirkby’s class, as well as perform in concerts towards the end of the week.

Participants should attend both sessions, and anyone starting out on or interested in these instruments is very welcome as an observer. For advanced students, some one-to-one coaching will be available with the course time.

Group and individual tuition with members of The City Musick, on shawms, crumhorns, dulcian, rackett, recorders, early violin, cornetts, sackbuts, bagpipes and renaissance percussion. We’ll be covering a broad repertoire of dance, theatre, court and civic music from the 15th to 17th centuries. Tutors will be available, by informal arrangement, to give additional coaching Sessions on a one-to-one or ensemble basis: useful for addressing technical issues and exploring repertoire.

An extra Session for advanced cornett players. Students are encouraged to bring solo or ensemble pieces. We’ll look at Cantar polito e bene – what it meant to perform ‘cleanly and well’ in Monteverdi’s time – as well as ensemble diminution, the art of improvising.

Anyone starting out on the cornett or interested in the instrument is very welcome as an observer.

Jane Chapman studied with Ton Koopman in Amsterdam, and is now professor at the Royal College of Music; she’s one of the most innovative, stylish and imaginative harpsichordists around. Aimed at both pianists of at least Grade 5 and harpsichordists, this course will examine Bach’s music and the rich early keyboard collections of England, France and Italy.

This course is perfect for pianists who are curious about early keyboard instruments, this course offers the opportunity to try the harpsichord in an encouraging and informal environment.

Please see the Music Supplies page for suggested repertoire.

Artistic Director Joanna MacGregor leads afascinating workshop, open to all instrumentalists, pairing Bach’s mysterious last work The Art of Fugue with Moondog’s amazing canons. The blind composer and performer (a.k.a. Louis Hardin) was a cult figure in the 1960s, living on a street corner in New York. His strict canons mesh jazz, Renaissance motets, Bach and Native American rhythms, and his ebullient pieces – Bumbo, Dog Trot, Bird’s Lament, Heath on the Heather – were much admired by Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Charlie Parker. Each day we’ll look at The Art of Fugue, play through some Moondog, and discover how canonic writing works. We’ll aim to perform a couple of pieces in Thursday’s late night concert.

Alena Walentin (flute), Philip Haworth (oboe), Anna Hashimoto (clarinet) and Ashley Myall (bassoon) offer masterclasses for advanced wind players. Improve your technique, hone your performance skills, and discover new repertoire!

Each instrument will have its own dedicated class each day. You should bring repertoire that you know well and on which you are ready to receive further coaching.

This course is aimed at players of Grade 8 level and above.

Open to all modern wind players and pianists for daily coaching in organised ensembles; repertoire will be suggested in advance. Pre-formed groups are also welcome.

This course will be organised as a formal chamber music session; please see the Chamber Music page for relevant details.

‘Among the marvellous things I saw and observed in the city of Bologna, nothing gave me greater pleasure than the divine musical ensembles of diverse nuns’ Giacomo Vincenti (1606)

A course for singers and instrumentalists – sackbuts, cornetts, strings, Renaissance and early Baroque wind instruments – using the historic doubling of voices with instruments. We’ll be looking at the Vespers by one of the most famous women in Europe, the Venetian composer Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, and at music dedicated to nuns in 17th-century Italy. Vocal range is SATB – men are very welcome!

Singers of all voice ranges are suitable, but the confidence to sing one to a part may be an advantage; instrumentalists may be asked to play in a range of clefs. The course will culminate in a private informal play-through during the final class.

The chamber music programme, open to instrumentalists and singers, will offer one daily formally-organised Session. You will be allocated a group in advance in one of the Sessions you have signed up to: which Session is dependent on how we can best accommodate you with other players. Chamber music can also be arranged informally during other Sessions once you arrive.

See Chamber Music page for more details.

