Catherine Rose's Office |
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‘….Michael is a virtuoso teacher’ – George Hurst Our Baton Supplier......is J.P. Guivier of Mortimer Street, London, W1W 7SX.To visit their site, click here. or telephone 01234 714959. Dates of upcoming courses will be announced shortly. The Olney CentreOur courses take place at the Olney Centre on Olney High Street. The building is a converted and extended Victorian school, with large, high-ceilinged classrooms and big windows. It has been sympathetically restored and is very well equipped and appointed. It is highly accessible to wheelchair users and those with mobility problems. The Centre's car-park is to be found behind the building, on West Street.People have enjoyed the cake we supply on the courses so much that we have included the recipe here as a Word Document. [read more] | OLNEY CONDUCTING WORKSHOPSOlney Conducting Workshops now has a new website with new dates and more details. Click here to find it.New Dates for 2007-8:
More details on the new site. Beethoven Study Day
Our study day on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony took place on Sunday, 26th August, with five students. It was deemed a successful and interesting day, with discussion of both the sturcture and style of the work, editing anomalies and decisions, technique for conducting certain passages, and breaks for eating cake. Anyone can ask us to arrange a Study Day: we can advertise it to other potential students and arrange a suitable date. If you are coming up to a big performance, or aiming to programme a challenging work in the near future, it is a useful tool, allowing you to explore and approach a work with the support of a group of like-minded musicians. Click here to contact us. Students' feedbackOCC4"I'm writing to say how much I enjoyed the Conducting course this weekend. Michael's tuition has been insightful and fascinating in suggesting different ways to conduct. ... I'd like to say thank you for organising the event so thoroughly. I can't find fault with anything at all, especially the food! It has certainly been one of the most worthwhile music courses I have ever attended and worth every single penny." "A really supportive and friendly atmostphere. Michael instructs and guides each student and then gives them the confidence to actually ‘do it’." "Michael’s insights into musical gesture were a revelation. His friendly manner puts you completely at ease, ready to gain from his wealth of experience." OCC3 "As ever, OCC offers exceptional value for money. Michael's teaching is thorough and insightful, speaking to musicians of all ages and abilities - I would recommend the OCCs to anyone - and often do." "I was extremely impressed by the way in which Michael took people on from where they were - and that was a whole variety of places! He displayed a mixture of encouragement and challenge, a flexible and effective teaching style." OCC2: "Thank you all for your encouragement, help, advice and cake. You have restored my confidence in my ability." "I gained more real conducting experience here in two days than I could in a week at some other places." "I did overhear [a fellow student] saying how wonderful it was that everyone came with such humility and were prepared to take advice with such grace." OCC1: “Thanks for a lovely weekend. It was really very useful to remind myself of all the bad habits I have picked up over the years … Your good advice immediately went into action on Tuesday with the area youth orchestra to great effect.” “Thank you for a truly enjoyable and inspiring conducting course this weekend. It was an honour to be part of the first ‘Olney Conducting Course’.” “A wonderful weekend – so much information! Michael is an excellent exponent of the genre. Roll on the next one!” | Students' NewsSimon Tillier in Canada
Simon Tillier left his teaching work in Hertfordshire last year to do an MMus in conducting with Glenn Price at the University of Calgary in Canada. He is about to enter his second year as graduate assistant conductor. He also conducts a number of amateur groups and has been adjudicating and running clinics for ensembles. This photo shows him as guest conductor of the Israeli National Youth Wind Orchestra in their Spring Course this year. He has also taken part classes with Gerhard Markson in Ireland, done a week's conducting at Eastern Illinois University and then visited Saskatoon for a course with 85 year old Morihiro Okabe from the Toho Gauken School of Music in Japan. Phil Brunton becomes conductor of Stevenage Symphony Orchestra
Phil has asked us to include his 'thanks to Michael for his inspiring, knowledgeable and practical teaching and thanks to you for your organisation of the Conducting courses'. We wish Phil well in his new post. Jack Smith join WCMD Conductors' Course
Jack Smith (OCCs 1-4) has graduated from Trinity College of Music with a First and joins the Conducting Course at the Welsh College of Music and Drama this September. We congratulate him on his signal achievements and wish him well. Peter Fender and the Philhamonia Brittanica
Peter has established a new orchestra in London, which has already given one concert and plans and ambitious programme for 2007-8. To visit the orchestra's website, click here. His next concert is on Sunday 16 September at 7:00 pm inSt Silas Church, Penton Street, N1 9UL, with Anthony Halstead, another OCW student, as Horn soloist and the poet John Hands. the programme includes Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Mozart's Horn Concerto 4 and Brahms's Symphony No 1. | ||||||||||||
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