Go on, give it a go

CoMa's Contemporary Music Summer School runs from Sunday 29 July to Saturday 4 August at Bangor University in North Wales, encouraging all of us whether experienced or not to try something new. CoMA (Contemporary Music for All) has run summer schools since 1993 and they have recently started doing them as a joint initiative with the ELLO Late Starter String Summer School. The summer school is intended to help broaden the horizons of all musicians, providing a non-competitive teaching programme which is accessible and exciting for both the inexperienced and the experienced. I attended one some years ago and have always intended to go back, finding them exciting and stimulating, giving me the opportunity to try things that I'd never thought about before.


This year, the tutors are percussionist Joby Burgess, pianist Mary Dullea, composer Larry Goves, mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberg, instrumentalist/composer Zac Gvirtzman and pianist/composer Adam Swayne. Classes include a daily vocal warm up, an examination of iconic techniques for the modern composer and key 20th century works, improvisation, performing renaissance choral music, an exploration of John Cage's song books and Adam Swayne's 'composer in a week' class! Most of the classes are aimed at challenging the experience and supporting the beginner. Everyone collaborates on a joint performance of Stephen Montague's Dark Sun. 


Bangor is 3 hours by train from London and there are accommodation options ranging from self-catering to full-board or even being a day visitor and staying in the Bangor Hilton. All sounds very tempting doesn't it? 


More information from the CoMA website.