An Advanced Composition course for composers inspired to write new music for early instruments. Stevie Wishart guides Sessions between composers, tutors and performers throughout the week, examining a broad palate of sounds – including the theorbo, viola da gamba, viola d’amore, hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord, sackbut and cornett – and their notation. From the Middle Ages to the Baroque, performers and composers were expected to collaborate far more actively in the compositional process, through performance practice and improvisation. We’ll aim to perform some of the created music at the end of the week, in the Masterclass Concert.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please click here for application details.

The charismatic Palestinian poet and activist Tamim al-Barghouti returns to Dartington. He’s a dazzling performer and thinker, capable of attracting hundreds of thousands of people to his poetry readings. His creative writing course draws on centuries-old traditions of Arabic poetry, inextricably entwined with the politics and history of the Middle East. Tamim also collaborates with musicians this week.

This course, based on the gentle, fluid Scaravelli approach to yoga, is suitable for participants of all ages and abilities. Yoga is practised by many musicians; it’s a great way to loosen up the body before the day’s music making.

This session will take place in a carpeted room, but you are welcome to bring your own yoga mat to the practice.

Glyndebourne and ENO conductor Laurence Cummings returns to direct the Big Choir in Handel’s Saul, a wildly exciting oratorio with witches, mad kings and huge choruses. Laurence is one of the most thrilling exponents of historical practice; his music making has been described as ‘both witty and compassionate.’ Don’t miss this wonderful chance to explore Handel’s visercal, powerful work with him.

This course is open to singers who are comfortable working from a vocal score. Music will be available to purchase in advance and you will be expected to sing from the score from the beginning of the course. Each session will start with a brief warm up and the piece will be rehearsed throughout the week, leading up to Friday performance.

We strongly encourage that you attend Big Choir Plus in addition to the Big Choir rehearsals, especially if you are a less experienced choral singer or are unfamiliar with the work.

We will be using the Novello edition, rather than the Barenreiter edition listed in the brochure.

We’re hugely privileged to welcome back the marvelous contralto Hilary Summers to Dartington. Hilary is internationally acclaimed in the world of Baroque opera, working with such luminaries as William Christie, Christopher Hogwood and Deborah Warner; she has also collaborated with major figures in contemporary music, including Pierre Boulez and Michael Nyman. Above all, Hilary’s warmth, experience and personality will bring superb mentorship to this class.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details.

The wonderful countertenor Andrew Watts – acclaimed performer, and voice teacher at the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House – will improve your vocal technique and performance skills in a relaxed, supportive and informative atmosphere. Singers of all abilities can choose between two sessions.

These workshops will be taught on a one-to-one basis in front of the group. Equal time will be given to all participants, and piano/harpsichord accompaniment will be available. Participants should expect to attend all sessions in full, learning from their own coaching as well as from observing others.

You should bring 2 or 3 pieces with which you are already familiar, but which will allow you to work on the development of interpretation and technique.

Additional coaching and rehearsal for The Big Choir repertoire this week, with our wonderful choir repetiteur Gavin Roberts. This additional session for participants already singing in the Big Choir is a really useful opportunity for those less familiar with the repertoire to revisit the morning’s work.

This course is open to those singers already working on the choral repertoire in Big Choir in Session 1.

The Advanced Baroque Orchestra, led by Adrian Butterfield, one of Europe’s most celebrated concert masters, works towards two Handel performances: Agrippina conducted by Robert Howarth, and Saul, conducted by Laurence Cummings. There are opportunities for strings, flutes/recorders, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, trombones, harp, percussion and keyboard players, and daily tuition with our stellar array of Baroque teachers. A very busy schedule, but thrilling! Please note: students need to arrive in time for a 2.30pm rehearsal with Laurence Cummings on Saturday 3rd.

Students will require their own Baroque instruments. This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details.

One of the busiest and most experienced keyboard players and music directors around, Steven Devine leads keyboard players in an exploration of the solo music of CPE Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and others, and how the fortepiano enhances our understanding and interpretation of this great music.

