Fresh from a winter break, the staff and tutors at Jackdaws are ready to spring into action with a full schedule of weekend courses.
There are plenty of vocal courses this season for singers of all abilities and interests.
Distinguished singers, Sarah Leonard and Stephen Varcoe, are leading their first course at Jackdaws ‘English Song Weekend’ from Friday 27th February – Sunday 1st March; they will share their expertise of the area focussing particularly on songs written around the time of the Great War, by Gurney, Ireland and others.
Accompanist Nigel Foster will be on hand throughout the weekend, and Richard Carder, Chair of English Poetry and Song Society, will give a talk on the subject on Saturday afternoon. The course is open to all singers.
Handel specialist, Rosa Mannion, returns to Jackdaws in March with her popular ‘Singing Handel’ weekend course, for advanced level singers. Participants have the opportunity to explore and celebrate some of Handel’s wonderful arias with an aficionado of his music.
His operas and oratorios exemplify his most important consideration when writing for voice: depiction of character and expression of feeling. Rosa will encourage singers to explore the dramatic intention behind them as well as experiment with decoration, style and deal with the technical issues they highlight. The course runs from Friday 6th – Sunday 8th March.
At the end of March (27th – 29th) singers of all abilities are invited to enjoy a weekend of German, French and Italian art-songs with Richard Jackson, an expert in European vocal music on ‘A Song By Any Other Name’.
Ably assisted by accompanist Richard Shaw, the course will focus on how composers blend words and music. Can a foreign language be made ‘less foreign’ by exploring the meaning of the text itself by considering how the words and music interact? Guaranteed enlightenment – guaranteed fun!
Courses run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, and course fees include all meals and refreshments at Jackdaws. So, why not join a Jackdaws course this spring and see where it could take your singing?
Full course details and tutor information can be viewed at www.jackdaws.org.uk or call the Jackdaws office 01373 812383 to discuss.
