We are organising a day of coaching and playing on 9 March 2019. This promises to be an enjoyable social occasion as well as a chance to get some insights from very highly respected professionals. The venue will be the Pavilion, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham GL51 6PN (parking available). The day will run from 9.30 to 5.00, with two sectionals and two full orchestra sessions, conducted by Stephen. We will be playing music from our upcoming Latin America concert (Copland, Ginastera, Piazzolla).
The tutors will be:
Brass: James Topp. James Topp studied the French Horn with Hugh Seenan and Jeff Bryant at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and went on to pursue a highly varied freelance career working with many of the major UK orchestras as well as playing in the West End and the recording studio. He has been Principal Horn of the Worcestershire-based English Symphony Orchestra since 2004. Solo appearances include Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with ESO and with the Trafalgar Sinfonia at St-Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as chamber appearances with Fine Arts Brass Ensemble and the Allegri Quartet. James holds teaching positions in several schools in the Worcestershire area and beyond, and is very active in youth and amateur music-making as a conductor, arranger and ensemble and orchestral coach.
Woodwind: Alison Lambert. Clarinettist Alison Lambert studied at the Royal Northern College of Music before winning a scholarship to study with Professor Wolfgang Meyer at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Karlsruhe, Germany. Upon completion of her studies she went on to hold the position of Principal Bass Clarinet in the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel. Alison has performed as a soloist with the Hallé Orchestra, Jerusalem Hillel Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra and Collegium Musicum, Heidelberg. Radio broadcasts include a live performance as part of the BBC Proms/Radio 3 Chamber Music Series of Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Quintet and orchestral appearances at the BBC proms. Alison is currently Principal Clarinet of the English Symphony Orchestra and Longborough Festival Opera. She also performs with BBC national Orchestra of Wales and as clarinetist for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has been clarinet tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama since 2003.
Upper strings: Michael Bochmann has produced over 50 recordings with the BBC in his work with the Bochmann Quartet, as concert master of the English String Orchestra and Orchestra Pro Anima and as a soloist, and worked extensively with Yehudi Menuhin. He is a professor of violin and chamber music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and has initiated many ground-breaking and pioneering educational projects.
Lower strings: David Powell. David Powell has been a Sub-Principal Cello at the CBSO for many years.
The cost is a contribution of £10.00, to include teas and coffees and a buffet lunch provided by Jane’s Pantry bakers.