The fine young Bukolika Piano Trio hails from Poland, and is an ensemble known for their intensely expressive music making and exceptional virtuosity. Roma Tic (violin), Joanna Gutowska (cello) and Anna Szałucka (piano) have performed worldwide, and made their Radio 3 debut in 2017.

Their workshop sessions will be lively and informal; they offer players of all abilities a relaxed and supportive workshop environment, in separate classes.

These workshops are suitable for instrumentalists playing at Grade 5 level and above.

The brilliant violinist Adrian Butterfield, director of the London Handel Players and Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music, gives masterclasses focusing on all technical and stylistic aspects of solo Baroque violin-playing.

This class is part of the Advanced Baroque Orchestra, an Advanced Selected course. Details on how to apply can be found on the Advanced Courses booking page.

Andy Watts, professor of Historical Performance at the Royal Academy of Music and Associate principal bassoon of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, gives a lively, illuminating class on technique and expression in solo and chamber repertoire, and prepares wind players for Handel’s Saul and Agrippina.

This class is part of the Advanced Baroque Orchestra, an Advanced Selected course. Details on how to apply can be found on the Advanced Courses booking page.

The supremely gifted performer and teacher Richard Thomas directs a class providing group and solo tuition coaching, as well as orchestral repertoire. There’ll be concerts of Handel’s Agrippina and Saul in the Great Hall.

This class is part of the Advanced Baroque Orchestra, an Advanced Selected course. Details on how to apply can be found on the Advanced Courses booking page.

An open course led by Artistic Director and Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music, Joanna MacGregor, examining multiple approaches to Baroque dance movements and Chopin muzurkas. Students are invited to bring any dance movement by Bach, Scarlatti or Handel, and one or more Chopin mazurkas. We’ll also discuss historical performances, editions and performance practices. Please see the website for suggested repertoire.

We’re delighted that Alistair Anderson – master of the English concertina and Northumbrian pipes, founder of Folkworks and the first traditional music degree course at Newcastle University – will be teaching all week at Dartington. Alistair’s instrumental course will cover fiddle and pipe repertoires from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, including the explosion of fiddlers around Tyneside and the piping traditions of the South Northumbrian Coal Field. Alistair will also introduce you to the music of the shepherd musicians he knew well and played with for years, as well as music from the current scene.

The stunning young folk duo Harbottle & Jonas wowed audiences and participants with their teaching, performances, and folk sessions in the White Hart last year, and we’re delighted to welcome them back. Receiving plaudits from folk royalty Jon Boden and Seth Lakeman as well as national press, their latest album, The Sea is my Brother, is released in early 2019.

They’ll be rehearsing our popular Folk Choir in sea shanties and sea-inspired songs – all delivered with their inimitable, contemporary twist – for a performance in the Great Hall on Friday afternoon.

This choir is suitable for all singers. There will be an emphasis on learning aurally, but some supportive materials will be provided during the week.

This year we have a fantastic team of acclaimed folk tutors and performers at Dartington: fiddler Alexis Bennett; contemporary folk duo Harbottle & Jonas; and Emily Portman, one of the most beguiling and poetic presences in today’s folk scene. There’ll be an opportunity to work on traditional tunes, and songs with accompaniment, for both evening sessions in the White Hart and Friday’s performance in the Great Hall.

We will start this course as one group, with the flexibility to work on tunes and songs in two separate groups during the week. Music will predominantly be taught aurally with some support materials provided during the the week.

We welcome musicians both with and without previous experience of folk music who are keen to explore the folk repertoire.

A daily series of conversations about creativity and the nature of storytelling – from starting to write and the structure of stories, to discussions about the nature of inspiration, the importance of practice and the development of character (both imagined and real). James Runcie guides you through a series of approaches to the creative life. No experience necessary.

An early morning class, designed to relax the body and focus the mind. A dynamic form of moving meditation, Tai Chi Qigong is accessible to people of all ages and ideal for musicians, bringing great benefits for good practice and performance in the day ahead.

