Students are welcome to join this course as participants or observers. The course will comprise daily technique sessions, workshops with either pianos or the class orchestra where students will receive individual tuition, musicianship classes and repertoire sessions with a larger orchestra which take place Monday to Thursday. The course will begin at 14.30hrs on Sunday afternoon. In this session p
articipants will be invited to conduct a short extract of their choice from the set repertoire so that the tutors can make a preliminary assessment of their needs. All students who play an orchestral instrument are asked to bring their instrument(s) and play in the class orchestra. Students who are competent pianists will be asked to assist with playing piano reductions where necessary. Observers participate in technique sessions and are invited to play in the class orchestra but do not receive individual tuition; however, there is an opportunity towards the end of the week for them to conduct if they so wish. Early in the week, John Longstaff will give a series of three evening classes on score learning techniques to assist preparation of the week’s repertoire. These classes are in addition to the course and if you wish to take part in them a separate fee will be payable, £10.00 for one class or £20.00 for all three. These classes can be booked at the school through the summer school office. TUTORS:
Rodolfo Saglimbeni returned to live in his native Venezuela in 1987 to become one of its leading conductors. He studied at the RAM (where he won many prizes) with Colin Metters, George Hurst and John Carewe and in Rome with Franco Ferrara. He was first runner up at the Besançon International Competition for Conductors in 185 and also won fellowships from the British Council and the Philharmonia Chorus. He was Associate Conductor of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra and is the founder and Artistic Director of the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra. His concerts are regularly broadcast on radio and television in Venezuela and the South American Network. He has conducted extensively in Italy, Spain, France, the USA and many South American countries and his recordings on CD, radio and television include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the works of many Venezuelan composers. He holds the position of professor of conducting at the University Institute for Musical Studies in Caracas. Denise Ham studied the piano and cello at Trinity College of Music and conducting with George Hurst. From 1989 to 2009 she was tutor in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and in 2006 established the conducting course at Blackheath Conservatoire in London. She has held principal conductorships with the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra, The Birmingham Conservatoire Junior School Symphony Orchestra and the Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra. From 1987 to 2007 she was an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Denise’s instructional DVD The Craft of Conducting has sold throughout Europe and the United States as well as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Slovenia and Iceland. Many conductors have testified to its effectiveness in helping their work and study. Toby Purser, Artistic Director and founder of the Orion Orchestra, studied with George Hurst, Ilya Musin and Colin Metters. He has recently conducted concerts at the Cadogan Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, and Symphony Hall in Birmingham. Operatic performances have included The Marriage of Figaro (English National Opera), La fille du regiment (Opera Della Luna at Iford Arts), and La Canterina (Bampton Classical Opera) as well as recording a Bel Canto CD with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and tenor Jesús León. As a regular guest conductor at Grange Park Opera he has recently directed Fortunio (a production that was also performed at the Buxton Festival) as well as performances of Madam Butterfly, Eugen Onegin and Rigoletto in previous seasons. Apart from being on the conducting staff at Sherborne Summer School, Toby also teaches on other courses in the UK
John Longstaff read music at Girton College, Cambridge and studied conducting at Canford Summer School of Music. He came second in the 1988 Leeds Conductors Competition and has held full time positions as rehearsal pianist and conductor at the Opera House in Kiel, Germany and with Northern Ballet. In addition to being a sought-after orchestrator and arranger he is Director of Music at St. Peter’s Church in Harrogate and was until 2011 Artistic Director of the Sheffield Symphony Orchestra. He made his conducting debut with English National Ballet in 2009.
