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Canford Conductors | |||
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Home Canford Summer School of Music Canford Conductors Course The 2008 Canford Course The Practical Conducting Course with Rodolfo Saglimbeni Conducting Weekend Jan 2009 with Denise Ham Other events during the year Previous Years' Courses Resources Links |
Introduction The Canford Conductors' Course runs over a three week period each summer. The Practical Conducting Course in the first week of the summer school, with tutor Rodolfo Saglimbeni is a good preparation for the course run by George Hurst over the following two weeks, and is ideal for less experienced conductors The course run by George Hurst takes place in weeks two and three of the summer school. Students can attend either the first or second week of this course, the weeks being carefully balanced to give the same number of sessions in all aspects of conducting. Students can also attend both weeks, making a complete two week course, during which time their individual progress is monitored so that they gain the maximum benefit from their time. The course is structured in such a way that it can accommodate students ranging in ability from near-beginners through to experience professional musicians. Students often return in subsequent years - sometimes as often as five
or more times. The structure of the course means that students can progress
at their own speed and that returning students receive continuity from year
to year. The courses are orchestral-based and the repertoire is chosen from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Conductors' Course starts on the Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm and in this initial session, so that the tutors can assess their needs, each student is invited to conduct a section from any piece of their choice from the repertoire list of that week. The schedule for each week comprises daily technique sessions and a mixture of workshops with either orchestra or keyboard and vocal resources from the group. For the keyboard and vocal workshops the class is divided into four groups and each student is given an individual lesson within the group. There are also regular orchestral and instrumental workshops so that all students receive at least two lessons with orchestra. Each day begins with the famous Canford technique session outside on one of the lawns: at 9.00am Denise Ham begins with a warm up for the whole group which is then divided between three tutors for the remaining 20 minutes. Every aspect of technique is covered over the course of the two weeks. Every afternoon, Maestro Hurst takes a repertoire session with the class orchestra or with pianos, working through one of two conductors so that the whole class receives a lesson on the piece. Once a week there is an evening repertoire session using an expanded orchestra from the rest of the summer school. The weekly schedule also includes musicianship classes and two choral singing sessions with Julian Wilkinson. The aim is to make the course as comprehensive a period of training as possible. A typical day is as follows:
The course is based around a list of works published in advance. Orchestral parts and piano reductions are hired by the course organiser and used in the sessions. The published advice to students is to prepare all the scores but if they are unable to do so they will gain more benefit from knowing two or three works well. To get the most out of the course it is of course beneficial to know all the scores. Technique is an important part of any conducting course. The one taught at Canford, when mastered, gives students an ideal foundation for further development. New students who are unfamiliar with the technique can see it in action in the two DVD or video set The Craft of Conducting by one of the course tutors Denise Ham. The first part of The Compleat Conductor by Gunther Schuller is entitled A Philosophy of Conducting and describes very well, the philosophy on which the Canford teaching is based. Course Director: George Hurst Pianists: Toby Purser & Francois Salignac |
Introduction Course Structure Lawn Technique Workshop sessions Musicianship Classes Concert Hall Repertoire Sessions Library Repertoire Sessions Choral Singing Reperotire and Preparations Baton Tecnhique Tutors
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