Update 15/07/2019: Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Steuart will no longer be able to join us at Dartington this summer. We are pleased to welcome in his place the fantastic conductor Michael Waldron. We’re delighted to welcome the eminent conductor Steuart Bedford. He will conduct Benjamin Britten’s joyful cantata Saint Nicolas, premiered in the opening concert of the first Aldeburgh Festival in June 1948. Steuart was a close collaborator with Britten, conducting the first performance of Death in Venice in 1973 and the historic Grimes on the Beach in 2013. Having such an expert guiding us – and the marvellous Tom Randle singing the role of Saint Nicolas – will lift Dartington’s Big Choir to new heights! This course is open to singers who are comfortable working from a vocal score. Music will be available to purchase in advance and you will be expected to sing from the score from the beginning of the course. Each session will start with a brief warm up and the piece will be rehearsed throughout the week, leading up to Friday performance. We strongly encourage that you attend Big Choir Plus in addition to the Big Choir rehearsals, especially if you are a less experienced choral singer or are unfamiliar with the work. We’ll be using the Boosey & Hawkes edition.

The great American tenor Tom Randle, who will sing the role of Peter Quint, coaches singers throughout this two-week Advanced Opera course; Jonathan Palmer Lakeland (Tanglewood, Georg Solti Academia) acts as repetiteur and coach. Britten’s ensemble masterpiece will receive two semi-staged performances in the Great Hall on 21 and 24 August. As an extra performance opportunity, there will be an Opera Gala programme on 15 August.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details. This is a two week course running 10-25 August.

As at home in Mozart or Britten opera as she is in music theatre, Sarah Gabriel made her European debut as Eliza in My Fair Lady at the Théâtre du Châtelet, opposite Alex Jennings. Her vocal class is open to all singers. Sarah is particularly interested in being authentically yourself onstage, and in how to express your individuality. You can see her in action on 14 August, in her immersive performance A House on Middagh Street. These workshops will be taught on a one-to-one basis in front of the group. Equal time will be given to all participants, and piano/harpsichord accompaniment will be available. Participants should expect to attend all sessions in full, learning from their own coaching as well as from observing others. You should bring 2 or 3 pieces with which you are already familiar, but which will allow you to work on the development of interpretation and technique.

Two weeks of intense study, for the first week with Timothy Redmond, guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Professor of Conducting at the Guildhall School of Music. For the second week, we welcome Graeme Jenkins back to Dartington. He’s known for his enormous breadth of experience: with Glyndebourne, Opera Australia, Vienna State Opera and Covent Garden, and as Music Director of Dallas Opera. Working with the Dartington Festival Orchestra, in the first week students will prepare Britten’s Young Apollo and Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge Op.10, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A major K.201 and Concerto in E flat K.271 Jeunehomme, with outstanding young pianists for the third Dartington Piano Concerto Competition. The second week presents a fantastic opportunity to prepare and perform Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, with Tom Randle and students from the Advanced Opera Course, as well as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. This course offers both extensive podium time in front of the orchestra, as well as time working with pianists on the scores. This course is for a small group of 6 students, and there will be performance opportunities for all involved.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details. This is a two week course running from 10-25 August.

Adriano Adewale is a master percussionist from Brazil, feted all over the world for his Africa-inflected jazz and sensational virtuosity. Together with the Brazilian flautist and composer Carlos Malta (who has played with Hermeto Pascoal, Pat Methany, Gil Evans), he will guide and inspire you in the popular Brazilian tradition, looking at songs, melodies and instrumental accompaniments. Suitable for all instrumentalists and singers, this course will be taught aurally.

A fun, relaxed course led by the inspiring Carolina Adewale: we’ll be mixing the Brazilian dance styles of samba, forro and ijexa with participants’ own creativity. Mixing easy-to-follow moves with more challenging steps, Carolina welcomes participants of all levels to prepare for Friday night’s samba celebration. Bring water, and wear comfortable trainers.

