BASBWE Events and Festivals
BASBWE Wind Band Conductor's Course and Symphonic
Wind Orchestra 2010
8th to 15th August 2010
Timothy
Reynish, Mark Heron, Russell Cowieson
Basbwe is committed to
providing opportunities for conductors involved in wind music to further their
skills. A key aspect of this is the Basbwe / Canford conducting course which has
been running since 1991. Read on for information about the 2010 course, or click
here for some history and a review of 2007 & 2008.
Conducting Course
The course is for wind band conductors
at the intermediate and advanced levels. Up to twenty-five students will be accepted
as "active" participants working from an extensive repertoire list. Observers
are also encouraged and will be fully involved in general technique sessions, discussions
and playing in the class ensemble, but they will only conduct at the discretion
of the tutors.
The class will explore conducting techniques, score preparation,
rehearsal and training skills. A CD and score library will be available for reference
and special emphasis will be placed on extending the knowledge of repertoire at
all levels. A DVD recorder will be used to analyse technical requirements and development
and all participants will have the opportunity to continually review their work
during the course, and to take away a DVD at the end of the week. The course will
run concurrently with the Symphonic Wind Orchestra and there will be close liaison
between the two. All participants should bring with them any instruments they play,
in order to accommodate ensemble work within the class (if for any reason you unable
to bring your instrument(s), please let the summer school office know when you enrol).
Students are required to prepare their chosen repertoire thoroughly before commencement
of the course. All students are asked to prepare either Basford or Milhaud to conduct
in the first session.
Obtaining Scores
Links have been provided to the publishers,
many of whom have efficient online ordering systems.
Just Music is a sheet
music retailer specialising in wind music and should be able to obtain all of these
items, even if not listed in their online catalogue. The Maecenas site does not
have an online ordering facility but they deal very quickly with email and telephone
orders.
Preparation and Repertoire Selection
Participants
are not expected to thoroughly prepare all of the repertoire, although you may if
you wish. It is far better to learn 3 or 4 pieces very well than to have only a
very superficial knowledge of them all.
Everyone should prepare a movement of Songs and Refrains or Suite Francaise as these will be used in the first session of
the week during which everyone will conduct for a few minutes in order that a quick
assessment can be made of each participant. The Mozart will be covered in a
couple of chamber music sessions during the week, and it is certainly worth preparing
all or some of that work.
Participants may find some of the articles on conducting,
score study and rehearsal technique available in the
articles section of this
site, at www.timreynish.com
and at www.markheron.co.uk
useful.
Course Structure
The course is essentially egalitarian.
To a large extent, all participants receive equal amounts of podium time and generally
most people conduct every day. Most of the sessions are with the class ensemble,
which is often augmented by extra players. Some of the more advanced students will
have the opportunity to work on occasions with the Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Unlike
many conducting courses, this one where you will actually have the chance to conduct!
Any questions or enquiries about repertoire, preparation or the course content
can be directed to
Mark Heron.
All applications or other administrative enquiries must be
made through the
Canford Summer School website, where information about cost, location, administration
can be found along with application details.
Symphonic Wind Orchestra
The Symphonic Wind Orchestra is designed for experienced amateurs and students to
play and study significant repertoire for Wind Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. A regular
feature of the course will be chamber music as well as wind ensemble playing. Some
of the repertoire will be studied in depth, the remainder in repertoire sessions.
| Ball |
Resurgam |
| Ball, Michael |
Saxophone Concerto |
| Bourgeois |
Symphony of Wind |
| Coleman |
Jazz Funeral |
| Fletcher |
Vanity Fair |
| Grainger |
Lincolnshire Posy |
| Hesketh |
Vranjanka |
| McCabe |
Canyons |
| Milhaud |
Suite Francaise |
| Taylor |
Blasket Dances |
| Woolfenden |
French Impressions |
For further information, including how to apply, please visit the
Canford Summer School
site.
Timothy Reynish held principal horn positions
with the Northern Sinfonia, Sadlers Wells Opera and the City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra before joining the Royal Northern College of Music as Tutor in Conducting
and later Head of School of Wind and Percussion. He studied conducting with George
Hurst, Dean Dixon, and Franco Farrara, was a prizewinner in the Mitropulos International
Conducting Competition, and has conducted orchestras and wind ensembles in Canada,
Scandinavia, Europe the Middle East and North and South America.
Since leaving the
RNCM he has worked unstintingly to raise both the performing standards and the quality
of music played by wind orchestras and ensembles around the world - indeed he has
commissioned a copious number of major works himself. Following a term as President
of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles he currently spends much
of his year commuting between America and the UK with the occasional trip to Australia!
Mark Heron studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music &
Drama, the Royal Northern College of Music and in international
masterclasses with Neeme Järvi and Jorma Panula. In 2005 he won
the Neeme Järvi Conducting Competition and the following year was
selected by the London Symphony Orchestra to participate in their
mentoring scheme for young conductors. Mark is Music Director of
the Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Liverpool Mozart Orchestra,
Manchester University Symphony Orchestra and the National Youth
Wind Orchestra of Israel. He is a member of the conducting faculty
at the RNCM where he works with all of the college's orchestras
and ensembles and regularly records contemporary music with the
RNCM Wind Orchestra. As a guest conductor Mark works regularly
with orchestras in Finland, Estonia, Germany and Israel as well as
in the UK. Increasingly well regarded in the field of conductor
training, Mark teaches at the RNCM, Manchester University, the
Royal Air Force and Canford Summer School. You can find out more
about his activities at:
www.markheron.co.uk
Russell Cowieson studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music
and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music. Conducting studies
were undertaken with Tim Reynish, Baldur Brönnimann and George
Hurst. He is Musical Director of the Edinburgh University
Symphony Orchestra and the newly formed Scottish National Wind
Orchestra which is in residence at the RSAMD.
In 2007 Russell was appointed Artistic Director of the BASBWE
International Wind Festival held at the RSAMD and in 2008 served
on the faculty of the Royal Northern College of Music Conducting
Weekend. Russell has worked with Young Sinfonia, the RNCM Junior
Orchestra, the RSAMD Wind Orchestra, the RSAMD Junior School and
Cambridgeshire Youth Wind Orchestra.