The summer school and festival formerly known as Dartington
NewsShut down by the original venue, the festival has found new grounds in the east of England but is no longer allowed to use its former name.
Here’s the outline ex-Dartington programme for summer 2024 at Gresham’s School in Norfolk.
The Music Summer School and Festival will operate from Saturday 27th July to Saturday 10th August 2024, offering a wide range of participatory courses along with a full programme of concerts, talks and events. Courses are offered across a variety of musical disciplines including choral singing and vocal music; orchestras and ensembles; individual instrumental and vocal classes and workshops; medieval, renaissance and baroque ensembles; jazz and improvisation; wind band and string ensemble; chamber music; and composition.
Week 1 of The Music Summer School and Festival (27th July to 3rd August) will feature the following courses: Choir, directed by Andrew Griffiths and working on Bach’s St John Passion; Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir directed by Stile Antico; Baroque Orchestra directed by Steven Devine; Composition for Piano directed by Rolf Hind; Harpsichord directed by Skip Sempé; Organ directed by David Titterington; Music from Renaissance Italy directed by The City Musick; Baroque Chamber Music directed by the Brook Street Band; Voice workshop directed by Kate Semmens; Song and Lieder directed by James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook; Chamber Music directed by Rhiannon Evans; Improvisation directed by Jamie Akers; Medieval Wind directed by Emily Baines; Indian Classical Music and the conjunction with English traditional music directed by Katie de la Matter, Debipriya Sircar, Jonathan Mayer and Sanju Sahai; along with jazz and improvisation courses and a series of talks.
Week 2 of The Music Summer School and Festival (3rd August to 10th August) will feature the following courses: Choir, directed by Dame Jane Glover and working on Mozart’s Requiem; Chamber Music directed by Rhiannon Evans and the Atéa Wind Quintet, Composition and Sculpture directed by Stephen Montague and Alex Julyan; Piano directed by Florian Mitrea; Harpsichord directed by Mahan Esfahani; Advanced Wind directed by Nicholas Daniel; Wind Ensemble directed by Steve Dummer; Opera Ensembles directed by Pippa Dames Longworth, Leah Hausman and Andrew Smith; Brass directed by Paul Archibald; along with individual courses for voice, violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, chamber choir, open composition and string ensemble.
Gresham’s School will provide a magical setting for The Music Summer School and Festival with outstanding facilities across the site. Concerts will take place every day in a range of venues including the Chapel, the Fishmongers’ Hall in the Britten Music Building, the Auden Theatre and the Theatre in the Woods.
Booking is now open for The Music Summer School and Festival at www.mssf.org.uk.
The Music Summer School and Festival 2024 is programmed by Richard Heason, Chief Executive of The Dartington International Summer School Foundation. The Music Summer School and Festival is an initiative of The Dartington International Summer School Foundation, a registered charity, No.272163.
Richard Heason says “The new Music Summer School and Festival at Gresham’s School promises to continue the Summer School tradition of bringing together musicians from all experiences and backgrounds for a wonderful and immersive time of creative exploration. We look forward to welcoming keen amateur musicians, talented students, young professionals and globally renowned artists, all to work together in the beautiful setting of north Norfolk. Expect fabulous concerts, intensive learning, convivial hospitality and music from dawn through to late into the night. Join us next summer in Norfolk for The Music Summer School and Festival.”
I’m sure that a new name will soon catch on, and Gresham’s is a very good new location, with the advantage that both Benjamin Britten and Lennox Berkeley were former pupils there and, among the music masters, were Geoffrey Shaw (brother of Martin) and, following him and in Britten’s time, Walter Greatorex, composer of that fine hymn tune ‘Woodlands’ (‘Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!’). Good luck to them all – I’m sure they will be very happy there.
“Woodlands” is forever associated for me with singing “Far round the world, Thy children sing thy song”, my favourite hymn during my years at Malvern Wells Primary School. Everything else has to be a tawdry second-rate use of it…
Good luck to this new summer school. I hope the courses are fully booked. The programmes look impressive, although specific faculty must be announced for the jazz and improvisation courses for them not to appear as mere afterthoughts.
It isn’t the legendary Dartington Summer School though, and the sooner the ambition of the Elmhirsts can return to replace the dire asset stripping mentality of the Dartington Trust, the better for the health of the UK arts.
Out of mild curiosity, by what claim of right does anyone forbid the Dartington Festival from using the name Dartington? It’s a (granted, now displaced) place name, not somebody’s trademark. And if there is some legal basis for it, I suggest the new one be called the Notting Ardmus Festival. You’re welcome, no charge.
Taking its cue from a well-known brand of stuff to spread on bread, couldn’t they call it “The I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-Dartington Festival”?