Summer Winds & Piano

Summer Winds & Piano is a week celebrating and exploring the diverse world of ensemble playing for wind players and pianists. Spanning all scales of ensemble, you will have the opportunity to play mainstay quintet and sextet repertoire, alongside duets and trios and, new to this year’s course, sessions for large mixed wind ensemble.  

We cover a wide range of music, giving you the chance to explore different styles, instrument combinations and levels of difficulty. Participants will mix throughout the course, coming together for large ensemble sessions. In addition, everyone will be allocated to one fixed ensemble, giving you the time to revisit and focus in depth on a particular piece across the course.  

There will also be moments to play on additional instruments such as E flat and bass clarinets, cor anglais and alto flute during the larger ensemble sessions. Recorder players are encouraged to bring their instruments for additional sessions with recorder tutor Jean McCreery. 

With a tutor team of experienced players and educators, led by bassoonist Martin Gatt, you will be encouraged to enhance ensemble and sight-reading skills, while also revisiting fundamental techniques like breathing, posture, and musicianship. 

By the end of the course, you will have:  

• Explored a piece of wind chamber music in depth
• Played diverse repertoire across different instrument combinations
• Expanded your ensemble playing skills in both small and large ensemble
• Practiced and improved your sightreading skills
• Revisited and embedded fundamental techniques around breathing, posture and musicianship  

The course is taught in a number of different sessions, including:  

Home ensemble sessions, which will focus on a piece of set repertoire 

Mixed ensemble session, which will give you the opportunity to explore different repertoire in different combinations of participant 

Large ensemble sessions 

One-to-one sessions with piano with tutor John Human (subject to availability) 

Recorder playing sessions with tutor Jean McCreery 

This course is for wind players and pianists at the Confident level. You will be looking to explore different forms of ensemble playing, refresh your core skills, and will be up for stretching and challenging yourself.  

The course will include playing one to a part and approaching music for the first time. Your sightreading skills will be largely confident, allowing you and your fellow participants to explore pieces in depth.  

You are not expected to prepare any music in advance. Music will be provided during the course, with an extensive library of wind ensemble music available for you to explore.  

Please bring any additional instruments (e.g. bass clarinet, cor anglais, alto flute) and recorders, if you have them.