Our Bromley Activity Day is organised by James Turnbull in conjunction with Hilary Dennis. James is an oboe tutor at the Junior Royal College of Music and the Purcell School, and Hilary is an oboe tutor and ABRSM Examiner who has organised the South London Ensemble and Double Reed days for several years. Additional oboe tutors will be Elizabeth Relph and Amy Roberts, with Francesca Carpos, Simon Chiswell, and Jonathan Price as bassoon tutors.
There will be a variety of different activities in the sessions, with a strong emphasis on playing together; tutors will draw on their wide experience as soloists, chamber, and orchestral musicians to provide specialist coaching. There will be mixing and matching for everyone according to playing standard and repertoire, all in a friendly, supportive, and non-judgmental environment!
Activities will include:
- Warm-ups and getting back into shape – daily warm-ups to keep our lips, fingers, and brain in good shape.
- Orchestral solos – have you ever wanted to play your favourite orchestral solo? Just bring it along and receive tips from your tutor on how to play it beautifully!
- Performance classes – if you have been working on a piece then this is a good opportunity for you to play it with an expert pianist and improve your performance with tutor advice. (These sessions are optional.)
- Reed adjustment – is my reed too hard or too soft? Is it appropriate for the piece I am playing? How can I choose a good reed? Bring along questions such as these and share experiences and advice with your tutor and other players.
- Ensembles – do you enjoy playing chamber music in small groups with other players? We will carefully select players of matching standards to take part in sessions coached by our tutors. We will explore topics such as tuning, leading and following, breathing together, and period style.
- Informal concert – at the end of the day there will be a concert for friends and family in two parts. In the first part, ensemble groups will play one of the pieces they have encountered during the day. In the second part, there will be a substantial piece in which everyone will join. If you play an alternative instrument, do bring it along, as there are parts for piccolo oboe, d’amore, cor anglais, bass oboe, and contra.
The Day is open to all playing standards. You should bring along your own music (solo and piano parts) if you have chosen to participate in the performance classes. We are fortunate in having David French as accompanist for the day. For the orchestral solos session, if you don’t have your own music, you can download much music from the IMSLP website. We can also make suggestions for you if you contact us.
You will experience the joy of playing chamber music with like-minded others, and learn more about how to play your instrument.
You can view our COVID-19 and Safe-guarding statements here.
Applications are now closed.