Dear cellist,
As we come to the end of the year, I just wanted to make contact with you and to let you know that there are courses and workshops for 2023, both in-person, and online now up on my website.
I love presenting this year’s new series All About My Bow which is attended by players from around the globe. This infinite subject is a constant source for us to explore together, enabling you to feel increasingly informed, as a player & musician, becoming more dextrous and understanding of this incredible art we are all developing. There is an exciting mix of professionals, old hands and newer cellists in class, and it’s been my intention to be able to work together on a short and enriching piece of music which reveals its technical-musical features that we need to uncover and examine, then express through our bow.
Also online, is the Online Time Line Series in which we take a piece from the wide-ranging Unsung Heroes Cello Ensemble repertoire and get under its skin, looking at phrasing, ensemble issues, and feel that by the end of class, we have got a good overview of the whole. I hope that players can then go and work further with their ensemble if they have one, or go on to create one and enjoy this remarkable music.
This coming year sees more of a return to in-person courses and workshops. The Unsung Heroes 1-day workshops take place in central Lewes, East Sussex and we start in April with a new score by Vaughan Williams I have arranged: a beautiful folk song that he set for two tenors and two basses so you can imagine the beautiful sound. Folk songs and Tudor music are at the heart of his musical identity and are also very much an influence in the early twentieth century in England. Later in the year, we will be playing radiant & rich music by Bruckner and music for winter-time which is a whole world in itself and always intrigues players.
In 2023 the Performance workshop is back! We get under the skin of nerves and you learn more about why and what we can do about them, while also playing in three different scenarios during the day.
We have some theatrical angles and a thrilling end to the day that tends to start with apprehension. Anyone is welcome to join. There is no repertoire list or minimum standard. You tell me what piece, sonata or concerto movement you want to perform, and the pianist will be there for you.
There are now two 6-day summer courses. The annual, magical Unsung Heroes Summer School is in late July and welcomes players from far and wide to immerse in a programme of music that feeds your soul. Our daily classes inform your technical and musical development alongside musicianship and getting a better historical grasp, which we all need. This is a time when players make friendships and feel a massive step forward in confidence, flow and all-round evolution. Lewes is a friendly & beautiful place to be. It’s easy to get around on foot and there are lovely walks as we are in a National Park, close to the sea and places like Rodmell, Glyndebourne and Brighton.
Those of you wanting an exciting challenge, and are an advanced or professional player, might like to join Through Coloured Glass, our new course. I send you a programme of remarkable music to get to know before we meet and then we work hard together and present a public performance at the end of the week. The music is played as a continuous cycle with a soundscape and we perform in a church at the top of town that is filled with stained glass. This year the church was completely full and the programme a hit! This coming year there is a new and stunning repertoire.
All my courses are small. I want players to feel noticed and not be lost in a crowd. You receive detailed notes at the end of each event as I want you to feel informed. We look at the historical context of our music and learn about style alongside technique. There is a reading list on my site that I hope intrigues and encourages you to constantly grow. You can also find beautiful volumes of our ensemble music at our publishing wing Vaulted Sky Music.
I am so lucky to be doing this work and I hope you are as enriched by our work together as I am.
With warm wishes, Catherine