The International Summer school and Festival

Now in its eighth year, the piano course at Chetham’s, described by Piano Magazine as a ‘Pianist’s Paradise’ and the Manchester Evening News as a ‘remarkable new event’ featuring ‘a galaxy of star names’, has attracted large audiences from all over the world. Piano Magazine wrote that the ‘seven-day programme of individual coaching, masterclasses, lectures and concerts could not have failed to satisfy even the most gluttonous and insatiable of piano enthusiasts’.

Due to the enormous popularity of the summer school, the eighth course sees an expansion into two weeks. This will allow for the ever increasing numbers to be accommodated more easily, extra courses to be added and even more faculty members. Participants may come for week one or week two. There are reductions in fees for participants who wish to attend both weeks.

A wealth of musical celebrities will come to Manchester for the course, offering inspirational teaching and world class recitals. Along with the piano course, there are additional classes in composition, improvisation and jazz together with the ever popular adult amateur on both weeks and Philosophy of Pianism (week 2).
The newly extended programme will offer organ (week 1), piano duet (week 2) and musical appreciation (week 1) for the first time.

With a faculty of over forty distinguished tutors, two recital halls (with model ‘D’ and ‘B’ Steinways), over 100 practice rooms (housing a magnificent lottery-funded fleet of grand and upright instruments), on-site accommodation and meals, Chetham’s has proved time and time again to be an outstanding piano course.

The course schedule of evening recitals, lectures and masterclasses again promises to be entertaining and thought-provoking, providing a balance and contrast to the one-to-one tuition which will take place during the morning and afternoon sessions each day.

Once enrolled on the summer school, participants will be allocated unrivalled practice facilities which will be available to them throughout the week. This is a special and important feature unique to the Chetham’s Summer School, and one which many will find attractive.

All accommodation is within the school and the entire faculty lives alongside the residential participants. The atmosphere is made unique by the fact that faculty and participants dine and socialise together enabling everyone to feel very welcome – so much so that there are many ‘regulars’ who come every year.

Participants on the piano course will be assigned a personal teacher for the duration of the course. They will receive individual o n e – t o - o n e lessons totalling three hours, spread out over the six days of teaching, and will be part of a class of between four – eight students. There will be opportunities to play in one or more of the daily workshops or masterclasses to some of the other tutors on the course, as well as the chance to perform in the student recitals which take place every day.

The additional courses also offer three hours of individual lessons (with the exception of musical appreciation); the Improvisation course offers the unique opportunity to develop extemporising skills under the guidance of some of the world’s leading authorities on keyboard improvisation – Douglas Finch (week 1) and Steve Berry (week 2) They will also have opportunities to perform.

Participants who wish to study composition will have daily sessions, workshops and individual coaching with the legendary Ronald Stevenson (week 1) and John McLeod (week 2).

Students may also study jazz piano with Internationally acclaimed performer Harry Harris (week 1) and distinguished Chetham’s tutor Les Chisnall (week 2).There will be workshop concerts, intense individual study and opportunities for performance during the week.

Jeremy Siepmann’s course ‘The Philosophy of Pianism’ was launched at the 2006 Festival and was a huge success. Siepmann will give each selected participant lessons on music of their choice, exploring the interpretive challenges in each work presented in his unique, visionary and all-encompassing style.

The Adult Amateur course has proved very popular with enthusiastic adult amateurs for whom performances are preferable in small relaxed venues. This year the course will be coordinated by Kathryn Page, who will meet all the participants at the welcome reception. The week will be planned out so that discussions can take place on subjects that are of interest to the group. Every afternoon there will be a two-hour discussion and workshop performance class in addition to daily meetings with various members of the faculty. One of the smaller recital rooms will be reserved in the evening for the exclusive use of the adult amateur course, where performances can evolve in a spontaneous manner. This will all take place alongside the three hours of individual lessons.