REYNARD MUSIC WIND & STRINGS WEEKEND
Winds, Strings & Piano
Chamber music and Palm Court Orchestra Playing
19:00 Friday dinner, 29 June to Sunday ~16:30 tea, 1 July, 2012
Middle Aston Leadership Centre, Middle Aston, Bicester, OX25 5PT (between Oxford & Banbury)
Cordon bleu cooking, en suite de luxe rooms, friendly staff, 17th Century manor house, 20 acres of rolling grassland, woods and lake with views over the Oxfordshire hills - visit www.middleastonhouse.com to see the pictures.
This will be a most memorable weekend of music-making, with wind (flute, oboe, clarinet, French Horn & bassoon), strings (including Double Bass), and mixed chamber music, with or without piano; clarinet choir; saxophone ensembles; Light Orchestra; Composer workshop; and the 'New Tricks' experience (see below).
Piano:- 7 1/2 octave Suzuki digital piano with weighted keys and full sound via amplifier
Tutors: this year's 'dream team' of Val Brodie, renowned for fostering amateur music making, both wind and strings, and Simon Dewhurst, oboe player, teacher and technique author, have both committed the weekend to their diaries.
Depending on numbers, further tutors may be drawn from: Keiron Anderson, Nottingham Symphonic Winds; Gavin Davies, Richard Leigh, Brian Schiele, Suzie Walden, Judy Tarling (strings); Graham Fitch (piano)
And what is the 'New Tricks' ensemble? I hear you cry.
You're a violinist, and have always wondered what it's like to play a double bass. You're a piccolo player and look with wonder at the Contrabass clarinet. You once learned the bassoon, then moved to viola, but have always thought, what if…..?
The plan is, with pre-warning, I obtain the relevant instruments on loan then, under the guidance, (U3A style), of an experienced player of the instrument, you have a go. You're an experienced musician so you don't have to learn to read music, just focus on producing sound. The loan is for the whole weekend, so you can practice your socks off, in between normal sessions, with the (flexible) target of, by the end of the weekend, coming together with the other 'New Tricksters' and playing in an ensemble for real! At the 2011 course a violinist tried the clarinet, a bassoonist the horn, and 2 clarinettists the bassoon!
Let me know if this is of interest and what instrument. I will then present a list to 'the Trade' for instruments 'on approval'. After all, if you love the alternative instrument, you might buy one! (I will do the fetching and carrying, unless you already own the instrument you wish to work on.)
CHARGES (subject to inflation) (all de-luxe en-suite rooms, dinner, bed, breakfast & lunch plus refreshments Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon)
Shared: £280
Single: £320
Non-resident: £190
Saturday only (incl. lunch, dinner & evening playing): £100
Sunday only (incl. roast lunch): £70
Non-player, sharing: £220
Please bring a music stand.
For newcomers - at least grade 6 ability is probably needed for you to enjoy the weekend.
For booking form, click on: 12-06Aston-W&S-Booking.html
Please tell me if you wish to be added to/removed from the e-mailing list.
Looking forward to seeing you. Don't hesitate to get in touch with any queries.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED - THE MORE THE MERRIER!
Michael
Michael T Watkins
Reynard Music
4 Reynard Way
NORTHAMPTON
NN2 8QX
01604-845-885