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Cello Weekend 2018 in Review

It seems a lifetime ago that the 2018 Cello Weekend happened. Two very full months ago a wonderful cross-section of cellists came together to play, learn, and celebrate making music and one another. The ethos of the weekend is one of inclusion and of expanding experience.

In everyday life opportunities to experience and participate in music making can be difficult to find – especially if you play a big orchestral instrument and are perhaps not in an orchestra. What about other opportunities? You may be too young, or think you are too old, or not good enough, or don’t know anyone, or don’t know where to look, or there just aren’t many opportunities near you, or…

This is my contribution to cellists at the University and in the locality. This was the 11th Cello Weekend at the University of Chichester.We spend two days rehearsing and workshopping various material. This year we worked with James Halsey who gave a lovely masterclass and Dave Morgan who introduced us to jazz, and in the end we pull it together for our friends and families in an informal concert.

There is something about actively making music with others that is a tonic to life and the encroaching, fast-paced nature of the world. The music unfolds in real time, you cannot skip forward and still ‘get it’ and it cannot be done alone. Each part is important – from the beginners playing mostly open strings to those playing the transcribed violin parts from the orchestral works. The music teaches us to move and dance and breathe together. We learn awareness of those around us as we watch and fit together, and the discipline of demanding achievement from ourselves. After all, learning takes work!

Next year? 

The date is below and I will be adding chamber music (by popular request) and an optional series of advanced technique classes (because well, I love my scales and exercises really!).

The embedded video of the concert should play on this page, however if you click to have it in a new screen, the table of contents will appear and you can click straight to the beginning of the different pieces- timings are listed below as well.

  • Capriol Suite 1 Basse-Danse
  • Capriol Suite 2 Pavane (2:18)
  • Capriol Suite 3 Tordion (4:39)
  • Capriol Suite 4 Bransles (6:51)
  • Capriol Suite 6 Mattachins (Sword Dance) (10:51)
  • Somebody that I used to know (13:06)
  • Theme from Brahms First Symphony (18:32)
  • St Paul’s Suite Jig (23:00)
  • All blues with Dave Morgan, trumpet (27:26)
  • He’s a pirate! (Pirates of the Caribbean) (35:46)

and next year… save the date!

Cello Weekend 2019: April 6-7, University of Chichester

I’ll finish with a few pictures from this year…

Before it began… 

 

 

 

 

 

and then there was so much music!

 

 

 

 

Plenty of smiles as we learned the music 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gumpf to play in front of everyone to a new teacher. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who shrunk my cello!?! (oh it was one of the lovely cello biscuits!) …and lastly… the cakes! 🙂

 

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