Leigh O’Hara directs this workshop for all string players of Grade 5 and above, with the hugely popular Adrian Brendel and Thomas Gould. We’ll be working on Britten’s Simple Symphony, Elgar’s Elegy and Sospiri and Holst’s St Paul’s Suite. There’ll be a final performance on Friday lunchtime.

One of the most versatile and original cellists of his generation, Adrian Brendel has travelled the world as soloist, collaborator and teacher. A fine classical and romantic player, his discoveryof contemporary music as a teenager opened a new and vital avenue he continues to explore, alongside his passion for jazz and world music. Adrian will coach advanced students in all areas of cello repertoire, including concertos.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details.

The Rumanian pianist Florian Mitrea is always a huge hit at Summer School as a performer and teacher, and returns to run the Piano Workshop. Florian will guide pianists in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. He will coach anything from Bach to Bartók, but particularly likes the Viennese school of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. You’ll be able to choose between two different sessions.

Helena Jiříkovská and Adéla Štajnochrová (violin), Radim Sedmidubský (viola) and Lukáš Polák (cello), of the internationally acclaimed Škampa Quartet, offer string players of Grade 5 level and above a friendly and supportive workshop environment, in separate instrumental classes. Piano accompanists will be available for cello and violin classes. Please bring a piano part if necessary.

The chamber music programme, open to instrumentalists and singers, will offer one formally-organised session each day in Session 4. Chamber music can also be arranged informally in the other sessions. Please see the Chamber Music page for more details.

An early morning class, designed to relax the body and focus the mind.

The fantastic conductor Stephen Barlow comes for the first time, to conduct a very special occasion – Artistic Director Joanna MacGregor’s last concert for the Summer School. There’s a world premiere for choir and piano by Eleanor Alberga, with words by Alice Oswald; Tippett’s amazing settings of spirituals from A Child of Our Time, for choir and orchestra; and Beethoven’s joyful Choral Fantasy – his tryout for Ode to Joy – for piano, soloists, choir and orchestra.

This course is open to singers who are comfortable working from a vocal score. Music will be available to purchase in advance and you will be expected to sing from the score from the beginning of the course. Each session will start with a brief warm up and the piece will be rehearsed throughout the week, leading up to Friday performance.

We strongly encourage that you attend Big Choir Plus in addition to the Big Choir rehearsals, especially if you are a less experienced choral singer or are unfamiliar with the work.

Uplifting, harmonious, soul-stirring, challenging and fun all describe the power and appeal of the Gospel Choir sessions, led by Carol Pemberton and Celia Wickham-Anderson of the internationally-acclaimed a cappella group Black Voices. The workshops will cover a range of black music traditions that influence and shape what today we call Black Gospel. Black Voices perform on 17 August, and there will be an informal performance for participants on the final Friday.

As at home in Mozart or Britten opera as she is in music theatre, Sarah Gabriel made her European debut as Eliza in My Fair Lady at the Théâtre du Châtelet, opposite Alex Jennings. Her vocal class is open to all singers. Sarah is particularly interested in being authentically yourself onstage, and in how to express your individuality. You can see her in action in her recital on 22 August.

These workshops will be taught on a one-to-one basis in front of the group. Equal time will be given to all participants, and piano/harpsichord accompaniment will be available. Participants should expect to attend all sessions in full, learning from their own coaching as well as from observing others.

You should bring 2 or 3 pieces with which you are already familiar, but which will allow you to work on the development of interpretation and technique.

We’re privileged to welcome the superb operatic tenor Tom Randle to direct this week’s vocal masterclass. Tom has international performing experience, from Renaissance and Baroque music through to contemporary song and opera, in great opera houses: Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Royal Opera House London, Staatsoper Berlin, Netherlands Opera and Los Angeles Opera. He welcomes a wide variety of repertoire.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details.

Two weeks of intense study, for the first week with Timothy Redmond, guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Professor of Conducting at the Guildhall School of Music. For the second week, we welcome Graeme Jenkins back to Dartington. He’s known for his enormous breadth of experience: with Glyndebourne, Opera Australia, Vienna State Opera and Covent Garden, and as Music Director of Dallas Opera.

The second week of this two-week course presents a fantastic opportunity to prepare and perform Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, with Tom Randle and students from the Advanced Opera Course, as well as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

This course offers both extensive podium time in front of the orchestra, as well as time working with pianists on the scores. This course is for a small group of 6 students, and there will be performance opportunities for all involved.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details. This is a two week course from 10-25 August.

Liverpool-born Stephen Pratt’s first orchestral work was premiered by Simon Rattle and the RLPO; since then he’s been an in-demand composer and conductor, well-known as a broadcaster on Radio 3’s Hear and Now.

This class is designed for people who like composing in all styles, as well as those who enjoy arranging and songwriting, with expert guidance in a friendly, collaborative atmosphere. Students will showcase their work in an informal concert at the end of the week.

We’re extraordinarily lucky to have one of the world’s greatest living composers, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, joining us this year in Dartington. A leading European figure in contemporary music, his seminal works have combined a modernist aesthetic with emotional impact; he takes his inspiration from contemporary art, and rituals of classical mythology and pre-history. This immersive course focuses on creating new music for the Gildas Quartet, the outstanding young clarinet trio Tritium Trio, and trumpeter Lucy Humphris, for performances at the end of the week. We’ll also be celebrating Harry’s 85th birthday, in a special concert.

This is an Advanced Selected course; please see the Advanced Courses page for application details.

Conductor, composer and clarinettist Steve Dummer directs a lively, enjoyable class especially for newcomers to jazz, or those with a classical background who want to brush up their skills.

Our trumpet class is open to trumpeters of all music backgrounds. Paul Archibald is one of UK’s busiest orchestral trumpeters, regularly working with Britten Sinfonia, London Philharmonic and his own English Brass Ensemble. Chris Batchelor is one of the coolest trumpeters in jazz. You’ll be learning music techniques in a variety of styles, and be working on a whole range of repertoire. There’ll be a chance to perform informally at the end of the week.

Steve Lodder is a leading jazz pianist, synth player and teacher, working with some of the coolest names in jazz. His course is open to intermediate jazz pianists and keyboard players who wish to develop their improvisation skills.

Alec Dankworth is one of the most stylish, imaginative jazz bassists around, and we’re delighted he’s coming to Dartington. Part of an amazing jazz dynasty – mother Cleo Laine, father John Dankworth and sister Jacqui Dankworth – Alec has worked with an extraordinary list of artists including Van Morrison, Stéphane Grappelli, Abdullah Ibrahim, and The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He’ll be coaching and inspiring jazz bassists at all levels.

Our fantastic jazz tutors focus on improvisation, collaboration and creativity, creating smaller jazz ensembles to work together. Jazz students will also be performing in our regular late night Jazz Jam in the White Hart on Thursday night.

Music will be provided at the start of the week.

Steve Dummer will be rehearsing the Dartington Big Band for the final Friday night bash. The repertoire will range from big band standards to more contemporary jazz pieces. Absolutely unmissable fun, this workshop is for saxes, brass and rhythm instruments.

Music will be provided at the start of the week.

The Rumanian pianist Florian Mitrea is always a huge hit at Summer School as a performer and teacher, and returns to run the Piano Workshop. Florian will guide pianists in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. He will coach anything from Bach to Bartók, but particularly likes the Viennese school of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. You’ll be able to choose between two different sessions.

Christopher Jones and Gemma Sharples (violin), Kay Stephen (viola) and Anna Menzies (cello) lead individual instrumental classes for string players in a friendly and supportive workshop environment.

This course, based on the gentle, fluid Scaravelli approach to yoga, is suitable for participants of all ages and abilities. Yoga is practised by many musicians; it’s a great way to loosen up the body before the day’s music making.